Electoralism

After the Social Explosion: An Interview with the Anarchist Federation of Santiago

In 2019, significant segments of the dominated classes of Chile gave shape to what is now known as the “social explosion”, a popular uprising of national proportions. The social explosion produced a profound political crisis which forced the resignation of then president Sebastián Piñera and initiated a process which sought to overturn and rewrite the […]

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Interview with a Brazilian Anarchist on Lula, Bolsonaro, and Social Struggle

Bruno Lima Rocha is a political scientist, professional journalist and professor of international relations based in Brazil, and is a member of the editorial board of the Institute for Anarchist Theory and History (IATH-ITHA). The following interview has been lightly edited for clarity. Black Rose / Rosa Negra (BRRN): Looming over much of the political […]

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Anarchism in the Face of Fascism and the Electoral Debate

By Rafael V. Da Silva, Kauan Willian and Victor Khaled Translated by S Nicholas Nappalos This article was originally published by Jacobin Brasil. Introduction With neither Bolsonaro (Liberal Party) nor Lula (Workers’ Party) able to secure an outright majority during the October 2nd presidential election in Brazil, both advance to a run off election set […]

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Vote — or Don’t: On Abstention

It’s no secret that anarchists detest elections, but most who embrace revolutionary socialism (of which anarchism is a branch) tend to possess a simplistic understanding of how to position themselves in relation to the spectacle of these events. This article argues that the anarchist focus on abstention as a responsive strategy to electoralism is not […]

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Life Comes At You Fast: The Stunning End of the Bernie Sanders Campaign

The surprising announcement by Bernie Sanders this week that he will end his 2020 Democratic Party presidential primary bid offers us a critical moment to reflect on the strategic moment we face – especially given the dramatic economic and social crisis of Covid-19 that continues to unfold. This piece critically assesses the core claims of […]

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Canvassing Is Not Organizing

A common refrain in some quarters of the left states that elections help build capacity, but Organizing Work contributor Ray Valentine argues that the skills built in canvassing for an electoral candidate do not translate to organizing workplaces or tenants. By Ray Valentine If, like me, you have decided to spend a lot of time […]

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Should Anti-Capitalists Contest Elections?

The question of the left and electoralism looms large in South Africa. The “tripartite alliance” emerged in the transition from apartheid to multi-racial democracy in the 1990’s as a political alliance between the African National Congress (ANC), South Africa’s largest trade union federation, COSATU, and the South African Communist Party (SACP). In power the ruling […]

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The Electoral Road to Power?

As the left revisits questions of strategy and the role of elections in the path towards socialist transformation, author and veteran activist Tom Wetzel outlines both a critique of the electoral centered path and a strategy for working class power from below. By Tom Wetzel Could a shift from capitalism to socialism be brought about […]

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