CONTEMPORARY ANARCHIST STUDIES (cid:37)(cid:79)(cid:68)(cid:70)(cid:78)(cid:3)(cid:41)(cid:47)(cid:68)(cid:74)(cid:86)(cid:3) (cid:68)(cid:81)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:86)(cid:82)(cid:70)(cid:76)(cid:68)(cid:79)(cid:3) (cid:80)(cid:82)(cid:89)(cid:72)(cid:80)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:87)(cid:86) A SOCIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF MOVEMENT ANARCHISM DANA M. WILLIAMS Black flags and social movements CONTEMPORARY ANARCHIST STUDIES A series edited by Laurence Davis, University College Cork, Ireland Uri Gordon, Loughborough University, UK Nathan Jun, Midwestern State University, USA Alex Prichard, Exeter University, UK Contemporary Anarchist Studies promotes the study of anarchism as a framework for understanding and acting on the most pressing problems of our times. The series publishes cutting-edge, socially engaged scholarship from around the world – bridging theory and practice, academic rigor and the insights of contemporary activism. The topical scope of the series encompasses anarchist history and theory broadly construed; individual anarchist thinkers; anarchist informed analysis of current issues and institutions; and anarchist or anarchist-inspired movements and practices. Contributions informed by anti-capitalist, feminist, ecological, indigenous and non-Western or global South anarchist perspectives are particularly welcome. So, too, are manuscripts that promise to illuminate the relationships between the personal and the political aspects of transformative social change, local and global problems, and anarchism and other movements and ideologies. Above all, we wish to publish books that will help activist scholars and scholar activists think about how to challenge and build real alternatives to existing structures of oppression and injustice. International Editorial Advisory Board: Martha Ackelsberg, Smith College John Clark, Loyola University Jesse Cohn, Purdue University Ronald Creagh, Université Paul Valéry Marianne Enckell, Centre International de Recherches sur l’Anarchisme Benjamin Franks, University of Glasgow Judy Greenway, Independent Scholar Ruth Kina, Loughborough University Todd May, Clemson University Salvo Vaccaro, Università di Palermo Lucian van der Walt, Rhodes University Charles Weigl, AK Press Other titles in the series (From Bloomsbury Academic): Anarchism and Political Modernity Angelic Troublemakers The Concealment of the State Daoism and Anarchism The Impossible Community Lifestyle Politics and Radical Activism Making Another World Possible Philosophical Anarchism and Political Obligation (From Manchester University Press): Anarchy in Athens The Autonomous Life? The Politics of Attack Black flags and social movements A sociological analysis of movement anarchism Dana M. Williams Manchester University Press Copyright © Dana M. Williams 2017 The right of Dana M. Williams to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Published by Manchester University Press Altrincham Street, Manchester M1 7JA www.manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 978 1 5261 0554 7 hardback ISBN 978 1 5261 0555 4 paperback First published 2017 The publisher has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for any external or third-party internet websites referred to in this book, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. Typeset by Toppan Best-set Premedia Limited CONTENTS List of figures vii List of tables viii Preface: where does anarchy begin? x Acknowledgements xxxi List of abbreviations xxxiv Part I: Movement overview 1 1 Introduction to social movements: anarchism as a unique example 3 2 Anarchists as individuals: a micro-structural analysis 32 3 Anarchists of the world, unite! A meso-structural analysis 57 Part II: Theoretical interpretation 81 4 The significance of social movement theory to anarchism 83 5 Anti-state political opportunities 112 6 Anarchism as a “new social movement”? 148 7 Social capital in anarchist movements 174 Part III: Interaction 197 8 Radical isomorphism and the anti-authoritarian diffusion of leaderless organizations 199 vi CONTENTS 9 Conclusion: Revisiting the epistemology of anarchist movements 226 Appendix: Sources of knowledge and error 232 Bibliography 236 Index 257 FIGURES 1.1 The 1990s and 2000s North American anarchist movement (as a network) 13 2.1 Characteristics of the anarchist movement from Federal Bureau of Investigation slideshow “Anarchist extremism” 34 3.1 Categories of European anarchist organizations 67 3.2 Worldwide totals of anarchist organizations (from the IBL, AYP97, and AYP05) 73 8.1 Earth First! groups in the USA, 1990–2009. 217 8.2 Anarchistic franchise organization diffusion 220 TABLES 0.1 Ideologies of the twentieth century xviii 1.1 Typology of claimed anarchist identity and possession of anarchist qualities 8 1.2 Understanding anarchism via comparative approaches 25 1.3 Anarchist movements understood via time and level of analysis 27 2.1 Differences between union and non-union member anarchists 50 3.1 Categories of organizations in the Anarchist Yellow Pages (N size) 63 3.2 Number of anarchist organizations per region 64 3.3 Countries and cities with the greatest number of anarchist organizations 65 3.4 Number of anarchist organization categories in the top 10 most popular countries 66 3.5 Number of anarchist organizations in the Anarchist Yellow Pages in 1997 and 2005 67 3.6 Number of anarchist organizations by country in 1983, 1997, and 2005 71 3.7a Organizational carry-overs from 1983 to 2005 73 3.7b Aggregate and percent organizational carry-over from 1983 to 2005 74 5.1 Correlations between rights and categories of anarchist organizations per capita 121