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Recent articles by Jaime Cubero
Rio de Janeiro: Nota da Organizacion Anarkista Tierra y Libertad” sobr... Jul 30 14 Εσπεσιφισμό`... Jul 29 14 Εσπεσιφισμό`... Jul 29 14 The Specific Organisation![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() This is an English translation of the text produced by Jaime Cubero in São Paulo, Brazil. It deals with the concept of individual and collective responsibility within the specific anarchist organisation. The Specific OrganisationThe revolutionary project extolling libertarian socialism demands an organisation in which it defines strategies and, similarly, alternatives for all instances, at the same time as its practice is an anticipated exercise of the project. Therefore, freedom, responsibility, ethics, federalism, solidarity, self-management, etc. do not only have to be concepts of a theoretical discourse, but that which defines the practice and behavior of anarchists in the organisation. Thus as the individuals are the cellular unit of the organisation, the groups and collectives are its basic nucleus. The affinity groups are constituted by militants whose relationship, established on peculiar interests, is so much more intense in the measure in which it is nourished by revolutionary ideas and practices. Each group has a limited number of participants that guarantees a greater degree of intimacy between its members. They are autonomous, where its members can be reorganised both individual and socially. They function as catalysts of the movement providing initiative and conscietisation. The union or seperation of each group is determined by circumstance and interests, and not by any centralised decision. The adhesions or departures are made spontaneously and freely, without pressure of any nature. During periods of political repression the affinity groups are very resistant. Due to the high degree of cohesion that exists between the participants it becomes dificult to penetrate the group, and also under the most difficult conditions, the affinity groups manage to maintain contact. Nothing hinders the groups from working together at whatever level made necessary. They can join with local, regional and national groups, in a permanent or fortuitous form for the formulation of common plans. Each group looks to congregate the resources necessary to function with maximum autonomy. The union of interests with common objectives, without the breaking of autonomy, is the basic characteristic of federalism. In this way the local unions are regionally organised, and regions nationally, up to the international confederation. Everything said in respect to each instance is exclusively decided, from the individual up to the federation, in a proper forum of an autonomous and free form. Only when interest encloses common objectives, either from group to group, or from one country to another, then the agreement and compromise appears, and here they agree to something in respect of freedom and responsibility. What is freedom? Subject of great controversies throughout history. Is it free-will or determinism? Do we practice our actions by choice or not? Are we directed only by our interior impulses, which we do not control? It happens that the human being is a rational animal: a truth that everyone accepts. To be rational is to be capable of choice, capable to prefer, to weigh, to compare this or that solution, to understand the possibilities of possibilities. The human is able to foresee the consequences of its actions. Able to imagine that if it proceeds in this way, it will be able to succeed in this or that. Such an action will have such and such a consequence. And because it is able to judge, able to compare, able to measure, able to choose. If the human was only an automaton, it would not have a notion of the future. Having notion of the future demonstrates independence, capacity to choose in succeeding what supervenes. It is because of this that the human is an independent being and knows freedom. When we have an impulse for a definitive act and we reflect on its consequences, when if thinking about it discloses to us a series of possibilities that we are going to analyse rationally. We restrain the impulse, we beat the desire and decide not to do what we had desired. To deny this practical fact that we verify in our life would practically also be to deny all the power of education. Our biggest obstacles against which we have to struggle are justifiably the proclamations and the belief that we are only able to resolve the great social and economic problems at the cost of freedom. But freedom is much more. And it is through the conquest of proper freedom that we can guarantee the solution that we are searching for to these problems. The way of freedom is the one of practical freedom. It is with the practice of freedom that we form free beings. Responsibility is the obligation to answer for actions, to somebody, or for that which was entrusted to them. Nobody can be responsible without being free. Responsibility has two aspects: individual and collective. Individual responsibility compels a person to answer only for their actions or for something entrusted to them. Collective responsibility compels one to answer not only for their actions, but also for other people's actions, when speaking about deliberate, accepted actions, determined freely by a group of individuals associated to carry through a common task. Each and everyone, in this case, are individually and collectively responsible and their freedom is determined by the double character of responsibility. Individual responsibility, the obligation to answer for one's actions or of things to which one has been entrusted cannot be eluded by any individual that is in normal possession of their mental faculties. There are three types of anarchists: a) the individualists, adversaries of all forms of organisation; b) the individualist supporters of free and momentary association, but against organisation; c) the supporters of methodological and permanent organisation. Defenders of the last position, we will not speak of the first two. The conception of individual responsibility, inside the organisation, part of the coexistence of the individual and of society as a basic necessity, whose reality is previous to its existence. Part of the principle of solidarity extolled for an anarchist society and that extends itself to all categories of human beings that share its conceptions and fight for the same end. Bound by an agreement of interests, they are responsible for all the actions of their life that have a social character, their consequences, good or bad, able to influence the conditions of existence, of security and of well being of their fellow creatures. Actions that harm friends must be prevented. The examples are endless and multiply when the struggle intensifies, as in the case of strikes, when the collective responsibility sediments itself in the individual responsibility and is fundamental. Collective responsibility is proper to the anarchist organisation. It is implicit in the application of federalist principles. It is ascendent and descendent. It compels the individuals to answer for their actions before the collective, and this while the collective answers to the individual. There is no opposition between collective and individual responsibility. Both are completed and extended from the social point of view. When a group or collective takes a decision that emanates from the practice of its principles, approving the development of an action, none of its members can disassociate, forbear or act in a way that may harm the achievement of its objective. Everyone is co-responsible. The responsibility is collective and social. The decision was collective, the responsibility is collective. The resolution was taken in a form sovereign and free for all. Freedom is not absence of restrictions. It is option, it is free acceptance of social obligations. In the organisation, compromise and responsibility identify themselves. The non-fulfillment of obligation, of commitment, can denote irresponsibility, immaturity, weakness and other aspects that refer to ethics. All of our actions are liable to judgments of value and ethical connotations. Everything that has been displayed until here has ethical implications. There are hugely vast studies about ethics, from the transcendent (religious) to the ultra-racionalist, amoral, that intend to justify totalitarian positions, of racists, of the state, etc. That which interests us is the inherent ethic, that substantiates the libertarian doctrines, studied and defended by Proudhon, and developed by Kropotkin, with solid bases, that accepts a natural order between human beings, established in the tensions that they form and that they look to conserve, because in reality all ethics are established in these and in the interests for which they were created. Therefore, if society will be organised under simple and natural bases, it will form its ethics naturally, not only as a necessity, but because people know choice. Therefore people, when they join together for a common end, soon know to deduce from their organisation the right (adjusted) rules and principles that allow them to achieve, in the best way, the end that they envision. As one has verified throughout history in the constant of polarization between freedom and authoritarianism, and in all movements that look for social overcoming. In this form, the anarchist organisation develops its ethics, established on a duty to be proper, as all ethical action is frustrate-able. The unethical action for the anarchist is everything that offends the norm of organisation. And the vigor, the development, the great possibilities of the anarchist project depend fundamentally on the coherence of its ethics. [Translated for Anarkismo.net by Jonathan-ZACF] |
Front pagePrisões e mais criminalização marcam o final da Copa do Mundo no Brasil هەڵوێستی سەربەخۆی جەماوەر لە نێوان داعش و & Contra a Copa e a Repressão: Somente a Luta e Organização! Nota Pública de soldariedade e denúncia Uruguay, ante la represión y el abuso policial To vote or not to vote: Should it be a question? Mayday: Building A New Workers Movement Anarchist and international solidarity against Russian State repression Argentina: Atentado y Amenazas contra militantes sociales de la FOB en Rosario, Santa Fe Réponses anarchistes à la crise écologique A verdadeira face da violência! Face à l’antisémitisme, pour l’autodéfense Reflexiones en torno a los libertarios en Chile y la participación electoral Mandela, the ANC and the 1994 Breakthrough: Anarchist / syndicalist reflections Melissa Sepúlveda "Uno de los desafíos más importantes es mostrarnos como una alternativa real" Declaración del FAO ante la coyuntura electoral chilena y el quiebre en el movimiento libertario Brazil/Guyana/Suriname/FGuiana | Anarchist movement | en Tue 05 Aug, 19:58 Dear comrades of the FARJ, It is with great honour that we send greetings to you on your tenth anniversary (30th August 2013) and in commemorating ten years of militant commitment to the arduous task of building a counter-power that can advance towards libertarian socialism, to anarchy. Some information about the various organizations in the Brazilian Anarchist Coordination. [Português] In the days of June, in Rio de Janeiro, organised anarchism in Brazil will experience its greatest contemporary historical event. The Anarchist Congress, that will bring together groups from about 10 states across the country in debates, agreements and resolutions to act with common principles and tactics on the Brazilian reality, has a very special significance. Our conviction, in a more than 10 year process, says that militant anarchism holds indispensable contributions to the struggles for anti-capitalist social change. The meeting of militant forces that embody the same concept of work in co-ordination is a fundamental step in the journey of building political organisation that doesn’t just start now. [Português] A further step forward in the advancement of Especifista Anarchism in northeastern Brazil has been made. Meeting in Recife, we sought to further the debate on Especifism and the structuring of political groupings in our region, with a view to strengthening and consolidating our movement. [Português] An internal education seminar for the Forum of Organized Anarchism (FAO) was held in Florianopolis (Santa Caterina state) on 17-18 March 2012. [Português] On 11 February 2012, members of the Organização Dias de Luta from Joinville met with members of the Coletivo Anarquista Bandeira Negra (CABN) from Florianópolis with the aim of bringing the two organizations together. The discussions dealt with the existing affinity regarding especifist organized anarchism, active within the social struggles, and the need for programmatic and organizational strategy involving different cities in the state of Santa Catarina. [Português] Declaration by the 1st Internal Educational Seminar of the Fórum do Anarquismo Organizado - South-East Region, held in Rio de Janeiro on 21 and 22 January 2012. [Português] Change of Name and Entry into the FAO [Português] The Federação Anarquista de São Paulo (FASP - Anarchist Federation of São Paulo) was founded on 18th November 2009! Though already in existence under the name Pro-FASP since early 2008, the organization was formally founded at an event last weekend that brought together FASP members together with delegates from the Federação Anarquista do Rio de Janeiro (FARJ). [Português] [Français][Italiano] The present document is the first public document of Pró-CAO (Pró – Coletivo Anarquista Organizado / Pro – Organized Anarchist Collective) of Joinville, Santa Catarina, in which we will try to present our project for the construction of an organized anarchist policy with an ideologically revolutionary program. more >>
This article discusses the complicated questions of commitment, responsibility and self-discipline from the point of view of the Anarchist Federation of Rio de Janeiro. [Português] [Castellano]
Ten years of the Forum of Organised Anarchism (Fórum do Anarquismo Organizado – FAO) were commemorated with the foundation of the Brazilian Anarchist Coordination (Coordenação Anarquista Brasileira – CAB), uniting organisations from nine states around especifista anarchism as well as others that are progressively approaching and deepening organisational ties with us. In this text, we present a first contribution, with a few elements for a historical reconstitution of our current, that is, anarchism of the especifista matrix, in Brazil. We hope that other contributions can help boost it or, possibly, correct the information presented here.
"Towards a Libertarian Theory of Power" is a series of elaborated reviews about books or articles by authors from the libertarian camp who discuss power. Its objective is to present a contemporary literature of authors who treat the theme in question and contribute elements for the elaboration of a libertarian theory of power, that could contribute to the elaboration of a method of analysis of reality and of strategies of libertarian basis, to be utilised by individuals and organisations. Originally published in Portuguese on the site Estratégia e Análise. [Português] [Part 1: Ibáñez and Libertarian Political Power]
The specific anarchist organisation uses, both for its internal and external functioning, the logic of what we call "concentric circles" - strongly inspired by the Bakuninist organisational model. The main reason that we adopt this logic of functioning is because, for us, the anarchist organisation needs to preserve different instances of action. These different instances should strengthen its work while at the same time allowing it to bring together prepared militants with a high level of commitment and approximating people sympathetic to the theory or practice of the organisation - who could be more or less prepared and more or less committed. In short, the concentric circles seek to resolve an important paradox: the anarchist organisation needs to be closed enough to have prepared, committed and politically aligned militants, and open enough to draw in new militants. [Italiano]
Material of the theoretical-political debate of anarchism.
In the days of June, in Rio de Janeiro, organised anarchism in Brazil will experience its greatest contemporary historical event. The Anarchist Congress, that will bring together groups from about 10 states across the country in debates, agreements and resolutions to act with common principles and tactics on the Brazilian reality, has a very special significance. Our conviction, in a more than 10 year process, says that militant anarchism holds indispensable contributions to the struggles for anti-capitalist social change. The meeting of militant forces that embody the same concept of work in co-ordination is a fundamental step in the journey of building political organisation that doesn’t just start now. [Português]
A further step forward in the advancement of Especifista Anarchism in northeastern Brazil has been made. Meeting in Recife, we sought to further the debate on Especifism and the structuring of political groupings in our region, with a view to strengthening and consolidating our movement. [Português]
The Federação Anarquista de São Paulo (FASP - Anarchist Federation of São Paulo) was founded on 18th November 2009! Though already in existence under the name Pro-FASP since early 2008, the organization was formally founded at an event last weekend that brought together FASP members together with delegates from the Federação Anarquista do Rio de Janeiro (FARJ). [Português] [Français][Italiano]
The April-June edition of "Socialismo Libertário", jointly published by the FAO groups, is now available.
The journal "Socialismo Libertário" is published quarterly by the Fórum do Anarquismo Organizado (FAO - Forum of Organized Anarchism). The current issue is now available and can be downloaded in PDF format. more >> |
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