Perspectives on Anarchist Theory - Vol 3. No.2 Fall 1999

7/30/2019 Perspectives on Anarchist Theory - Vol 3. No.2 Fall 1999

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The Institute forAnarchist StudiesFall 1999Vol. 3 No. 2

Chaia Heller is one of the mostexciting feminist and Utopianintellectuals currently writingin English. In her first majorwork, Ecology of EverydayLife: Rethinking the Desire forNature, Chaia Heller extendsa feminist critique of romantic love to an exploration ofalienated perceptions of nature. Heller challenges us torethink the epistemologicalbasis of our desire for a betterworld with one of the mostchallenging and consideredexaminations of the dialecticof desire and need since Murray Bookchin's 1967essay of the same name. Heller brings the subjectinto the forefront of considerations for socialchange, rescuing it from the esoteric backgroundof social theory.I spoke with Chaia about her book, her work, andher experience as a radical theorist in August 1999.

~ Rebecca DeWitt

Ecology, DesireandRevolution:An InterviewwithChaia Heller

analogous to but directly mologous to the dialectic tween need and desire.

by Rebecca DeWitt

Y f hat was it like to write this book, strugglewith these complicated social and political issues,and try to propose solutions within the current political climate?Writing is the way I deal with the fact that I live ina counter-revolutionary time. It has been an important way for me to do that and helps me keepengaged, inspired and focused on revolutionaryideas and work. I've always been in love with ideas,and thinking about Utopian or revolutionary ideasgives me a sense of hopefulness and possibilitiesbecause you can often think beyond what you cando in a particular historical moment. So, I get a lotof satisfaction and joy out of thinking beyond "whatis given" to "what ought to be."

J[ ou articulate a revolutionary project in whichneed (the realm of necessity) must become desire,where need is transcended by focusing on our collective desire for a better way of life. You statethat this desire can and must become politicized.How does desire become politicized?I think that it entails a dialectic. The dialectic ofnatural evolution is this movement towards evergreater levels of consciousness, freedom, subjectivity. And, I think that this dialectic is not just

I think that desire is need coming increasingly free. the subject becoming increingly free from the realmnecessity, as necessity becomincreasingly subjective. For ample, the need for food bcomes the conscious, subjecdesire for a kind of food. Tis a dialectic that marks bhistory and natural history. Aso I think that there is a v

compelling relationship between the dialectifreedom and necessity and desire and need, whinspired Bookchin to write a very important essin the 60's called "Desire and Need."Any movement toward freedom will have to figout a way to talk about desire and not just neesee this as part of evolutionary and revolutionthinking. I think there was this potential as moved from the Old Left to the New Left but tthe advance will only become fulfilled when we ctruly understand this historical dialectic betwefreedom and necessity. It is not sufficient to ohave peoples' physical material needs met, and certainly not acceptable for that to happen witcentralized authoritarian state structures. We mnot only figure out how to meet peoples' mateneeds but also figure out a way to qualitatively traform the way we meet those needs that will becreasingly subjective and conscious and free. Tway to do that is to create a political structure tencourages the greatest degree of social complity, participation, and that structure would be dirdemocracy.

J[ ou state that "focusing solely on need and svival naturalizes conditions of ecological scarand destruction... When we lose sight of the qutative dimensions of life, we lose the ability to ctrast the world that is to the world that oughbe." Implicit in this statement is the idea that can change our society and therefore have no rson to settle for the unjust society we currently haMany political trends have turned away from Utopian approach. Why is it important to mainta Utopian ideal?This goes back to how do you cope with life icounter-revolutionary time. Utopia can imply sosort of evolutionary vision and progress, and plies not just change but some qualitative progrsion; a shift from "what is" to "what ought to bcontinued on pag


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PERSPECTIVESON ANARCHISTTHEORY

In This Issue:Grant Awards and Updates page 3What's Happening page 4IAS Development page 10Fall 1999, Vol. 3, No, 2

Newsletter of thei&titutefor Anarchist StudiesEditorial Committee:Rebecca DeWitt, Chuck Morse,Eva Garcia

Grammatical .Partisans:Hamish Alcorn, Andrew Bellware,Paul Glavin, Qayyum JohnsonSubscription Rates(Two issues per year)IAS Dono rs - F reeI n d i v i d u a l s - $ 5Institutions - ' ' *- $10Bulk Subs (25 Copies) - $25

Institute/or Anarchist Studies)

tives do notnecessarily represenithe viewsof the IAS as a whole. The material in thisnewsletter is the Institute for AnarchistStudes.*** >

-IAS Board of Directors: ,Paula Emery, John Petrovato,Dan Chodorkoff, Cindy Milstein,Michelle Matisons, Maura Dillon, >, Paul Glavin, Chuck MorseAdministrative Staff:Chuck Morse, Eva Garcia.Rebecca DeWitt

General Director: , >,^Rebecca DeWitt' ***

, Institute for Anarchist StudiesPO. Box 1664Peter Stuyvesant StationNewYorkiNY 10009-USA. ^

Phone:. 718-349-0438E-mail: 1 [email protected]: : jhtto://homelnewyoiknet ,,i. .net'jas/Defeultihtm ,The IAS isa nonprofit, tax-exempt.organization.

IAS Update

Perspectives

In these politically uncertain times we need to continue to gather strength by exploring new ideas andthe potential for change. At the IAS we have beendoing just that and there are quite a few things toreport.I want to first mention a very important organizational change. This June the IAS board voted tomake me the General Director of IAS. I am veryexcited to take on this role and I am inspired by thechallenges this position presents and the contributions I can make to the growth of the IAS. ChuckMorse (the founder of the IAS) has held this position since the organization's inception more thanthree years ago. It was agreed that this administrative change would help bring new perspectives tobear on the direction of the IAS and also help Chuckdevote more time to fundraising and other IAS activities. Chuck will, of course, continue as a member of the IAS administrative staff, co-editor of thenewsletter, and a member of the board.We have also been working to develop the principles and structure of the IAS. For the last sixmonths three local board members met regularlyto address IAS developmental issues. We have focused on reevaluating our grant priorities, boarddevelopment and finances in light of the currentweakness of radical theory and politics. We feelthe main purpose of the IAS is to cultivate and helpre-build a radical movement and we are workingto refine our principles and strategies accordingly.In addition, the board passed a proposal tostrengthen the percentage of local board membersbased in New York City so that there will be moreof a support network and radical milieu around theIAS headquarters in. We have also set ourselvesthe task of rewriting the brochure and translatingit into several languages. Please see page 10 for adetailed report of our endeavors over the last sixmonths.The IAS continues to award grants to excitingprojects and see the results of previous grant awards.It has always been our hope to support foreign language projects and we recently took a step in thatdirection. We are very excited to give out our firstgrant for a non-English language project toFernando Lopez for his Spanish-language study ofthe Federacidn Anarquista Comunista Argentina,an Argentinean anarcho-communist organization.We have also given a grant to C.W. Brown whowill address American right-wing activities through

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an anarchist analysis. (Read more about our Ju1999 grant awards on page 3). Also, we weexcited to receive a finished copy of Mark Bonhand Richard Curtis' project, Passionate and Dagerous: Conversations with Midwestern AnAuthoritarians and Anarchists. (See page 3 read more about the project and find out howobtain a copy.)We are also in the middle of our 1999 fundraisicampaign, whose success will allow us to cotinue awarding grants, publishing Perspectiveand add $10,000 to the IAS endowment We wbe able to add $10,000 to the endowment thanto a combination of two sources: last Novemb1998, a generous IAS supporter pledged to dnate $8000 to our endowment upon the succeof the our 1999 fundraising campaign and wwill add $2000 to that amount, bringing the totto $10,000 (see page 11 for more details). Whave set big goals for ourselves this year but wanticipate success with the generous help of lontime supporters, new friends and those who haalready donated.Perrenial Books has changed their name but ntheir commitment to the IAS and radical literture. Perennial has become Raven Used Book(located in Amherst, Massachusetts) and continuto help the IAS by making forty-eight titles avaable to IAS donors (please see the inseenclosed in this issue for a listing of the excetional books they are offering).The IAS has been in existence for three andhalf years, we have given away $17,000 eightteen projects, we have published six issuof Perspectives (including this issue), and we asettling in our new home in NYC. What is espcially encouraging is that the IAS has taken roin the widespread anarchist and radical commnity and is appreciated by activists and writeboth nationally and internationally. All of thesaccomplishments and the growing support for thIAS are inspiring us to continue and improve owork.

~ Rebecca DeWSeptember 199

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Grant The Institutefor AnarchistStudies (IAS)Awards annujnyawards $6000in grants to writers whose work is importantto the anarchist critique of domination, whohave a clear financial need, and whose pieceis likely to be widely distributed. The IASBoard of Directors was pleased to awardgrants to the following individuals in June1999:$2200 to Fernando Gustavo Lopez Trujillofor this piece, The FACA and the AnarchistMovement in Argentina, 1930-1950. Thispiece will be a historical study of theFederation Anarquista Comunista Argentina(FACA). He will examine the growth of theFACA from 1935 and into the 1940's, a development that is exceptional given that theArgentine anarchist movement and its orga

nizations were shrinking at this time (afterbeing the largest anarchist movement in LatinAmerica). He will then look at the decline ofthe FACA in the 1940's and 1950's and therelationship of its decline to the rise of thePeronist movement. Lopez will search for thedeep reasons of the FACA's demise, arguingthat state repression cannot be counted as aprimary cause. It will contain chapters suchas "The Coup D'Etat of Uriburu and the Riseof the FACA"; "The 1930's Strikes"; "TheCivil War in Spain"; and "The Dictatorshipof 1943 and the Rise of the Peronism." Thework will be written in Spanish.The scheduled date for the completion of thisproject is March 2000. Lopez lives in BuenosAires, Argentina.$800 to C.W. Brown for "Vanguards of theCrusaders: Freedom and Domination inRight-wing Discourse." This project will

study the social and political theory of thpatriot right in the US as seen through tlenses of classical anarchist theory. It has twobjectives: first, to understand the patrright discourse in the contemporary USthe context of anarchist studies in fascisand second, to grasp the extent to which thpatriot right discourse resonates with eveday American ideology and thus expressthe clean outlines of the ideology of domintion in the 'new world order'. The schedulcompletion date for this project is Fall 199Brown lives in Greenfield, MassachusettsIf you are interested in applying for a graplease send a self-addressed, stamped envlope to the IAS at P.O. Box 1664, PetStuyvesant Station, New York, NY, 1000USA. You may also download a grant appcation from the IAS's website at: httphome.newvorknet.net/ias/Default.htm.

GrantUpdates

Passionateand Dangerous: Conversations withMidwesternAnti-Authoritarians and Anarchists by Mark Bonhert andRichard Curtis has been completed and published as an attractive, 70 page pamphlet. Thepamphlet (formerly titled Post-Industrial Resources: Anarchist Reconstructive Efforts &Visions in the Upper Midwest) is comprisedof interviews with anarchist activists fromDetroit, Chicago, and other areas throughout the Midwest It defies the Midwest's reputation as a bastion of conservatism and offers a candid picture of the contemporaryanarchist movement, its failings as well asstrengths. It is available from AK Press, LeftBank Books, or directly from the authors atP.O. Box 63232, St. Louis, MO 63163.Bonhert and Curtis were awarded $250 inJune 1997.Matt Hern and Stuart Chaulk's book, TheMyth of the Internet: Private Isolation andLocal Community has been accepted for publication by Broadview Press of Toronto,Canada. A first draft is being reviewed bythe publisher and Hern and Chaulk anticipate that the book will be available in the fallor early winter. They were awarded $1200 inJanuary 1998.Perspectives

Lucien van der Walt has completed more than140 pages of his manuscript, Anarchism andRevolutionary Syndicalism in South Africa,1904-1921. He has written a detailed treatment of the impact of anarchism and revolutionary syndicalism on the early socialistmovement in South Africa up until 1920 andall that remains to be examined are the eventsleading to the founding of the CommunistParty of South Africa in mid-1921. His research indicates that libertarian socialism wasa powerful influence on the early left-wingmovement. Two articles drawn from his research will appear this year. "'The IndustrialUnion is the Embryo of the Socialist Commonwealth': The International SocialistLeague and Revolutionary Syndicalism inSouth Africa, 1915-1920" will appear inComparative Studies of South Asia, Africaand the Middle East and "Race, Class andRevolutionary Syndicalism in South Africa:The International Socialist League and theIndustrial Workers of Africa, 1915-1920" isforthcoming in Archivfur die Geschichte desWiderstandes und der Arbeit. He wasawarded $500 in June 1998.Joe Lowndes continues to work on his "Anarchism and the Rise of Rightwing Anti-statism." He will soon begin archival researchinto the direct mail campaigns of the NewRight in the mid-1970's. He will examinehow New Right elites appealed to a white,middle and working-class public, with par-

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ticular attention to the way they linked racthemes to anti-government messages. Hhopes to complete his project by Fall 199He was awarded $1000 in June 1998.Chris Day continues work on his book, Aarchism and the Zapatista Revolution. He hcompleted a draft of the first section, whis a history of the EZLN from its founding1983 to 1994. He has also written two ticles that will provide the basis for an adtional two chapters. The first, which is scheuled for publication in Forward Motion, rcapitulates the history of the EZLN prior1994 and continues with a narrative accouof their development to the present An eited version of the second article, "Dual Powin the Lacandon Jungle" is scheduled for pulication by the Fire By Night OrganiziCommittee. This is a theoretical treatmeof the lessons of the Zapatistas's experienin dual power in the form of the autonomomunicipalities established in December 199He was awarded $2000 in January 1998.Sam Mbah is working on his book, The Mtary Dictatorship And The State In AfricHe completed the analysis and collationresearch materials this spring and has nobegun writing. He was awarded $2000January 1999.All but four of thirty chapters of Zoe Erwcontinued on pag

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CONTACTS &ADDRESSES

AK PressP.O. Box 40682San Francisco, CA94140-USAhttp://www.akpress.org/

City Lights261 Columbus AvenueSan Francisco, CA 94133http://www.citylights.com/Common Courage PressP.O. Box 702Monroe, ME 04951http://www.commoncouragepress.com/

Ediciones AntorchaAv. Cuauhtemoc 1177Col. Letran ValleDelegation Benito Juarez03650 - Mexico, D.F.E-mail:antorcha(a),df 1 .telmex.net.mx

Fundacion "Anselmo Lorenzo"Paseo de Alberto Palacios, 2,28021 Madrid, Spainhttp://www.ecn.Org/a.reus/cntreus/fal/index.htmlKate Sharpley LibraryBM HurricaneLondon, WC1N 3XXUK

http://members.aol.com/wellslake/Sharpley.htmSee Sharp PressP.O. Box 1731Tucson, AZ 85702Phone: (520) 628-8720

http://home.earthlink.net/~seesharp/Seven Stories Press140 Watts StreetNew York, NY 10013

(212) 226-8760(212)226-1411 (fax)[email protected]

What's Happening:

Perspectives

Noam Chomsky has exposed international politics and exposed the hypocrisy of ruling elites fordecades and fortunately his efforts show no signsof slowing. In his latest release, The New MilitaryHumanism: Lessons from Kosovo (Common Courage Press, September 1999), Chomsky blastsNATO countries for responding to the Serbianatrocities while ignoring ethnic cleansings in othercountries and warns about a newcolonialism cloaked in moralisticrighteousness.Those looking for an introductionto Chomsky's views or simply ananti-authoritarian analysis of contemporary political issues will wantto read The Struggle for Democracy: Political Writings of NoamChomsky edited by Mark Pavlick(400 pages, Common CouragePress, January 1999). This bookcontains many of Chomsky's classic yet hard to find essays as well assome of his more recent writings(including his interviews with Michel Foucaultand William Buckley). With essays on human nature, human rights, Indochina, the responsibilityof intellectuals, and other subjects, this anthologywill provide an overview of Chomsky's politicalideas. For philosophical essays in the anarchisttradition as well as biographical sketches, Spanish readers will want to explore La Libertad entrela Historia y la Utopia: Tres Ensayos y OtrosTextos del Sigh XX by Luce Fabbri (145 pages,REA, December 1998, trans: Freedom in Historyand Utopia; Three Essays and Other Texts of the20th Century). Fabbri, a life-long anarchist, theorist, and central figure of the Uruguayan anarchistcommunity, offers essays on fascism, internationalpolitics, the idea of Utopia, as well as biographical pieces on her father Luigi Fabbri, SimonRadowitzky, and other important figures of twentieth century anarchism.Several new works explore the aesthetic dimension of radical politics. Revolutionary Romanticism: A Drunken Boat Anthology (260 pages, CityLights Books, July 1999), edited by MaxBlechman, draws on two centuries of the intertwined traditions of cultural and political subversion. The anthology attempts to recapture andtransvalue the transgressions of the past for thebenefit of contemporary struggles. It contains essays on William Blake, William Morris, ErichMuhsam, Walter Benjamin, Guy Debord, and others. The life and work of Herbert Read, a poet,novelist, art critic, and 'philosophical anarchist'4

are treated in Herbert Read Reassessed editedDavid Goodway (334 pages, Liverpool UniversPress, 1998). This anthology treats topics suchRead and World War I, Read's organic aestheRead and design, and his use of Freud. An ovview of Read's life is presented in the introdution and a bibliography of his work is also cluded. German readers will want to pick up Pinund Dolch. Anarchistische Idein Kunst und Kunsttheorie 1841920 by Dieter Scholz (477 pageReimer, 1999) (Trans: Paintbruand Dagger: Anarchist IdeasArt and Art Theory 1840-1920Primary documents from the racal feminist movement will beasier to examine thanks to tpublication oi Radical FeminisAn Historical Reader edited Barbara Crow (480 pages, NYPress, November 1999). This boLuce Fabbri contains pivotal documents wrten by U.S. radical feminists in t1960s and 1970s and combines both unpublishand previously published manifestos, position p

pers, meeting minutes, and newsletters essento the development of radical feminism during thtime. The collection is organized around the sues of sex and sexuality, race, children, lesbiaism, separatism, and class. It includes originwork by groups such as The Furies, RedstockingCell 16, and the Women's Liberation MovemenFor the direct testimony of earlier generationradical women, Spanish readers will want to cosult Mujeres Libres, Luchadoras Libertarias (19pages, Fundacion Anselmo Lorenzo, 1999). Thbook contains commentary from 13 membersthe Mujeres Libres, an anarcha-feminist organzation active during the Spanish Civil War, themes such as culture, work, and socializatioSeveral new books offer important contributioto the comprehensive history of anarchism. ThEncyclopedia of Political Anarchy edited bKathlyn and Martin Gay (300 pages, ABC-ClAugust 1999) examines the ancient roots of thmovement, spotlights key individuals, and eplores important groups, organizations, evenlegal cases, and theories. It is the first Englilanguage encyclopedia on anarchism. Facing thEnemy: A History of Anarchist Organization froProudhon to May 68 by Alexandre Skirda (29pages, AK Press, October 1999) traces the histoof anarchism as a political movement and ideoogy across the 19th and 20th centuries, offeribiting and incisive portraits of the major thinkeFall 199


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Books and Eventsand organizers as well as their opposition. (Frenchreaders may wish to pick up the reprint of Skirda'sNestor Makhno, Le Cosaque Libertaire and laGuerre Civile en Ukraine, 1917-1921 (491 pages,Essais et Documents, 1999).)A full treatment of anarchist history would be seriously incomplete without an examination of thestruggles, successes, and failures of Spanish anarchists from 1936 to 1939. Research on anarchism during this period will be greatly enhancedby the publication of Robert Alexander's two volume Anarchists in the Spanish Civil War. (Vol 1:720 pages, Vol. 2: 768 pages, Janus PublishingCompany, 1999). This voluminous book analysesthe part played by the anarchists during the CivilWar and their unique social and economic experiments behind the lines. Alexander casts fresh lightinto many areas, notably the anarchist's defenseof Madrid and also life in the worker-controlledrural and urban collectives. The book is substantiated throughout and contains interviews with anarchists from the period. Researchers will also behappy to know that Abel Paz's massive biographyof Durruti has been transformed into a 55 minutevideo by Paco Rios (Fundacion de EstudiosLibertarios Anselmo Lorenzo). Another contribution can be found in a new pamphlet from the KateSharpley Library entitled Umberto Marzocchi:Remembering Spain, Italian Anarchist Volunteersin the Spanish Civil War {2% pages, Kate SharpleyLibrary, 1999).Two new works will help fill the gaps in the literature on anarchism outside of Europe and theUnited States. The first book lengthtreatment of Cuban anarchism willbe published this fall. Cuban Anarchism: The History of a Movement(128 pages, See Sharp Press, October 1999, trans. Chaz Bufe) by FrankFernandez of the MovimientoLibertario Cubano covers the periodfrom the 1850s to the present andconcludes with an essay on Cuba'spossible future. El Expreso: UnIntento de acercamiento a laFederacion Anarquista del Centro dela Republica Mexicana (1936-1944)by Chantal Lopez and Omar Cortes(80 pages, Ediciones Antorcha, 1999)is a Spanish language book-length pamphlet analyzing the history of this organization, containingboth commentary as well as many appendices.The history of American labor radicalism will become a little broader thanks to HowardPerspectives

Kimeldorf's Syndicalism, Pure, and Simple:Wobblies, Craft Unionists, and the Battle forAmerican Labor (University of California Press,275 pages, December 1999). Kimeldorf looks athow organized labor in the United States has bothmounted some of the most aggressive challengesto employing classes anywhere in the world yetalso warmly embraced the capitalist system ofwhich they are a part. Rejecting conventional understandings of American unionism, Kimeldorfargues that there has been distinctive reliance onworker self-organization and direct economic action among American labor and that this can beseen as a particular kind of syndicalism. He bringsthis syndicalism to life through two case studiesof unionization efforts by Philadelphia longshoremen and New York City culinary workers duringthe opening decades of the twentieth century. Heshows how these workers, initially affiliated withthe radical IWW and later the conservative AFL,pursued a common logic of collective action atthe point of production that largely dictated theirchoice of unions.Anyone with an interest in cities and a commitment to direct action will welcome the followingbooks. No Trespassing! Squatting, Rent Strikes,and Land Struggles Worldwide by Anders Corr(256 pages, South End Press, October 1999) isan international study on how people have takenover vacant buildings and unused land. Corr presents a study of fired banana plantation workersin Honduras, whose homes, churches, and schoolswere bulldozed by Chiquita Brands International,and how they forced the Cincinnati-based multinational to allot alternate land,rebuild homes and infrastructure,and provide for new self-man

aged business collectives. He alsosketches a vivid portrait of theSan Francisco squatting organization Homes Not Jails, takingreaders along as activists openvacant buildings and house dozens of homeless people everynight. The book is addressed notonly to activists and academicsinterested in a global perspectiveon land and housing, but anyonesearching for strategies of socialchange and sources of popularrevolt. Also worthy of note is Avant Gardening:

Ecological Struggle In The City & The Worldedited by Bill Weinberg and Peter Lamborn Wilson(169 pages, Autonomedia, June, 1999). This anthology contains writings about the cultural, so-continued on page 9

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LEaSQtiS PHGM KOSOVO

The Centro de DocumentationInvestigacion de la Cultura dIzquierdas en la Argenrtin(CeDinCi) is a radical archive lcated in Buenos Aires containina broad selection of material frothe Argentine Left. It was foundein 1996 when an old militant dieand left all the magazines, newpapers, bulletins, books, correspondence, and documentatiothat he had gathered since the 30to Horacio Tarkus, the present drector of the archive.The CeDinCi was established asspace of reference for the recostruction of the Argentinean Leand as an archive for use by radcal researchers whose work focuson new perspectives of thArgentinean left after the militadictatorship.A self-managed organization rlying completely on volunteer lbor, the CeDinCi has consolidatea large amount of information fpublic use, free of charge, and theare currently working on a comprehensive catalog. CeDinCi alspublishes a political and culturmagazine, El Rodaballo, twiceyear. In addition, they have startea publishing project, El Cielo pAsalto, which has already prduced thirty titles.They also offer seminars, lectureand workshops where radical itellectuals can gather to discusissues. Funding for any radicproject is always limited, and pehaps more so for Argentina, anCeDinCi welcomes anfundraising advice.For information, please contaCeDinCi at: Calle Sarmiento 343(CP1196) Buenos Aires, Argetina or e-mail: [email protected] [email protected].

~ Eva GarciaFall 199


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CHAIA HELLER:BIOGRAPHY

ChaiaHeHergrewup in Stamford,Connecticut, a child of middleclass Jewish parents. Although herparents were not radical, she wasexposed to radical ideas at a veryyoung age by attending an alternative elementary school whereshe was exposed to non-hierarchical and creative ways of thinking.Ironically, Chaia's parents didn'trealize the political transformationtaking place and thought shewould go through life as a "normal" person.Chaia never stopped being politicized. In her early 20*s she immersed herself in radical politics,came out as a lesbian, and movedto Burlington, Vermont, to studywith Murray Bookchin. She credits her painful encounter with hostility in the left in the form of sexism, homophobia and anti-Semitism as an experience that hasconcretized her relation to oppression and .continually keeps herfighting. These encounters madeher realize that a general analysisof hierarchy is not sufficient in itself to undo particular manifestations of hierarchy and oppression.While pursuing her revolutionaryideas, Chaia worked for manyyears as a clinical social worker forwomen struggling with domesticabuse and poverty. Chaia is currently a faculty member at the Institute for Social Ecology inPlainfield, Vermont, where she hastaught eco-feminism, among othercourses social ecology courses, formany years now. She is also currently pursuing a degree in anthro-pologyatihe University of Massachusetts.Chaia is indebted to MurrayBookchin for his intellectual guidance and generosity of spirit Chaiaalso counts among her influencesAudre Lourde, James Baldwin,Emma Goldman, Ynestra Xing,and Peggy Luhrs.

continued from page 1Ecology, Desire and Revolution,The whole notion of this shift, within the contextof Utopian discourse, is seen as a qualitative elaboration of meaning, social relationships, the meaning of freedom, pleasure, etc.I think that today we have lost our revolutionaryand evolutionary nerve. The problem is that thecultural evolutionary theories of Adam Smith,Ricardo and then later Marx were predicated onbiological evolutionary theories, which were inherently flawed. We have been coming to termswith those flaws. They had a vision based on thenotion of nature and history as the realm of necessity. They believed that biological and culturalevolution was a series of knowable, determined,and necessary stages inevitably moving in a general, universal way towards a knowable, hard telos.This notion really hit its limit at the end of thesecond World War when it became frighteninglyclear that there was not some inevitable linear,knowable, scientific progression of cultural, social and political life that would necessarily endin some good, progressive, rational way. The holocaust, along with Stalin and Hiroshima, is justone of the many horrors that demonstrated this.I think that all of these events pointed to the unbearable irrationality of what is erroneously called"western civilization." The problem is that insteadof realizing that the model of evolution and revolution we were using was inherently flawed andbased upon an understanding of evolution as adeterminable unfolding of necessary stages, [manyradical theorists] decided to renege completely onthe project of articulating evolutionary and revolutionary theory and practice. If you renege on thisproject, you can basically give up any discussionor vision of "what ought to be". So, basically, youcan have a post-structuralist response, which is toanalyze, describe, problematize the particular"what is" that surrounds us or you can protest,reform and try to destroy the "what is". But youwill continually eschew the question of "whatought to be" and how to move from the "what is"to the "what ought to be."I believe the Utopian question is inherently predicated on that movement between "what is" and"what ought to be" or at the very least some willingness to posit a "what ought to be" that is qualitatively better than the "what is." I think that until we can go back and rethink the premises thatwere the foundations for biological and culturalevolutionary theory, until we can firm up our critique and transcend those limitations (which I believe social ecology does), we will remain in acounter-revolutionary period where we will only

be able to react to the "what is" through protereform, nihilism, or endless description.y.

Perspectives

ou are currently pursuing a Ph.D. in anthrpology at a major university, yet the post-struturalist intellectual environment of the universiis marked by a disregard for a radical politicfocusing on a revolutionary universal theory aninstead focuses exclusively on the post-structualist project of describing, analyzing, anproblematizing, focusing almost exclusively on thparticular. How are you able to pursue a revoltionary universal project?The particular is the obsession of post-structuraism and I am in a very post-structuralist deparment. I find this approach methodologically useful as an anthropologist and ethnographer. If yowant to go into a molecular biology lab in Parifor instance (that's what I've been studying), yowant to understand the local site-specific cultuof that lab and practices of those scientists. It very useful to be attentive to the multi-layered relationships between the people and the instrumenthat constitute those science institutions. Ethnography is a meditation on the particular, a phenomenological approach that asks you to walk intosituation and, as best you can, get inside the headof the people you are trying to understand.Where post-structuralism is extremely un-usefis its inability and disinterest in bringing somsort of universal or, dare I say, objective set criteria to bear upon judging the ethics of the practices in those institutions. I find this highly problematic because, for example, when I go into thmolecular biology lab and talk to people who ardoing fundamental research for agricultural biotechnology. I need to be able to understand thparticular nature of their work and thinking anI also need to make some judgements about thand I feel responsible as a radical theorist to sa"this is the stable, universal, and very general seof ethical criteria I now appeal to when I'm gointo make judgements about these practices." So,make a judgement about the fact that private coporations are increasingly taking over public research institutions, that capital driven institutionare now increasingly taking over public sciencresearch institutions. I also make a judgemenabout the implications of this for agriculturaeconomy and for science practice in general. I'mnow moving from the particular to some widemore general or universal analysis and judgemeof these events. This is where I feel the academis currently falling very short.

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An Interview with Chaia HellerPeople are not encouraged to take that nextstep. People are, in a certain, very quiet way,discouraged from making those judgments(for example, by simply not seeing any articles that voice those concerns published inthe recognized academic journals). It's madevery clear to people in the academy - particularly within the post-Marxist, post-structural left - that you're not supposed to drawrevolutionary implications from the judgements that you make about the particularevents you study. I find this to be highly problematic but not at all surprising.Social ecology is your major influence yetsocial ecology, as a more general theory ofoppression, lacks attention to social issuessuch as feminism, which you deal with in yourbook. Does your attention to social issuespose any difficulties in terms of writing as asocial ecologist?I'm dealing with a tension that exists betweenthe Old and New Left and I see social ecology as a New Left response to the Old Left,by an Old Leftist. What marked the Old Leftwas an emphasis on the universal subject, ona revolutionary universal theory. That universal revolutionary subject was the workerand the revolutionary project focused aroundthe issue of labor. Within the New Left wesaw the emergence of social issues, such asecology, the Vietnam War, civil rights, andanti-nuclear movement, and particular socialidentities such as gender and race.What we began to appreciate in the New Leftwas the particular nature of the effects of hierarchy and the factthat hierarchies are notjust universal but thatthey are particularizedin culture-specificways. If we're ever going to be able to movetowards some sort ofuniversal revolutionary movement, it canonly be done throughan understanding ofthe particular ways hierarchy is practicedand reproduced.Murray [Bookchin]pointed this out inPost-Scarcity Anarchism, which he wrotePerspectives

at the beginnings of the New Left. He saw insome of the social movements the potentialfor the particular to become universalized,for people to uncover and understand somecommon universal humanity amd thus reconcile humanity's relationship to the naturalworld and to each other. He saw within feminism the potential for a trans-class socialmovement; women of all classes would beable to understand their particular relationship to male-dominated hierarchy and alsoto an ecological struggle. You see in the firstmoments of social ecology a tremendous understanding of and appreciation for the particular.What happens is the inability of a socialmovement to take the next step towards theuniversal and towards the political - the classical sense of the political as the citizen andsubject acting within a citizens assembly tomanage his and her everyday life within acommunity. The inability of the social movements to get there and to flesh out the socialto reach the political, has been such a sourceof disappointment that social ecology has often dismissed some of those movements asbeing inevitably co-optable, particularistic,ensconced within a social sphere and thusunable to really play an important role in propelling a revolutionary political movement.What I'm trying to do in this book is drawout the revolutionary implications of what isparticular, subjective, social, and cultural. Idon't think the solution is to reject what issubjective, social, and particular; as it is literally, ontologically, historically, and existen-tially impossible to do so. We are marked by

Chaia Heller: Selected WorksEcology of Everyday Life; Rethinking the Desirefor Nature. Montreal: Black Rose Books, 1999."For the Love of Nature: Ecology and the Cult ofthe Romantic" in Ecofeminism: Women, Animals,and Nature, ed. by Greta Gaard. Philadelphia:Temple University Press, 1993."Toward a Radical Eco-Feminism" in Renewingthe Earth, The Promise of Social Ecology, ed. byJohn Clark. London: Green Print, 1990.

all the particular social, cultural, historievents that shape and define us. The chlenge is to fulfill that potential reconciliatbetween the Old and New Left. We needgo back and understand what was emergin the new social movements and understahow we can elaborate on that dialectic tween the particular and the universal, tween the social and the political. Social ecogy emerges out of that logic, out of thattempted reconciliation.J[ ou state "I believe that social ecologfeminism, and social anarchism can helpluminate a definition of desire that is p

foundly social, rather than purely romanor individualistic. " Considering that eachthese tendencies can subsume the othersimportance, how are we to relate them to eaother in a complimentary way?It depends on how you define anarchisfeminism or social ecology. I locate thewithin what I call the social tradition, whwas the response to the shift from feudaliinto capitalism, marked by a striving towaa greater sociality rather than a greater invidualism. Within the social tradition, peaants, workers, women, and African Amecans have tried to cultivate an understaning of the social that had emancipatory aeven Utopian implications. I see feminissocial ecology and anarchism as being pticular ways of talking about different dimesions of the social project. Feminism wobe a way to talk about the particular expresion of hierarchy in its masculinist form awomen's attempts to articulate the naturethat oppression and cre

ways to overcome it. Aarchism, social-anchism, has been a waytalk about the emergenand transcendence of harchy in its most genesense. Social ecology is tattempt to talk about temergence of and sotions to ecological prolems and to talk about twithin social and revotionary political terms. Ptentially, I see all three dcourses as being resonawith one another wh

continued on pagFall 199


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balkanization of movements and discussionthat really doesn't give us any more insightinto how to make this revolutionary visionpossible.JlJL ow does being a self-conscious member of the radical left affect your experiencein academia?

I find that it makes me into a bit

Chaia Heller interview continued from page 7placed within what I'm calling the socialtradition.They start to compete with each other whenwe become unable to understand the dialectbetween the universal and particular; whenwe feel we have to choose between being ananarchist who is interested in the generalliberation of humanity and a feminist interested in the particular liberation of women. When "People are concerned of curiosity, an oddity in a waywe don't understand the an^ preoccupied with which saddens me and infuriatesdialectic between those tfce tfon of


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Chaia Heller continued from previous pagevironmental health risk; intimate discourseof consumption, like labeling. I'm interestedin how and why people are able to expandthe perimeters of that debate and discussion.I'm looking at the ways that local institu

tional practices, like farmer unions, cellularbiology labs in the French equivalent ofUSD A, consumers' associations, and ecologygroups can address this issue. How and whydo these institutions shape and limit what

people can think, say, and do about questiof biotechnology. I think this is enormouimportant because we need to know whakeeping people from thinking along revotionary lines. ~

What's Happening continued from page 4cial and political aspects of ecology, with particular emphasis on the ecological strugglescurrently taking place in New York City.There are essays on community gardeningas well as other aspects of a reconstructiveand oppositional urban strategy. Visitors aswell as residents of New York now have agood opportunity to explore the history ofopposition in New York thanks to the releaseof Bruce Kayton's Radical Walking Tours ofNew York City (206 pages, Seven StoriesPress, 1999). This book is both a tour guideand a social history, containing informationabout specific social struggles (such as thebattle for Tompkins Square Park) as well asindividuals and organizations that have nourished radical movements in New Yorkthroughout its history.Anarchist booklovers will want to attend theFifth Annual Bay Area Anarchist Book Fairto be held in the Hall of Flowers in GoldenGate Park on April 15, 2000. There will bespeakers, entertainment, and many, manybooks. For more information contact BoundTogether Books at 1369 Haight Street, SanFrancisco, CA 94117.Readers of Italian should welcome the appearance of Libertaria, a quarterly magazinedevoted to the discussion of left libertarianculture and politics scheduled to appear forthe first time this October. Libertaria willcontain original and contemporary research

in philosophy, politics, science, music, art andliterature in order to nourish anarchist solutions to the problems posed by the final decline of authoritarian communism and theemergence of a new hegemonic global capitalism. It will contain leading editorial articles, research and interviews, in-depthanalysis of alternative culture, articles andnews appearing in the international libertarian press, as well as reports on art, cinema,theatre, music and literature. Please write theeditorial office at Libertaria, casella postale10667, 20110 Milano, Italy or e-mail: libert(2).plugit.net. For subscriptions,please write to Editrice A, sezione Libertaria,casella postale 9017, 00167 Roma, ItalyIAS allies should consider submitting theirwork to two publications in particular. Democracy & Nature: the International Journal of Inclusive Democracy (D&N) wouldlike to encourage IAS grant recipients, applicants, and supporters to consider writingfor their tri-annual publication. The journalprovides sharp, sophisticated coverage ofdemocratic and green ideas, publishing contributions by radical thinkers from around theglobe. In hopes of facilitating dialogue, D&Noffers a forum for the discussion of inclusivedemocracy (derived from a synthesis of twomajor historical traditionsthe classicaldemocratic and the socialistas well as radical green, feminist, indigenous, and ThirdWorld movements) and other radical views.

As a focus point for debate, a theme is eployed in each issue. Although articles whosubject matter is not directly relevant ttheme may also be accepted, priority is givto "thematic" essays. The upcoming issuare: Postmodernism and the DemocraProject (submissions by 11/30/99); and Dmocracy and Ethics (submissions by 3/31/0Additionally, D&N*s book review section fetures critiques of works that add to conteporary currents of thought Reviews do have to relate to the theme of each issue. general information on the journal and hto submit a manuscript, see D&N's HomPage (http://www.carfax.co.uk/dna-ad.htmManuscripts should be sent (preferably bymail) to the editor, Takis Fotopoulos (Woodberry Way, London, N12 0HG, U.FAX: +44 0 181 446 1633; [email protected]). Social Anchism, a refereed journal of anarchist comentary and analysis now in its 19th yewould also like to encourage IAS supporwriters and allies to submit articles. They aespecially interested in analyses of popuculture and everyday events from an anchist perspective, although they also welcopieces on other issues. The fall issue will cotain an index of the journal spanning the etire history of the publication and they aalso searching for a new editor. For moreformation contact Social Anarchism at 27Maryland Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21218

Grant Updates continued from page 3and Brian Tokar's anthology, EngineeringLife: A People's Guide to Biotechnology, arecomplete. They have been negotiating withpublishers and will begin final editing assoon as they secure a publication contract.They were awarded $1000 in June 1997.Murray Bookchin continues research on theSpanish anarchists. His work will appear inVolume 3 of the Third Revolution: PopularMovement in the Revolutionary Era (thebook will be published by Cassell AcademicPerspectives

in late 1999 or 2000). He was awarded $1000in January 1997 for the second volume of hisSpanish Anarchists: The Heroic Years.Peter Lamborn Wilson's introduction to thenew edition of Enrico Arrigone's (aka FrankBrand) autobiography has evolved into an article that will appear in a collection of essayson anarchist history (The Autobiography ofEnrico Arrigone has been postponed).Wilson's piece, which will probably be titled"'Brand': an Italian anarchist", is complete9

and the anthology that will contain it is tetatively titled Lost Histories: Anarchist Esays (scheduled for publication Autonomedia in 2000). He was awarded $2in June 1997.Frank Adams continues to work on his esay, "The Educational Ideas and ManagemPractices of 19th and 20th Century Anarchin Labor-Owned Cooperatives." He wawarded $500 in June 1997. ~

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IAS Development: Principles and Structuresby Paul GlavinIn these tough times for radical politics, theInstitute for Anarchist Studies (IAS) continues to have success. We have a well organized counter-institution run by dedicated,principled anarchists; we have raised a gooddeal of money, which we have given as grantsto more than a dozen radical writers, investedin our endowment, and used to publish thisnewsletter; and we continue to develop strongrelationships with anarchists around theworld. We are both happy with and amazedby the growth of the project since its founding in 1996.We have also begun thinking about the IAS'sfuture and this spring formed a developmentcommittee to assess the IAS's strengths,weaknesses, as well as where we would likethe organization to go. This committee divided its concerns into three broad areas:grant priorities, board development, and finances. The three members of uiis committee met almost every week for five monthsand used their discussions to formulate a series of organizational proposals that wereultimately presented to and voted upon by theIAS board of directors.The development committee discussions andproposals inspired the IAS board, resultingin changes in the IAS and a renewed senseof common mission. The following articlepresents some of the basic outlines of our discussions. I believe they are relevant not onlyto IAS supporters and allies but also anyoneinvolved in creating and maintaining acounter-institution today.Grant PrioritiesOur most political and theoretical discussionsoccurred while reevaluating the IAS's grantpriorities. Up until now the IAS board hasapproached each round of applications on acase-by-case basis, guided by very generalcriteria such as the importance of a work toan anarchist critique of domination and theauthor's financial circumstances. However,we felt a need and an obligation to be morespecific about the types of work the IASshould support.One of the first dilemmas we confronted wasthe distinction between scholarship about anarchism versus anarchist scholarship. Scholarship about anarchism, such as Paul Avrich'sworks, can illuminate important aspects ofPerspectives

an otherwise neglected history while alsoproving inspiring or instructive. It is verycommon for us to receive applications forprojects of this sort and certainly this type ofliterature plays an important role in maintaining a radical tradition.However, we had to acknowledge that thishistorical work is, by definition, disengagedfrom contemporary circumstances and thuscan make only limited contributions to an anarchist critique of the present society. We concluded that the IAS should try to prioritizeworks that contribute to an anarchist understanding of contemporary social conditions:that is, social structures, their historical trajectories, and opportunities for transformingthese structures. Of course we would not advocate scholarship for its own sake, but ratherworks that contribute to the development ofa vital anarchist theory and (ultimately) social movement. For example, an anarchist essay on the recent growth of the prison industry and its relationship to the globalizationof capitalism seems more important now thanan essay on Lucy Parsons and her connection to the Chicago anarchists of the 1880s.We also agreed that programmatic worksshould be a low priority for the IAS: we believe it is necessary to flesh out some of themore basic outlines of an anarchist critiqueand vision before getting too concrete aboutsolutions.Another important issue that we discussed isthe need to expand our support to both groupsand concerns that have typically received littleattention within anarchism. For example,many critiques of patriarchy and white supremacy have been at least implicitly anarchist in their anti-authoritarianism and rejection of hierarchy. Clearly works such asthese are integral to a broad project of anti-authoritarian social transformation. We alsoconcluded that it is important to extend oursupport to those traditionally excluded by thedominant processes of intellectual production. Typically the most privileged groups orindividuals - white, male, and academic -dominate anarchist and radical theory (thishas been an issue for the IAS as well) and webelieve the IAS should help challenge this.Although this is really nothing new in thewake of the so-called new social movementsand in an era of multi-culturalism, it is essential to reaffirm in the context of the his-

10

tory of anarchism.Board DevelopmentThe constitution and growth of the IAS boarof directors - the group that awards grantand sets organizational policy - was anotheconcern for the development committee.One issue was the geographic location board members, who are presently scattereup and down the East Coast and usually onmeet together at bi-annual -and all too brieboard meetings. This circumstance is a consequence of an idea that has been normativfor the IAS board since its inception: thais, that shared political and theoretical commitments are more important for the growtof the board than geographic proximity.However, the development committee discussed the limitations of this model and concluded that we should try to increase the pecentage of board members who live near onanother, specifically in New York City. Athough shared ideals are essential to any intiative, it is hard to sustain a common projewhen people are unable to meet on a regulbasis. This problem is especially pressing a time such as the present, when there arnot radical social movements compellinpeople to gather at meetings, conferencesprotests, and other activities that help override the impact of physical distance.A more locally based board would help unourish more personal and cultural bondamong board members. It would encouraga sense of community and give us somethinto draw upon for strength and sustenance awe face challenges in the course of buildinthe IAS. We recognized that many groupon the left have failed, at least in part, because they have overlooked the importancof cultural connections and, more specifically, the value of friendship, trust, and genuine personal affinity.A locally based board would also have specific organizational benefits. First, it woulhelp us develop a more collective approacto administrative work. The vast majoritof this work has fallen on the GeneraDirector's shoulders, which is both too mucwork for one person and also creates a potentially bad dynamic in which the Generacontinued on page 1

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The IASfs 1999 Fundraising Campaign |The IAS needs your support: we must raise$10,000 by January 2000 to continue awardinggrants to radical writers, publishing Perspectives,and building the IAS endowment.Please help make this possible by sending a donation to the IAS today. Your contribution will helpthe IAS meet its 1999 fundraising goal and thusmake the following contributions to the development of anti-authoritarian social criticism: The IAS will award $6000 in grants to writers struggling with some of the most pressing questions in radical social theory today.IAS grants help radical authors take time offwork, hire childcare, purchase research materials, pay for travel expenses and otherthings necessary to produce serious, thoughtful works of social criticism. The IAS will publish two issues of Perspectives on Anarchist Theory, our biannual newsletter. Perspectives is a unique source of interviews, publishing news, and commentarypertaining to anarchism. It helps keep peopleinformed about anarchist scholarship and

encourages dialogue among those interestedin this work.

The IAS will add $ 10,000 to its endowment.We will place 20% ($2000) of fundraisingincome into the endowment and, upon thesuccess of our 1999 fundraising campaign, avery generous IAS supporter will contributean additional $8000 to the fund. Our endowment strengthens the IAS as an organizationand will ultimately provide the financialmeans with which we can expand our support for radical writers.As an IAS donor you will receive each issue ofPerspectives on Anarchist Theory. Also, all IASsupporters who donate $25 or more will be able tochoose from the great books listed on the insertaccompanying this issue and will receive a 20%discount at Raven Used Books, an exceptionalbookseller located in Amherst, Massachusetts. Donations are tax-deductible for US citizens.Please make checks payable to the Institute forAnarchist Studies and mail them to:

Institute for Anarchist StudiesPO. Box 1664Peter Stuyvesant StationNew York, NY10009-USA

1999 FUNDRAISINGCAMPAIGN

Raven Used BooksRaven Used Books (formerly PerennialBooks) - one of the best radical and academic booksellers around- offers a 20%discount on their remarkable stock to allIAS supporters donating $25 or more tothe IAS's 1999 fundraising campaign.Raven Used Books specializes in used anddiscount books in philosophy, history, cultural studies, labor history, and women'sstudies.They carry over 17,000 books, includingmore than 275 titles on anarchism (manyof which are out of print and hard to find).Raven Used Books is located at 71 NorthPleasant Street, Amherst, Massachusetts01002. They are open every day. If you are unable to stop by the store, please feel free to callRaven Used Books at (413) 253-9780 or write

Perspectives

them at Raven Used Books, 71 North PleasantStreet, Amherst, Massachusetts 01002. Inquiresare always welcome.

11

The following groups and individals have either pledged or madedonation to the IAS's 199fundraising campaign.Individuals:Anonymous I & IIHamish AlcornRandall Amster

Espiritu BeothukCraig BoltonDan ChodorkoffRebecca DeWittMaura DillonMiranda EdisonDavid EisenPaula EmeryTony EpicenoRichard EvanoffPaul GlavinGreg HallJerry KaplanJennifer KinkeleDavid KovenMichelle MatisonsGardner FairCindy MilsteinCaroline MorseChuck MorseSandra OpdyckeJohn PetrovatoMatt QuestEugene RodriguezSonja SchmitzJon Thoreau ScottJohn SchumacherMichael SeidmanParti StankoRose SterlingPeter StoneDana WardDiva Agostinelli WieckOrganizations:Anarcho-Syndicalist Group-PertMovimiento Libertario CubanoKate Sharpley Library

The IAS is particularlyindebted to:Anonymous I & IIMiranda EdisonCaroline MorseChuck MorseJon Thoreau Scott

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IAS Development cont. from page 10Director and the institution's identity fuse, thuscompromising democracy and participationwithin the organization. The presence of moreboard members in one area would make it easierto lessen the demands on the General Directorand encourage democracy within the IAS. Second, by making it easier to meet, it would helpthe board have more thorough and detailed political discussions. Certainly in the course of ourdevelopment committee meetings we found howmuch more could be talked through when several of us could gather on a regular basis.In addition to increasing the number of boardmembers in New York, we want to enhance theracial and cultural diversity of the board. We feelit is important that the board reflect our commitment to egalitarian cultural diversity and that theIAS draws upon the insights and experiences ofthose who have typically been excluded ormarginalized. We also want to diversify the generational make-up of the board. Most of us are inour thirties now and we think it is important thatthe IAS is multigenerational, enabling the organization to benefit from younger as well older,more experienced individuals. Also, as we develop more international contacts and receive applications for projects in various languages, thereis an increased need for board members who aremulti-lingual and knowledgeable about varyinginternational circumstances.

FinancesOur financial discussions first centered on ourdesire to increase the size of our grant awardsand finance other activities versus the need toput money in our endowment to ensure our long-term viability. Although larger grants would allow people the financial freedom to devote moretime to writing and thus nourish radical consciousness in the near term, the development committee prioritized building up the endowment toensure that we will be around for a long time. Wefelt that it would be more important to build thesort of organizational stability that a larger en-Perspectives~-z~~ZZ -"-on anarchist theory

One Year/Two Issues$5 - Individuals$10 - Institutions$25 - Bulk Subs

(25 Copies)Institute for Anarchist StudiesP.O. Box 1664Peter Stuyvesant Station

New York, NY 10009USA

dowment can provide for the IAS (something thatis so rare for radical groups) and focus on increasing our funding and expanding our activities whenthe organization is more financially grounded orwhen oppositional social movements again play asignificant role in society.Fundraising was another concern. Thus far the IAShas been sustained by generous contributions fromgenerally poorer activists and a few, more wealthyindividuals, but we need to find a way to raise moremoney. We discussed holding fund-raisers, sponsoring speaker series and perhaps sellingmerchandise. These types of activity can also contribute to a sense of community around the IASand make a contribution to the local radical scene.Ideally this will get more people involved, developthe IAS's public presence, and spread anarchistideas.ConclusionThese are the types of issues we must wrestle withto build a radical organization like the IAS. Oursuccess will in large part come from the content ofour principles, the people involved in the organization, and how we structure ourselves. Also essential is an element of hope, a vision of the typeof society we think could be, and a lot of dedication and persistence. We also have to be willing tochallenge dogma and orthodoxy, and have free andopen debate and discussion about what we are doing and where we want to go.We are encouraged by the IAS's success thus farand certainly the need for fundamental social transformation is more pressing than ever. Working inthe IAS in these politically down-times offers usthe opportunity to reflect a lot, develop ideas, andcarefully build the type of counter-institution wewant.The proposals advanced by the development committee were adopted in substance by the IAS boardand have invigorated everyone involved, and helpedthe transition from the more immediate concernsof our founding period to longer termstrategies. The results of this process have madeimportant changes in our thinking and the structure of the organization and will continue to playthemselves out over the next year. All this lays thegroundwork for us to develop a very concrete andlong-term plan for the IAS that will help guide useven farther into the future. The development ofthis plan will be our next step. ~

Paul Glavin is a member of the IAS board of directors and lives in Brooklyn, New York.

ELZAGUANLIBERTARIO

Perspectives 12

El Zaguan Libertario is a libertaian socialist and Magonist-Anachist meeting space in Mexico CitFour different collectivesAcriminia, CACTO, CREAR anthe Jean Vigo Film Archive meeat El Zaguan Libertario to pursuindividual and joint projects.The collectives collaborate to publish a newspaper, Autonomia, anthey have already released five isues so far. Autonomia is a forumfor debate on radical ideas and thdiffusion of information about ativities, actions, and updates ocampaigns.A publishing project has also beestarted with one title on Magonismpublished so far. In addition, Zaguan Libertario has dedicated ispace to participatory lectures anworkshops on a critical, non-academic basis.The Contemporary Library of Crical and Radical Alternatives alslocated in the meeting space offeextensive material for the studyinvestigation, and praxis of contemporary issues.The Jean Vigo film archive wacreated for the renewal and revtalization of a radical and socicinematographic culture. Films arregularly shown at El ZaguaLibertario and are also lent out tother groups.For information on the collectivand its projects contactEl Zaguan LibertarioCalle Zapatecos num.7,Planta Baja Col. Obrera,068000 Mexico DF.For subscription information aboAutonomia send an e-mail laboetie@dfl .telmex.net.mex

~ Eva Garcia

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The IAS's 1999 Fundraising Campaign:Great Books for IAS DonorsRaven Used Books - one of the best booksellers around - has generously made the following books available to contributorsto the IAS's 1999 fundraising campaign. Please help us meet our $10,000 fundraising goal so we can continue awarding

grants to radical writers, publishing Perspectives on Anarchist Theory, and building our endowment for futuregenerations of dissenting, Utopian authors. For a $25 donation to the IAS, we will mail you any one of the following books. For a $50 donation, we will send you any three. For $ 100, you get seven of these great books. For $500, you get all of them!Please make checks payable to the Institute for Anarchist Studies and mail them to:

Institute for Anarchist StudiesP.O. Box 1664, Peter Stuyvesant StationNew York, New York10009-USA

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