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Title: Our Conception of Anarchist Organisation Author: FARJ Date: 28 July 2008 Language: en Topics: especifismo, anarchist organization, Brazil Source: Retrieved 18 December 2020 from http://anarkismo.net/article/9476 Notes: Translation by Jonathan-ZACF. Excerpt from “Interview with the Rio de Janeiro Anarchist Federation (FARJ)” by Thierry Libertad. It can be read in full here: http://www.anarkismo.net/newswire.php?story_id=9207.
We opted for the specific model of organisation — known by other names
as “especifismo” or organisationalist anarchism — largely inspired by
the Uruguayan Anarchist Federation (FAU). Through the discussions that
we had, we came to the conclusion that it would be essential to work
with popular social movements, and that, for this, we should create an
organisation with an emphasis on militant commitment. An organisation in
this model defends some clear positions: the organisation as active
minority, the emphasis on the need for organisation, theoretical unity
and unity of action, the production of theory, the need for social work
and social insertion; an understanding of anarchism as a tool for the
class struggle in pursuit of a libertarian socialist project, the
differentiation between the levels of political action (the anarchist
organisation) and social action(the popular movements), and the defense
of a strategically made militancy. Obviously, the organisation was not
born functioning with all these concepts, but we have improved our work
in this direction, over the years.
This model of organisation maintains that the function of the specific
anarchist organisation is to bring together and coordinate the forces
stemming from militant activities, building a tool for solid and
consistent struggle, that seeks a finalist objective: social revolution
and libertarian socialism. We believe that work without (or with little)
organisation, in which each one does what they want, poorly articulated
or even isolated, is inefficient. The model of organisation we advocate
seeks to multiply the result and effectiveness of militant forces.
In this model, the specific anarchist organisation works as an active
minority, or a group of anarchists that, organised on the political and
ideological level, partakes in actions on the social level — in social
movements, unions etc. In this work, the organisation of active minority
works to influence the movements and struggles in which it is involved,
in order that they function in the most libertarian way possible. Always
acting on the social level, the active minority does not seek positions
of privilege, does not impose its will, nor fight for social movements,
but with them, as such differentiating itself from the Marxist-Leninist
“vanguard” . It is thus the ideology within the social movement, and not
the reverse.
We understand theoretical unity as necessary, because the organisation
can not work with any theory, or with multiple theories; this leads to a
lack of articulation, or even to a conflicting articulation of a set of
concepts that leads, without doubt, to wrong practice, confusing or very
inefficient. This unity is always achieved collectively and in a
horizontal way within the organisation. The theoretical unity goes
together with unity of action. Through it, the organisation works to
implement the actions that were established within the strategy of
struggle. Having defined a theoretical and ideological line and a
strategic programme, all militants — hence the organisation as a whole —
have an obligation to carry out tactical actions established by the
strategic programme. In sum, everyone should be “rowing the boat in the
same direction.”
This type of organisation is known, still, by giving emphasis to the
need for social work and social insertion. Social work is the activity
that organised anarchists realise in the popular social movements, and
social insertion is the insertion of libertarian ideas and concepts in
such movements. If we want to struggle for a society without
exploitation and domination, there is no consistency in doing this
without the involvement of those who are the main victims of capitalist
class society: the exploited and dominated people. Taking this position
does not mean idolising the people or believing that they are
revolutionary in essence, but only to agree with the idea that the fight
against exploitation must proceed with the involvement of those who are
the most exploited. Hence, we strongly encourage action in autonomous
and combative popular social movements of their own creation. We believe
that anarchism, in order to flourish, should be used as a tool for class
struggle.
Another characteristic of this model of organisation is the
differentiation between the political and social levels of action. We do
not believe that there is a hierarchy of political organisation above
the social movement (as it is for the authoritarians); for us, this is a
complementary and dialectic relationship, essential to both. Thus, the
political level of the anarchist organisation must act at the social
level, in social movements organised around pragmatic issues for
improving the living conditions of the exploited class.
To do so with consistency, its develops strategy within the anarchist
organisation: it is in this context that analyses are made, that is in
the global, national and regional context; that we analyse the movements
and popular forces in play, their influences and potential; the
questions of institutional policy that have influence on the
environments in which we propose to act. In the context of the specific
organisation, occur reflections on the long-term goals, or, we forge our
conceptions of social revolution and libertarian socialism. After this,
the most complicated: thinking of a proposal of action in search of
attaining these goals, or at least to make them become more tangible.
The strategy will have to answer the following question: how to get from
where we are to where we want to be? This “macro” line(Diagnostic, goals
for the short, medium and long term) we call strategy and our major
goals, the strategic goals. The strategy then is detailed in a more
“micro” line, or tactics, which determine the actions that will be put
into practice by militants or groups of militants who seek to achieve
tactical objectives. Clearly, the attainment of tactical objectives
brings us closer in an important way to the major strategic goals.
Thus, this choice of organisation requires a high level of commitment
from the militants.