Author: AnarchistStudies.Blog

Seeing Football Like a State

Jamie Hamilton, U16s coach at Ayr United Football Club, conceives of football as an expressive, living, and deeply human practice. This ‘relationalism’ is in resistance to the ‘positionism’ that typifies the top-down, rationalized domination of the sport. So Stevphen Shukaitis isn’t being totally absurd when he asks:

‘What might a Scottish football coach contribute to anarchist political theory?’

Shukaitis’s provocation is that Hamilton’s tactical innovations are an articulation of a deeper political and philosophical vision – one that resonates strongly with contemporary currents in anarchist thought. Hamilton’s vision of the game as a way of expressing, resisting, and imagining life itself is a welcome challenge to dominant models of thinking about football (… what even is a ‘Club World Cup’ anyway?).

Full article available here: Seeing Football Like a State

Nestor Makhno in the Culture of Remembrance of Modern Ukraine

This extensive article by Aleksander Łaniewski (translated into English by Sean Patterson and Malcolm Archibald) features interviews with five researchers and anarchists in Ukraine, analysing the contours of contemporary remembrance of Nestor Ivanovych Makhno.

The symbolism of Makhno is contested – evolving from previous casting as a ‘common bandit’, to now having streets, commemorative coins, army divisions, statues and bars named for him. Are these statist and commercial usages of Makhno’s memory borne of sincere interest? Or are they exploitative distortions? Does ‘Makhnovist tourism’ give a welcome boost to this important historical figure? Or does it do a disservice to the Makhnovshchina’s ideas?

Of course, the current context of war sharpens questions like: ‘Which side would Makhno be fighting on today?’ And, in a grim reminder of the brutality of that war, one of the respondents in this article, Yurii Kravets, is currently missing in action on the frontlines. Our solidarity goes out to Yurii’s friends and family.

Read the full article here:

Nestor Makhno in the Culture of Remembrance of Modern Ukraine

https://diyconspiracy.net/diysolidarity/

DIY Solidarity is a project that has been set up due to an aging punk feeling the need to share an inheritance that has fallen into their lap. It means that, every year, funds are available to support DIY projects.

For the means and purposes of DIY Solidarity,  a DIY project is one that relies solely on the participants’ involvement and community support. No state sponsoring, corporate sponsoring, or NGO sponsoring.

Anarchists oppose nonconsensual hierarchies, so, on the understanding that human reproduction creates and perpetuates such hierarchies, doesn’t it stand to reason that anarchists should be antinatalists?

Cases both for and against this conclusion have been made within the anarchist community – in this article, Matti Häyry argues that the ‘anarchist antinatalism’ presented by Les U. Knight is better supported by philosophical considerations than is Julien Langer’s ‘liberation natalism’.

Read the full article here: Should Anarchists be Antinatalists?

Covid’s Long Shadow…

To mark the publication of the new edited volume, Fight For A New Normal? Anarchism and Mutual Aid in the Covid-19 Pandemic Crisis, chapter contributor Jon Bigger discusses the spectre of long Covid, both in how it has affected him personally, and as a condition now debilitating millions of people. He considers the prospects for mutual aid organising amidst this looming (yet ignored) health crisis.

Covid’s Long Shadow…

Civilization and its Discontents – critical reflections on anarcho-primitivism

In a polemical broadside against ‘anti-civilizational’ anarchists (particularly John Zerzan), Brian Morris argues that language, agriculture and technology are essential to the libertarian socialist struggle, and must be defended against the ‘myth of the noble savage’.

Civilization and its Discontents – critical reflections on anarcho-primitivism

The 8th International Anarchist Studies Network conference took place in early September 2024. Here, the organising team share their reflections on the event and suggest some lessons that might be drawn for future iterations.

Reflections on the ASN8 conference – looking back/forward

The Anarchist Studies Network conference is a place to share research, make new friends, meet old comrades and talk about anarchism for three days – but it’s more than that as well. Veteran ASN conference organiser Elizabeth Vasileva shares her reflections on the value of the conference, gives insight into the nuts and bolts of organising the event, and suggests steps we can all take, collectively, to get the most out of this rare oasis of joy amidst the wreckage of contemporary academia.

Anarchist Studies Network Conference Update and Reflections

For the full schedule visit: https://anarchiststudiesnetwork.org/asn8-registration/

And to register (for free online or as little as £1 in person), click here: https://my.weezevent.com/anarchist-studies-network-conference

We are delighted to bring you a new article, with Luke Ray Di Marco Campbell discussing ‘anarchist(ic) interventions in Higher and Further Education’. From their positioning as a Community Development lecturer, Luke Ray considers opportunities for radical practice whilst still meeting the requirements of a university degree programme. Here’s a (handily shareable) link!:

Article: Anarchist Pedagogies in the Neoliberal University – Liberation discourse and pushing radical assessment onto the agenda

We all know how important it is to warm-up before a grand exertion – so we did another one. Ahead of the 8th International ASN conference in Belfast, we were delighted to host Luis Fernandez and Sean Parson, speaking at Belfast’s newest anarchist space – The A-Centre.

Access the audio recordings here (c. 20 minutes per talk)

We’re also happy to share that registration for the 8th International Anarchist Studies Network conference is now open! Monday 2nd September 2024 is our Online Day, Wednesday 4th – Friday 6th September we will be in person at Ulster University’s Belfast campus in the north of Ireland.

Details on how to register, along with the programme are available here:

ASN8 REGISTRATION