Islam, Muslim societies and anarchy
Harold B. Barclay
This contribution addresses the question of a possible relationship between the idea of anarchy and Muslim society. First, the Kharijite and the Sufi traditions in Islam are briefly considered. Then, the paper turns to various manifestations of tribal organisation in North Africa and Southwest Asia. Finally, there is a brief assessment of the writings of Mu'ammar Qaddafi, dictator of Libya, which appear to have some anarchistic content. While the search for anything remotely resembling anarchist thought or practice in Muslim society might at first sight seem a frivolous venture, it is apparent that anarchistic themes do pervade Muslim societies, although there is no consistent rejection of the notion of domination, and no advocacy of a free society.
To what extent are there indications of a rejection, or an ignoring, of the notion of the state and government amongst peoples nominally adhering to the Muslim religion? The normal reaction to such questions would be that this must be some frivolous academic pursuit since obviously Islam is so utterly authoritarian there could never be even an inkling of anarchist sympathies emanating from anyone associated with that tradition.
For purposes of this discussion, it is important to distinguish between anarchism and anarchy, where 'anarchism' is the social-political theory developed largely in nineteenth-century Europe which rejects all forms of domination, whether it be the state, government, church or family structure, and 'anarchy' is the condition in which a society is stateless. It possesses no state or government, although other means of domination may exist, such as that of male elders. In anarchy there are other forms of social control which Radcliffe-Brown referred to as 'diffuse sanctions'. These include such practices as ostracism, gossip, expulsion from the community by a group, etc. Anarchy is a common feature of many societies.
Anarchistic gift economies in contemporary science fiction
Lewis Call
Gift theory is one of the most interesting and significant strands of twentieth-century Western thought. This theory has even made its way into popular culture, notably in contemporary science fiction novels. Gift economies emerge in the literature of science fiction as a revolutionary theoretical challenge to the discourses of capitalism and statism. Anarchist theory could therefore benefit greatly from a serious and sustained examination of the principles of gift exchange articulated in these novels. Bruce Sterling's 'prestige servers,' Kim Stanley Robinson's ecological gift-giving, and the gift-exchange culture envisioned by Ursula K. Le Guin all contribute to the construction of a radical, anarchist vision of political economy. Such a vision values generosity rather than accumulation, reputation rather than material wealth, and equality rather than hierarchy. The gift exchange systems of contemporary science fiction take a vibrant system of political economy from humanity's distant past and apply it to our possible futures.
The insubordination of words: Poetry, insurgency and the situationists
John Moore
Situationist formulations on art remain crucial to contemporary anarchist thinking on aesthetics, creativity and insurgency in general. This paper explores situationist conceptions of art and critically interrogates the politics of the key situationist thesis: namely, that the oblation - or supersession and realisation - of art constitutes the crucial procedure in effecting radical social transformation. The paper concludes that the relatively marginalised notion of poetry in situationist discourse points the way toward a vital postsituationist praxis.
Jean B. Elshtain:the unjust philosopher of the just war
Sharif GemieThis paper provides a critical survey of the work of Jean B. Elshtain, one of the most prominent contributors to the February 2002 petition-manifesto, What We're Fighting For, which argued that the American military attacks initiated after 11 September 2001 constitute 'a just war'.
REVIEW ARTICLES
Understanding 11 September 2001
Sharif Gemie
Theories in need of consumption
Jon Purkis
Equality and the captive state
Brian Morris
REVIEWS
Amory Starr Naming the Enemy: Anti-corporate movements confront globalization Reviewed by Graeme Chesters
Allan Antliff, Anarchist Modernism: Art, Politics and the First American Avant Garde Reviewed by John Moore
Caroline Cahm, Kropotkin and the Rise of Revolutionary Anarchism 1872-1886 Reviewed by Terry Hopton