Anarchy and Archaeology

Abstract

Anarchist theory is having a ‘moment’ in the social sciences. A growing number of scholars draw on anarchist thought to conceptualize human history and offer solutions grounded in direct democracy for a range of modern ills, including racism, sexism, and structural violence. As scholars wake to the realization that universities have become instruments for the advancement of capital, and as contemporary politics continues to embrace ethnonationalism, neoliberalism, and patriarchy, engagements with anarchist thought and practice have emerged in the academy and more broadly. What does this mean for contemporary archaeology? Here, we raise questions relating to three potential threads: the archaeology of anarchists; the use of anarchism to inform archaeological theory and practice; and the use of archaeological knowledge to inform contemporary anarchisms.

An Anarchist Archaeology of Equality: Pasts and Futures Against Hierarchy

“…This article does not aim to provide an overview, manual, or how-to list to apply anarchist thought in archaeological research, as there are many existing treatments of this (e.g. Angelbeck & Grier 2012;Black Trowel Collective 2016;Borck & Sanger 2017;Flexner & Gonzalez-Tennant 2019;Lerma Guijarro 2017;Morgan 2015). Instead, we introduce the specific concern that anarchists have with anthropological and archaeological understandings of power and the focus on inequality.…”

“…Kropotkin 1902;Parsons 2004). As anarchist archaeologists (see Black Trowel Collective 2016; Borck & Sanger 2017;Flexner & Gonzalez-Tennant 2019), we seek to integrate the best parts of both traditions in theory and praxis.…”

We Are Displaced, But We Are More Than That: Using Anarchist Principles to Materialize Capitalism’s Cracks at Sites of Contemporary Forced Displacement in Europe

“…As archaeologists, we are familiar with studying the construction and formation of human societies which predate capitalism and colonialism (Gonzalez-Tennant 2018 ; Flexner and Gonzalez-Tennant 2018 :217). Where before we might have done this out of interest in the origins of humanity, now we must do it to prevent even greater global authoritarianism (Fisher 2009 ).…”

Anarchic Social Movements as an Explanation for Rapid Change: A Case Study from the Hohokam World, A.D. 1200 – 1450

“…It is popularly misinterpreted to mean chaos. However, the etymology of the term itself is simply Greek for "without rulers" (Angelbeck et al 2018;Borck and Sanger 2017;Flexner and Edward 2019; Morgan 2015;Rathbone 2017). It says a lot about how we have internalized the need for hierarchy and central authority as the only functional political option that the words "without rulers" have become synonymous with chaos.…”