Building on the success of its predecessor, the 3rd International Conference of the Anarchist Studies Network will showcase the best new thinking in the study of anarchism as a political theory and practice – past, present and future. The conference aims to breach new frontiers in anarchist scholarship, and encourage cross-pollination between disciplines and contributions from both within and outside the official academic sphere. Proposals are welcome for sessions and individual papers from any scholarly discipline(s), on any topic relevant to the study of anarchism. Also welcome are proposals for practical workshops, experiential sessions, and other activities.As at the earlier conferences in 2008 and 2012 there will be a special stream on religious anarchism / the relation anarchism - religion or spirituality.
Hosts will be Paul Cudenec and the undersigned, André de Raaij, independent researchers and writers on relevant subjects.
As the crisis of late capitalism deepens, nominal democracies are increasingly showing their hand: freedom of speech is the freedom to be ignored. Every demand of the last wave of social mobilization has been rejected or side-lined. Instead, governments pursue business-as-usual with obstinacy. The fallout from the global financial crisis has become the pretext for even harsher strategies of inequality management. Devastating storms and a changing climate do nothing to stop the dash for gas. Even dramatic revelations about generalised surveillance and the infiltration of protest movements have done more to normalize these phenomena than to halt or reverse them. Governments will change the story on the move if they have to, or just plug their ears - perhaps unsurprisingly, since the last credible alternative does not include them.
For anarchists, new-found public disillusionment is as much of a challenge as a cause for celebration. Loss of trust in the democratic state can result in despair or reactionary retrenchment as much as it can lead to radicalization. Indeed, anarchists have been the first to offer solidarity to many marginalized groups in their struggles, and their organizational strategies – if not their actual aims – have inspired mass movements the world round. But the mere celebration of anarchist resurgence is no longer sufficient. What is now needed is a redoubled effort towards practical and theoretical innovation, and engagement with mass struggles in content as well as form.
Building on the success of its predecessor, the 3rd International Conference of the Anarchist Studies Network will showcase the best new thinking in the study of anarchism as a political theory and practice – past, present and future. The conference aims to breach new frontiers in anarchist scholarship, and encourage cross-pollination between disciplines and contributions from both within and outside the official academic sphere.
The conference will be held at Loughborough University during the first week of September 2014.
Proposals are welcome for individual papers, sessions, and streams of sessions. We especially encourage proposals for sessions, to include 3-4 papers drawn together around a common theme, although individual paper proposals are of course also welcome, as are proposals for practical workshops, experiential sessions, and other activities.
Contributions can come from any scholarly discipline(s), on any topic relevant to the study of anarchism.
Anarchist Studies Network
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