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Anarchy in Action

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"Once you begin to look at human society from an anarchist point of view, you discover that the alternatives are already there in the interstices of the dominant power structure. If you want to build a free society, the parts are all at hand." -Colin Ward

This bright little 150 page gem of a book is densely packed with solid examples of anarchism in practice, and sparkles lucidly with the author's intelligence and hope. It presents an excellent introduction to the anarchist vision of the possible, without getting bogged down in theoretical or historical minutia.

Following in the tradition of Peter Kropotkin and Paul Goodman, Ward argues here for a practical, piecemeal, gradual anarchist revolution. He conceives of anarchist society as "always in existence, like a seed beneath the snow, buried under the weight of the state and...capitalism". With this vision in mind, Ward examines in each chapter various realms of life, from the workplace to the school, the state, the family, and the built environment, and presents an inspiring wealth of examples of the ways the bright tendrils of anarchist life are in every realm constantly pushing up through the frost of authoritarian society.

With eloquent simplicity and brevity, Ward provides a formidable reply to those who would scoff at anarchism as an impractical utopian fantasy.

Ward is certainly Paul Goodman's most worthy heir, and those whose appetites are whetted by this book would do well to seek out Goodman's writings such as Drawing the Line, Communitas, and Utopian Essays and Practical Proposals.

This is one of the first books I read about anarchism. I must have re-read it at least 3 or 4 times. It's a to-the-point and highly entertaining introduction to practical anarchy. How do we move from here to there. It's a little out-dated though, being that it was written in the 70's but it still offers a lot of insight on building a free society. Mr. Ward discusses schooling, hospitals, crime, work, and many other urgent every-day concerns. He argues that anarchy already does exist, in the interstices of hierarchy and domination, in the everyday workings of people and their everyday interactions, in their neighborhoods. It's up to us to widen the spheres of liberty. He argues that many organizations are really quite decentralized (borrowing from the insights of systems theory and anthropology). He also borrows some ideas from Kropotkin; notably that many popular institutions today are run entirely through the voluntary cooperation of its members.