Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

cyberrose wrote

Not sure what you mean with anti-state communism. I do not know any movement with that specific label. For me many anti-statist communisms exist and autonomist marxism is one of them. "Communisation" and some Anti-National Communisms as well. The following is a very European view on the topic; I'm not very aware of anti-statist communisms outside of Europe. If you know some african, asian, american communisms which are anti-statist please give some hints.

Also autonomist marxism is a rather broad term. The italian roots (operaismo) come from classical marxism; they formed their power through self organization in factories (FIAT). They ditched unions and parties in favor of wildcat strikes and direct action. Many theories from that time moved away from communism to something else (Negri: Empire) Not really sure how the state fit in the picture of operaismo. (In contrast to classical communism people without employment where also part of the theory and the revolutionary subject)

For me the german (autonome) where influenced quite a lot by the operaismo but had much less influence on factories. Their politics where more focused "tripple opression" (racism, sexism, classism). They did a lot of squatting, direct action, believed in propaganda of the deed, ... They merged much more communism and anarchism then operaismo did (many called themself "undogmatische linke" and sometimes also rejected the term communism). The state is rejected as oppressive force and politics is formed around the individuals and their daily lives (while still holding on to marxist critique on capitalism and the theoretical foundation).

Then there is also a french branch (actually one of the first in the field of autonomia) mainly forming around Socialisme ou Barbarie. They started of from classical marxism (mainly Trotzkism) and forming an anti-Bolshevist communism. They also gathered, as the italian operaismo, much around factories, used a lot of participatory means (questionnaires, articles, workers led analysis, ...). But in contrast to the other twos they did not reject parties and organizations so strictly. Cornelius Castoriadis was one of the most influential figures and coined the theory there. Later he developed his own philosophies moving further away from communist ideas (if it could be named "socialism" it would be a very liberal socialism).

This would be the autonomia I know about. Most newer anti-statist theoretical schools of thoughts here build up on that with some other influences. In germany (post-)Autonome are still a little around. The Antideutsche and Antiimps where successors while both are no more (really) present. In GB, France and Germany some theories around communisation emerged for some time which also reject the state completely and in my opinion based on the autonomia and council communism.

Please don't be too picky on what I said, it should not be a detailed analysis I just wrote down what I had in my head. You can say much more on every topic here. And again: not sure what anti-state communism is.

5

Tequila_Wolf OP wrote

Thanks, this was useful. I'm not sure anti-state communism is a thing, except that I've seen people refer to it, so I was wondering how it relates to autonomism.

5