Anarchy works

The idea that anarchism is based on impractical or impossible ideals is widespread. This contention, however, is not based on a reasonable analysis or historical awareness of human possibilities. In fact, it is the product of a broad social amnesia, and an alienation from our own pasts that is the end result of an ongoing process of genocide, colonization, and repression. Anarchistic forms of social organization have been the most widely practiced throughout human history, and even today, on every continent, anarchic methods of organizing daily life or struggling against oppressive systems are still common, though they often go unrecognized. Some of these examples are explicitly anarchist, but the majority never adopt that label. What can we learn from these examples of anarchy in practice? And what are the main barriers to the realization of the anarchist ideal, a world without masters, without oppression, without exploitation? “Anarchy Works” published in 2010, contains nearly 100 examples of anarchy in practice, from anarchist social movements and revolutions to stateless societies around the world, showing how in the absence of police, prisons, bosses, politicians, bureaucracies, and governments, we can take care of ourselves and solve the problems that afflict us. Peter Gelderloos is in addition to “Anarchy Works” the author of “How Nonviolence Protects the State”, “Consensus, To Get to the Other Side, The Failure of Nonviolence”, and other books, including a forthcoming work on the origin of states. Originally from the United States, since 2007 he has lived in Barcelona, where he participates in a social center, a publishing project, and other initiatives. Recording of a lecture organised in 8th of December 2015. Videoversion: https://youtu.be/_3IqtGf6M3I Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aryhma/ Instagram: aryhma Twitter: https://twitter.com/A_ryhma Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/aryhma Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/aryhma Spotify: https://sptfy.com/a-ryhma Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/fi/podcast/a-ryhmä/id1508757319 Google podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/?q=a-ryhm%C3%A4