This essay is included in the recently released National-Anarchism:Ideas and Concepts, edited by Troy Southgate and available from Black Front Press.
Anarchism today is primarily theoretical in nature, and an
unfortunate amount of anarchist interaction consists of debate over which
hyphenation is best. National Anarchism may seem to participate in and
perpetuate such an argument at first glance, but its lack of universalism
actually makes it the most inclusive and diverse school of anarchist
thought. Despite the fact that some National Anarchist tribes may choose
not to associate with certain communities, their underlying philosophy–that
everyone has a right to autonomy and sovereignty–creates a sense of mutual respect
absent from most anarchist disagreement. This characteristic of National
Anarchism has serious pragmatic implications. When anarchists stop
spending their time and energy dictating to others what “true” anarchism is,
they have a lot more potential to actually put their beliefs into action.
The practical applications of National Anarchism consist of
creating tangible manifestations of its theory. Philosophically, every
community has a right to freedom and self-determination, but how is that right
being implemented? The state is oppressive and exploitative, but how is
that criticism being exercised in the real world? Marx hypocritically
posited that the state would wither away once communism was in full force, i.e.
that employment of a state structure was necessary for state eradication.
In fact, the state and its corporate partners will only disappear once they
become irrelevant, and their irrelevance depends upon the creation of
substantial alternatives.
An independent system of parallel economies and
institutions–agorism–is possibly the sole way to accomplish this. Agorism
represents a direct attack on the governmental and corporate monopolies by not
only subjecting them to boycotts, but also empowering the masses to actively
compete with them. National Anarchist communities would likely establish
institutions consistent with their values; these might include cultivation of
localized currencies, barter networks, non-usurious people’s banks, trade
guilds, social welfare and healthcare programs, community self defense
associations, and a variety of educational programs. This is the most
likely method by which the state will disappear, contrary to Marx’s utopian
idea that a centralized communist state would naturally evolve into anarchism.
Each tribe’s vision of sovereignty may differ, but certain
necessities for independence can provide broad guidelines for concrete
community projects. Total economic autarky may not be every tribe’s
objective, but maximizing self-sufficiency is crucial to decentralization.
One of the most effective ways to attain this is homesteading, whether as
individuals, families, or communities. Homesteaders use the resources of
their land to become as independent as possible, growing crops, harvesting firewood
and building materials, making home-spun goods and crafts, raising animals,
creating value-added products for retail, blacksmithing, foraging and hunting
wild foods, and more. By actively creating its own vision of freedom and
autonomy, every anarchist group can live out its philosophy.
The importance for anarchists to directly apply their
theories in their lives is reflected by the ancient Greek concept of
praxis. The word praxis refers to any activity in which a free man
participates, and Aristotle identified three forms of a free man’s energy:
theory, creativity, and action. This relationship between thought, practice and
production is symbiotic; they are not merely connected, but they are
synthesized, simultaneous, and interdependent. It is not sufficient for a
highly intelligent and critical philosopher to merely think, speak and
write. Anarchism poses little threat without actions that correspond to
its ideas of freedom and voluntary responsibility.
The idea of praxis is compatible with National Anarchism
because it does not inherently contain any moral judgment about what an
individual or tribe decides to do; rather, it provides a lens through which
individuals or tribes can self-evaluate in terms of their own values and what
they believe to be true about the universe. Praxis is the manifestation
of theory–any theory to which a community adheres. Its applications in
education (autodidactic or otherwise) imply hands-on learning based in
experience that is relevant to the real world. Praxis is a useful concept
to consider when setting and achieving external goals, and it also reveals the
degree to which an anarch has fulfilled his or her own personal potential as a
human being. Freedom of thought and freedom of action are complementary
elements of anarchism. One is nothing without the other.
Unfortunately, many lack an awareness of this harmonious
relationship. It seems that globalized culture’s obsession with instant
gratification has rubbed off even on anarchists, many of whom immediately
gravitate towards the most extreme methods of attacking the system. But
actually living in communities of anarchs with the intention of sustaining them
for generations will be an incremental process. The most realistic and
potentially successful approach is to start small and remember the Zapatista
motto “lento pero avanzo.” The full attainment of independent systems of
self-sufficiency and agora will take years, as will the full impact of its
effects on the new world order.
Written by Craig FitzGerald and Jamie O’Hara of NATA-NY
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