009. Q&A: Who Counts as an Anarchist?

In this episode, I dive into the definition of anarchism. Are the street fighters of the black bloc "really" "anarchists"? Is cooperation really all it takes to be an "anarchist"? Why even bother with this dangerous term "anarchism" anyway? Was Tolstoy even an "anarchist"?If you want to skip to a specific question:01:50 - Do everyday anarchists and black bloc anarchists even believe the same thing?23:35 - Where does the word anarchism come from? Couldn't we just use "mutual aid" or even "cooperation"?28:20 - Why use the word anarchism when it's so associated with violence and chaos? Doesn't that just require lots of explanation?33:20 - Why call Tolstoy an anarchist? Wasn't he a spiritual revolutionary, not a political one?I make multiple references to Ruth Kinna's magisterial history and theory of anarchism, The Government of No One. Professor Kinna is scheduled to appear on the show in December; in the meantime, here's a link to the book: The Government of No One

Om Podcasten

The core idea of this podcast comes from David Graeber, who wrote that our everyday life is mostly run on anarchism, and at the same time people believe that anarchism doesn’t work. One of these is wrong. I hope to illuminate how our communities already depend on Mutual Aid, in big and small ways. I'll do that by excavating the historical events and cultural trends you already know about, but have never thought about in terms of anarchism. Find me at https://www.everydayanarchism.com