Continuum (Contemporary Anarchist Studies), 2012. 272 p. ISBN: 9781441166869

Publisher’s presentation

About Anarchism and Political Modernity
Anarchism and Political Modernity looks at the place of ’classical anarchism’ in the postmodern political discourse, claiming that anarchism presents a vision of political postmodernity.
The book seeks to foster a better understanding of why and how anarchism is growing in the present. To do so, it first looks at its origins and history, offering a different view from the two traditions that characterize modern political theory: socialism and liberalism. Such an examination leads to a better understanding of how anarchism connects with newer political trends and why it is a powerful force in contemporary social and political movements.
This new volume in the Contemporary Anarchist Studies series offers a novel philosophical engagement with anarchism and contests a number of positions established in postanarchist theory. Its new approach makes a valuable contribution to an established debate about anarchism and political theory. It offers a new perspective on the emerging area of anarchist studies that will be of interest to students and theorists in political theory and anarchist studies.

Table Of Contents

INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER ONE: ON POLITICS
Introduction
Political Naturalism in Aristotle
Classical and Medieval Political Thought
Machiavelli
Social Physics
From Politics to Political Philosophy
A Critique of May’s Taxonomy
CHAPTER TWO: ON POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
Normativity: A Survey
An Alternative Taxonomy
On Political Modernity
CHAPTER THREE: LIBERALISM
Representationalism
Human Nature
Normativity
Politics
Economics
CHAPTER FOUR: SOCIALISM
Hegel, Historicism, and Holism
The Social Conception of Human Nature
Morality vs. Science
The Poltics and Economics of Socialism
From Modernity to Anarchism
CHAPTER FIVE: ANARCHISM
History of the Bogeyman
Defining Anarchism
The Political Axiology of Anarchism
Anarchism and Power
Anarchism and Utopianism
Nature, Humanity, and Science
The Specter of Nietzsche
Conclusion
CHAPTER SIX: POLITICAL POSTMODERNITY
Defining Postmodernity
Deconstructive Analysis
Genealogical Analysis
Poststructuralist Anarchism?
Schizoanalysis
A Critique of May’s Poststructuralist Anarchism
Conclusion
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX