Radical queer politics and anarchism have much in common. Queer theory
argues against traditional identity politics, recognizing the social
construction of 'sexuality' and identity categories. Anarchism argues
against any structured hierarchical arrangement of humanity that allows
some members of society to systematically exploit and oppress others.
Thus, both projects argue for a need to move beyond hierarchical and
naturalized arrangements of socially constructed identities--though, at
times, articulating those arguments in different ways. Nevertheless,
despite these commonalities, little has been written about the deep
connections between anarchism and radical queer politics. This edited
volume is an attempt to fill that gap.
With this book, the authors wish to assemble writings that are useful to
activists (i.e. not written in obscure academic jargon and relatable to
social movement contexts) working in the intersections of queer and
anarchist politics. Many anarchists use the term 'queer' as shorthand
for the LGBT community and have little understanding of what queer
theory can provide for a contemporary radical praxis and how it differs
from traditional LGBT politics—even some radical strands. Likewise,
there are many among the queer community who know little to nothing
about anarchism—relying mostly on the sensationalist news medias'
construction of anarchists as terrorists, anti-organizationalists, etc.
This volume, then, will be split into three sections (theory, praxis,
and personal experience) featuring writing that deals specifically with
these intersections.
Interested authors should send a small abstract (just a paragraph
explaining exactly what it is you wish to do) along with your name and
brief bio (100 words or less, please) by August 15th to
propaganarchy@??? and rogue@???. Finished pieces will
range from 2500 to 5000 words. Below are some suggested questions and
issues for each section (feel free to come up with your own fantastic
topic too!):
Theory
What can anarchism learn from queer theory? What could queer theory
learn from anarchism? How do queer politics relate to class struggle,
anti-racism, feminism, post-colonialism, etc.? Can queer theory be
meaningful in movements if it remains written in academic jargon? What
might 'street' queer theory look like and how might it differ from the
queer theory that emerges from the university? Should we think of queer
as something we are or something we do?
Praxis
What does existing queer anarchist praxis look like? How would we queer
current anarchist praxis and what might emerge from that? What
challenges have you faced as a result of combining queer political
practice with anarchist social movements? What challenges go along with
bringing anarchist political practice into existing queer groups?
Personal Experience
Have you had personal experiences of marginalization within the
anarchist community for your queer politics? Have you been ignored among
the queer community because of your commitment to anarchism? Have you
had good experiences combining anarchist and queer activism? What made
you feel marginalized or good in those contexts and how can we use those
experiences as a catalyst for creating more inclusive movements? How
have ideologies of normalcy affected your activism within the anarchist
community? How have expectations of ideological normalcy limited the
field of politics in queer groups in your experience?
Author Bios
J. Rogue is a queer anarchist-communist feminist who has been organizing
in anarchist, feminist and radical queer communities for ten years. Her
recent projects have centered around HIV/AIDS and prisons, with the
Austin chapter of the AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power (ACT UP) as well
as the Inside Books Project, which sends free books to Texas prisoners.
She has also been involved in transfeminist organizing with Camp Trans,
and participated in several radical queer and feminist conferences and
projects over the years.
Deric Shannon is a long time social anarchist activist with roots in
groups like Anti-Racist Action and Food Not Bombs. He is a part of the
editorial collective of the forthcoming volume Contemporary Anarchist
Studies (Routledge, Spring '09), the entry for 'Anarchism, Communism,
and Socialism' in the Encyclopedia of Modern Revolutions (James
DeFronzo, ed.), and a number of book chapters and journal articles,
typically on radical political thought. He currently lives in
Connecticut where he works with Hartford Food Not Bombs, ARRGH! (The
Area Radical Reading Group of Hartford), and Queers without Borders.
