Theorizing Contemporary Anarchism : Solidarity, Mimesis and Radical Social Change

The turn of the Millennium demonstrated a fully-fledged revival and fusion of various left-wing social movements with differing agendas. Movements for women's, black, indigenous, LGTB and animal liberation as well as ecological, anti-nuclear and anti-war groups unified against the global capital. Considering the diverse emphases of these movements, is there a philosophical framework that could help us understand their nature and their modes of operation in the 21st century? This book provides a set of conceptual tools offering a theoretical model of 'slow' social transformation, a modality of social change that explicitly differs from the irruptive model of a revolution or a paradigm-changing event. Instead, it proposes the two concepts of mimetic contagion and solidarity with singularity which allow us to understand what is currently happening in the activist milieu. By bringing together some of today's most important thinkers, including Butler, Girard, Badiou, and Sloterdijk this book suggests a philosophical lens to look at the alternative living projects that contemporary left-wing activists undertake in practice. At the heart of their projects lie the pressing concerns that these contemporary philosophers currently debate. Breaking from the conceptual apparatus of the Marxian tradition, Theorizing Contemporary Anarchism instead takes Hegelian concepts and feeds them through the thought of contemporary theorists in order to form an original, productive, and inclusive scaffold with which to understand today's world of social and political movements. FC......Page 1 Half title......Page 2 Also available from Bloomsbury......Page 3 Title......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Dedication......Page 6 Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgements......Page 10 Abbreviations......Page 11 Introduction......Page 14 1 Universality in Triangulation: Hegel on a Carousel......Page 24 Hegel’s static triad: Universality–particularity–singularity......Page 26 Butler’s dynamic universal: Political performativity......Page 28 Circulating singularity......Page 33 Recognition and the question of asymmetry......Page 38 Where are ‘we’ in Butler: The question of collectivity......Page 45 Towards recognition: Performativity as a special case of mimesis......Page 52 How mimesis produces failure......Page 54 Why we repeat: Freud, Foucault, Derrida......Page 60 Does gender always have to be sexual?......Page 65 Butler and the question of the transgender......Page 76 Structural failure and the question of formalism......Page 83 Slow social transformation: How radical is that?......Page 87 Reform, revolution, emancipation, subversion......Page 89 Collectivities of heterogeneity......Page 91 3 Universality in Space: Collectivities of Heterogeneity meet Peter Sloterdijk’s Spherology......Page 94 The archaeology of the intimate......Page 99 Republic of spaces: A city of human foams......Page 104 ‘Everything is a society’: Gabriel Tarde and the contamination of anthropocentrism......Page 107 Schaumdeutung versus Traumdeutung: Ego formation through the ears......Page 109 Foam ethics: Immunism of co-fragile heterogeneous systems......Page 116 Affirmation versus critique: Foucault and the planet of the practising......Page 118 4 Co-Immunism versus Communism: Challenging Alain Badiou’s Model of Revolution......Page 130 Universal doubling: Generic multiplicity and universal singularity......Page 132 Generic multiplicity in ontology......Page 133 The difficult passage: Between being and being-there......Page 139 Universal singularity in the world of appearing......Page 141 The problem with particularity......Page 146 Make it quick: Event and revolution as irruptive transformations......Page 150 Communism à la parisienne......Page 155 5 Towards Anarchism......Page 166 Away from equality......Page 168 Solidarity with singularity and contemporary anarchism......Page 174 Directed mimesis, contagion and anarchist r/evolution......Page 182 Impure universality and slow social transformation......Page 186 Bibliography......Page 188 Index......Page 200 FC 1 Half title 2 Also available from Bloomsbury 3 Title 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 Acknowledgements 10 Abbreviations 11 Introduction 14 1 Universality in Triangulation: Hegel on a Carousel 24 Hegel’s static triad: Universality–particularity–singularity 26 Butler’s dynamic universal: Political performativity 28 Circulating singularity 33 Recognition and the question of asymmetry 38 Where are ‘we’ in Butler: The question of collectivity 45 2 Universality in Mimesis: Structural Failure and Social Transformation 52 Towards recognition: Performativity as a special case of mimesis 52 How mimesis produces failure 54 Why we repeat: Freud, Foucault, Derrida 60 Does gender always have to be sexual? 65 Butler and the question of the transgender 76 Structural failure and the question of formalism 83 Slow social transformation: How radical is that? 87 Reform, revolution, emancipation, subversion 89 Collectivities of heterogeneity 91 3 Universality in Space: Collectivities of Heterogeneity meet Peter Sloterdijk’s Spherology 94 Sloterdijk’s theory of bubbles and foams 99 The archaeology of the intimate 99 Republic of spaces: A city of human foams 104 ‘Everything is a society’: Gabriel Tarde and the contamination of anthropocentrism 107 Schaumdeutung versus Traumdeutung: Ego formation through the ears 109 Foam ethics: Immunism of co-fragile heterogeneous systems 116 Affirmation versus critique: Foucault and the planet of the practising 118 4 Co-Immunism versus Communism: Challenging Alain Badiou’s Model of Revolution 130 Universal doubling: Generic multiplicity and universal singularity 132 Generic multiplicity in ontology 133 The difficult passage: Between being and being-there 139 Universal singularity in the world of appearing 141 The problem with particularity 146 Make it quick: Event and revolution as irruptive transformations 150 Communism à la parisienne 155 5 Towards Anarchism 166 Away from equality 168 Solidarity with singularity and contemporary anarchism 174 Directed mimesis, contagion and anarchist r/evolution 182 Impure universality and slow social transformation 186 Bibliography 188 Index 200