Submitted by kin in lobby

Could Esperanto be one of the components of an Anarchist "Culture"? And going further, is there any point in an shared international Anarchist Culture?

One of the classical "values" of Anarchism is the internationalism, and how the struggle can be borderless and the love of freedom can be shared. But that was a time when Anarchism shared some of the positivism, scientificism and certainty of the "moral" evolution of the human civilization, Humanism was the pinnacle of reason.

Is there any other "internationalist" projects adopted by anarchists?

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moonlune wrote (edited )

Esperanto is very europe-centric and not that easy to learn for non roman language speakers.

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kin OP wrote

I don't particularly find Esperanto useful for an example of Anarchist Internationalism, bc of what you said and bc Esperanto was adopted later by some anarchists. But maybe this is the answer for the "internationalism" ideal of Anarchism, maybe it is a eurocentric project for the XIX century..

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solaslux wrote

Plus as languages go, Esperanto intentionally defies natural linguistic principles for simplicity. Not inherently bad, but it has received much criticism for going so hard against what many call linguistic norms for speakers of natural languages.

First languages deserve to be preserved and translation/interpretation I think is the more accessible way to go about linking groups. De-centering colonial languages and curating a culture of multilinguism is the human way.

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[deleted] wrote

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solaslux wrote

It is a really neat conlang, for sure. I can't imagine there being a need for a conlang within what is arguably a promulgation of respect - Anarchic Culture. Since languages are living, why not just coopt the colonial languages and use them as part of this culture? The links between - translators and interpretors - will exist in the context naturally.

My own view is: promote learning languages and experiencing cultures with the speakers. There are ~6k languages with culture already. A conlang might be no different than a colonial administration in terms of anarchy.

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moonlune wrote

Toki pona is awkward to speak if you want to convey information. There aren't enough words, which makes the grammar long, which gives it a low information density compared to natural languages. At least that's what I feel.

It could be used as a crutch thought. Anything is better than english.

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_caspar_ wrote

"is there any point in an shared international Anarchist Culture"

if there is, I would hope it would be something along the lines of a shared desire for both inter- and intra-local experimentation. something emphasizing uniqueness of place and its role in shaping distinct practices, and valuing the friction of difference as a simultaneous unraveling and shaping of culture. bolo'bolo gets at this I think.

maybe a counter model(s?) to the homogenizing insistence on having everyone on the same page that globalization calls for?

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kin OP wrote

A counter model, maybe this is the way to go. Nihilism and all, maybe some Anarch"libertarian-socoalists" won't agree here.

The only thing is avoiding being an "Anti" everything. It's difficult to imagine because the project will not be a monolith, but a chaotic fractal without any patterns or shapes.

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moonlune wrote

shared international Anarchist Culture

now that I think of it, maybe black block tactics is one? It's been used by anarchists everywhere (?)

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kin OP wrote

Yeah, black block could be one of this shared culture, I was thinking more broadly if we have a parallel with the Leftist propaganda of "proletarians of the World".

We can think in shoplifting, veganism(? this one will get me downvotes), queerness, etc but I am afraid this will lead to a codification of a "Anarchist Moral", like the Anarchist Stone Tablets for Good Anarchist™

AnarchoEsperantism is the closer thing I can think for an Universal Anarchy worldwide, that's why I used as an example.

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