Marxism and anarchism in an age of neoliberal crisis

Abstract

argues that the former contains superior resources with which to challenge the current dominance of neoliberalism. In order to elucidate the strengths of Marxism, it addresses three common anarchist criticisms of Marxism concerning: its authoritarian strategies; its economic reductionism; and its lack of moral or ethical perspective. It argues that each of these criticisms inadvertently highlight the advantages of Marxism over anarchism. The aim of the article is not render anarchism obsolete but to respond to claims of an anarchist turn and subsequent calls for left convergence by highlighting the continuing vitality and strength of Marxism and raising questions for those who advocate an anarchist politics.

Tensions and connections between social work and anti-capitalist disability activism: disability rights, disability justice, and implications for practice

“…41-42). Choat (2016) writes that the focus on mutual aid in anarchist movements is, in part, a way to practice prefigurative politics: "because [anarchists] look to a non-hierarchical and decentralised future, they support nonhierarchical and decentralised strategies in the present" (p. 97). Piepzna-Samarasinha (2018) defines prefigurative politics as "waking up and acting as if the revolution has happened" (p. 149).…”

“…While this reflects criticisms of the state lodged by Charlton (1998), Russell (2019), and others, it holds an overly simplistic view of the state that is reflected in anarchism more broadly. Choat (2016) writes that anarchists have traditionally rejected any engagement with the state -whether it be voting, demanding legal rights or protections, forming political parties, or attempting the revolutionary seizure of government -on the basis that such engagement can only end up replicating the oppressive hierarchies that they are fighting. (p. 99) It should be noted that while this is a tendency within DJ, it is not at all times against the use of direct action to pressure the state to recognize disability rights.…”

“…While Lenin (1917) agrees with anarchists that the state is inherently oppressive, he asserts that not all formations of the state are equally so. Choat (2016) writes that although the ultimate aim of both Marxists and anarchists is a stateless and classless society, Marxists recognize that engaging with the state in certain ways and in certain times is the best option for improving the material conditions of the working class in the short term.…”

Anarchism and global ethics

“…The early anarchists and social reformers of Europe were therefore as much, if not more interested in the moral arguments for distributions of wealth than they were in what we now understand as strictly 'economic' or material ones. The significance of this is that anarchism has throughout its history offered a moral critique of capitalism that was almost completely absent in most mainstream, if no less revolutionary left wing praxis (see Franks 2012, Choat 2016).…”

Revolutionary practice and prefigurative politics: A clarification and defense

“…In fact, since I believe the original anarchist arguments for prefigurative politics spring from a theory of practice shared by Marx and Bakunin (Schmidt & van der Walt, ), I contend that this offers a potentially fruitful way of bringing Marxism and anarchism into, if not convergence, at least closer contact (Franks, , Ness, ; Prichard, & Worth, ). Prefigurative politics is a key point of disagreement between anarchists and many Marxists, going back to debates in the First International (see Eckhardt, ), but casting it as a difference between Marxism and anarchism in general is misleading in light of the strategic varieties of Marxism, some of which embrace it (Choat, ). If its argument succeeds, this article shows that prefigurative politics has support not only in anarchist ideas but in Marxist thought as well, which suggests that a fruitful dialogue between anarchist and Marxist ideas is worthwhile.…”