2nd ASN Conference: “Making Connections”
Loughborough University, U.K.
3-5 September 2012
Rafal Chwedoruk, 'Polish Anarchism and Anarcho-Syndicalism in the 20th century'
Jason Lindsey, 'Functional Representation and its Anarchist Origins'
Bert Altena, 'Analyzing Revolutionary Syndicalism: The Importance of Community'
Convenors: Dave Berry and Constance Bantman
This proved to be a very successful panel, thanks especially to the quality and consistency of the papers presented. The papers could be grouped under three main headings: individuals, ideas, and movements. Papers on individuals ranged from prominent figures like Malatesta to less well-known (or virtually unknown) militants. It highlighted the relevance of biographical approaches to anarchist studies. Papers on ideas tended to focus on the – often contradictory – transition between anarchism and other ideologies –chiefly communism, syndicalism and parliamentary socialism. Theoretical approaches considered the relevance of anarchism to contemporary political theory, as well as the challenges posed by syndicalism as a topic of historical investigation. Several papers considered anarchism as an organised movement, in the institutional context of the CGT, a national background, such as Poland, or more specific local approaches. The papers were based on original research (two of them at least being based on larger research projects and soon to be published in book format), and lesser-known areas or historical figures were discussed. There were numerous crossovers between these papers, pointing to important methodological perspectives. Among these, the biographical/ network approach emerged as a recurring theme, highlighting political trajectories which often challenge clear-cut distinctions between political allegiances. Secondly, the transnational theme underlay most papers, calling into question traditional notions of labour movements as confined within national boundaries, while also refining perspectives on internationalism and comparative history.
We hope that the proceedings can be published soon.