How Not to be Governed: Readings and Interpretations from a Critical Anarchist Left

It is clear that only the abolition of the state structure can solve a number of oppressions, not least in relation to undocumented migrants. This book invites us to think of emigration not only in the perspective that the world is our homeland, but also because this population movement is a character of dissent from the left of both countries in respect of the so-called home, as Banu Bargu suggests. In short this book does not fail to stir the debate it deserves.

Rather than simply rehashing classical anarchism, this work offers a genuinely original and innovative re-engagement with the properly heterogeneous and heretical dimension of anarchist thought, emphasising its untimely timeliness. With the category of ‘critical anarchism, ‘ anarchism is taken beyond the epistemological boundaries of the old masters like Bakunin and Kropotkin, revitalized through a dialogue with alternative perspectives such as post-structuralism, and reconsidered in the context of today’s struggles against neo-colonialism and global capitalism. Critical anarchism thus brings to light the diversity and liveliness of anarchism, showing that it is more productively thought as a horizon of becoming. Above all, in pointing to the potential of anarchism as an alternative to the failures of statism on the one hand, and capitalism on the other, the book reminds us of the original libertarian-egalitarian impulse at the heart of radical politics and thus makes a vital contribution to what I see as the fundamental political challenge of today: reclaiming the ethical project of how not to be governed from the grasp of the radical Right.

This is a unique and exciting collection of inquiries into anarchism and political theory, anarchism as political theory. Martel and Klausen’s introduction usefully situates anarchism in relation to contemporary political struggles. The authors make use of a wide variety of political theorists, including Foucault, Arendt, Benjamin, and Nietzsche, to discern and develop anarchist themes.