DavidForbes

Swords against the throne

Anarchic history, queer defiance, cooking and - of course - fighting city hall. 🏴

Writer, journalist, trans gal. Asheville Blade editor


Anonymous Guest asked:

What are good places to learn about anarchism? I only know a little, and want to learn more.

Thank you so much for asking. My personal favorite intro/summary is Life Without Law, by the Strangers in a Tangled Wilderness collective. If fiction's your thing I found Margaret Killjoy's novel A Country of Ghosts and PM's bolo'bolo helpful, though the latter should be taken with some grains of salt and readiness for a dose of '80s goth weirdness.

For stuff to listen to, I like The Final Straw for more on current organizing/struggles and the Working Class History and Cool People Who Did Cool Stuff podcasts for more on past anarchists (and a lot of other interesting folks).

All that said, the most I learned about anarchism was from engaging directly in mutual aid and organizing. About a decade ago some friends and I got together to try to make sure we and our wider communities were better fed, supplied and able to deal with problems. While the group that emerged wasn't specifically anarchist it was (and remains) non-hierarchical and focused on community support. I learned as much, probably more, about anarchism dividing up farm vegetables and sharing cooking skills as I have from anything I've ever read. I wasn't an anarchist when I started but steadily moved that way over the years.

Ymmv, but I'd encourage anyone interested in anarchism to think about what needs doing for them and those around them and then think of some ways to work together to do it. If there's an existing effort you find appealing, great, look into it. But it's also possible to start with just yourself and a few others. Whether one ends up an anarchist or not, it'll probably do some good and you'll learn a lot.

Hope this all helps!


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