Anarchism and the Politics of Imagination

KOMPAS/WAWAN H PRABOWO (WAK)

Volunteers hold a peaceful demonstration in the Horse Statue area, Gambir, Jakarta, on Tuesday (27/10/2020).

What makes anarchism so attractive to its admirers? Anarchism as a political view, also a philosophy whose ideas are constantly discussed and echoed. Anarchism is an idea enshrined in urban folklore, etched on the walls of the streets as a political spark. Anarchism has been popularized in cinema, underground music and in intellectual discussion rooms over a cup of coffee.

Anarchism is an ideology that appears in books that are accused of being utopian. However, at a moment of crisis, anarchism feels real and thrilling as a political expression. Nevertheless, it is natural for people to feel hot and bothered at the word anarchy, because throughout history, the word has been narrowly attached to violence and chaos. In fact, anarchism is deeper than that image.

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In 2015, when I was the head of the Philosophy Study Program at the University of Indonesia (UI), in collaboration with the publisher Marjinkiri, we invited Benedict Anderson, an expert on Indonesian studies and a historian. He gave a public lecture on anarchism, which was part of the discussion of his book titled Under Three Flags: Global Anarchism and the Anticolonial Imagination.

He related his book to the political upheavals that occurred that year, including the Hong Kong people's resistance against the Chinese government, known as the umbrella revolution.

That day, the auditorium was packed with people, hundreds of whom were not only students from the UI Faculty of Cultural Sciences campus, but anyone who followed the ideas of Pak Ben (as he is fondly called). He related his book to the political upheavals that occurred that year, including the Hong Kong people's resistance against the Chinese government, known as the umbrella revolution.

He emphasized that it was injustice that fuels anarchism. He explained that anarchists are individuals who crave freedom and equality. Anderson explained that there were indeed two ways for anarchists to show their resistance in peaceful and non-peaceful ways. Nonviolent methods are not very commonly known. In fact, according to him, breaking the chain of violence is a very radical act. The public lecture was filled with questions which he answered patiently and happily.

For a long time he saw firsthand the struggle of young people discussing critically and openly, including criticizing anarchism. After finishing the event, we ate dinner while continuing to chat. Pak Ben and I shared a plate of karedok (traditional Indonesian version of a vegetable salad). While enjoying our meal, I asked him, "Pak Ben, what is the most important issue in Indonesia right now?" Without hesitation he replied, “the environment!”

Eco-anarchism is a movement that combines the ideals of freedom and justice that does not stop at humans, but leads to environmental sustainability. Eco-anarchists such as Murray Bookchin, Jacques Ellul, and also Peter Kropotkin emphasize the role of cooperation between individuals to organize a movement for safeguarding the environment.

Breaking down the hierarchy at the core of the eco-anarchist movement, they propose a paradigm based on caring, mutuality, mutual safety and love.

Bookchin argues that in dismantling environmental problems, one cannot ignore the hierarchies that have persisted in our knowledge, social and economic systems. Like the view that humans are superior, while nature seems to exist under humans as objects that are available only to serve human needs. Breaking down the hierarchy at the core of the eco-anarchist movement, they propose a paradigm based on caring, mutuality, mutual safety and love.

Kropotkin and the political ethic of mutual aid or reciprocal volunteerism are the imaginations of an anarchist who is inspired by the pattern of relations between living things in nature. Kropotkin's main argument is that our social or ecological life actually demonstrates the power of cooperation over competition (the most viable survival). Kropotkin reinterpreted Darwin's theory of evolution and reversed the assumption that human evolution is driven by fierce competition for self-defense. Contrary to this, Kropotkin stated that human evolution was greatly supported by the way humans protect each other.

KOMPAS/WAWAN H PRABOWO (WAK)

Residents pass near a banner containing a rejection of anarchism at the Pasar Kebayoran Lama intersection, Jakarta, on Tuesday (13/10/2020).

In the introduction to the 1914 edition of his book, Kropotkin expressed his concern at seeing the ongoing World War I. He launched a strong critique of the frivolous notion that war in Europe was natural because human social instincts were to kill and compete. He blamed it on the incitement by a group of rulers who exacerbated the situation with suspicion and hatred. Meanwhile, the people whose voices were nowhere to be found had to endure the misery of the war.

One more thing I want to convey in this essay, my observations about the correlation between the anarchist movement and digital technology. Even though it is prone to noise and manipulation by buzzers, the digital space and its platforms need to be maintained as an effective instrument for netizens to express and show solidarity. Of course, digital technology needs to be critically understood and should not simply be interpreted as the ultimate goal of a social movement. Thus, social change in this context is an event of community crowding through inside and outside networks.

Cybernetics in this case is defined as the participation of individuals in managing themselves autonomously in collaboration with other individuals.

Recent cyber disobedience, how hackers are helping civil society struggle in Iran, or the Russian military's attempts to promote its war in Ukraine, are examples of the connection between anarchism and cybernetics. Cybernetics in this case is defined as the participation of individuals in managing themselves autonomously in collaboration with other individuals.

Anarchy through this perspective is the politics of ordinary people, the politics of everyday action. Ferocity is challenged by individuals who do not always have the initial position of great power, but through solidarity, the pressure will be multiplied. Thus, politics is not only the interests of the titans, but politics is growing from the periphery in the form of caring and helping each other.

ARSIP PRIBADI

Saras Dewi

SARAS DEWI,Lecturer of Philosophy at the University of Indonesia

(This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo)