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Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > Political ideologies > Anarchism
In this groundbreaking collection of essays, anarchism in Latin
America becomes much more than a prelude to populist and socialist
movements. The contributors illustrate a much more vast,
differentiated, and active anarchist presence in the region that
evolved on simultaneous-transnational, national, regional, and
local-fronts. Representing a new wave of transnational scholarship,
these essays examine urban and rural movements, indigenous
resistance, race, gender, sexuality, and social and educational
experimentation. They offer a variety of perspectives on
anarchism's role in shaping ideas about nationalism, identity,
organized labor, and counterculture across a wide swath of Latin
America.
Modern anarchist movements have existed for over 150 years. The
black flag of anarchy remains a symbol of political rebellion,
particularly for restless or disenchanted young people. However,
Keith Preston argues in this volume that anarchism has reached a
crossroads as a political philosophy. He criticizes many
contemporary anarchists as anachronistic, shallow, or even status
quo in their thinking. It is Preston's contention that anarchist
movements will have to grow intellectually and forge new strategic
paths for themselves if they are to become politically relevant in
the twenty-first century. Preston offers a substantive critique of
not only his fellow anarchists, but of the condition of Western
civilization itself. He recognizes the process of unprecedented
centralization of political and economic power that is now taking
place on a global scale. Preston's response is an unhesitating call
for revolutionary action against this emerging global order. He
likewise offers a critique of the inadequacies of the both the Left
and Right and suggests this archaic model of the political spectrum
should be discarded. It is Keith Preston's contention that
anarchism should reclaim the position it held over a century ago,
that of the premiere revolutionary movement throughout the world.
Preston introduces his visionary tactic of "pan-secessionism" as a
means of developing mutual cooperation between resistance movements
with widely varying cultural and ideological values. Drawing upon
an eclectic array of philosophical and historical currents, Keith
Preston offers a revolutionary political vision of decentralized
pluralism manifested as a world of self-managed communities.
In the quarter century that has passed since the collapse of the
Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, fanciful establishment
intellectuals have advanced the idea that an "end of history" has
somehow arrived. The model of "democratic capitalism" is said to be
the final stage in the development of political economy. It is
often suggested that it is simply a matter of waiting for the rest
of the world to catch up, and at that point the Western model will
have achieved a final and eternal triumph. In this work, the
anarchist philosopher Keith Preston expresses skepticism of these
presumptions. Expounding upon the critique of modernity advanced by
Friedrich Nietzsche well over a century ago, Preston argues that
the historical cycle associated with the rise of modernity is
winding down. The forces of globalism, liberalism, capitalism,
democracy, and Americanization are closer to achieving universal
hegemony than ever before. Yet Preston subjects all of these to
relentless criticism, and challenges virtually every presumption of
the present era's dominant ideological model. Drawing upon a wide
range of ideological currents and intellectual influences, Preston
observes how the hegemony of what he calls the
"Anglo-American-Zionist-Wahhabist" axis is being challenged within
the realm of international relations by both emerging blocks of
rival states and insurgent non-state actors. Citing thinkers as
diverse as Ernst Junger and Emma Goldman, Max Stirner, Alain de
Benoist, Hans Hermann Hoppe and Kevin Carson, Preston offers an
alternative vision of what the future of postmodern civilization
might bring.
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