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L'ordre moins le pouvoir : histoire et actualité de l'anarchisme
With the rise of the global protestor—from Arab Spring to the Occupy movement—the term "anarchist" has been littered throughout mainstream media as never before. But just as frequently, its definition is skewed or left anarchists are painted as nihilists, supporters of chaos, or even terrorists.In Order without Power , an informative primer, Normand Baillargeon thoroughly defines anarchism and recounts its long history. In outlining the forerunners of this movement, he illuminates the differences between collectivists, federalists, communists, syndicalists, and further strains such as anarcho-feminism, pacifist anarchism, and religious anarchism. With sharp examples and concise, lively language, Baillargeon describes the contributions from early anarchists like William Godwin, Max Stirner, Pierre Joseph Proudhon, Mikhail Bakunin, and Pierre Kropotkin, through Noam Chomsky, as well as the uprisings, struggles, revolts, and revolutions that tested or expanded the theories. From the International Workingmen’s Association to Haymarket, from the Russian Revolution to May 1968, Baillargeon unpacks anarchism’s position on various issues and reveals this political theory’s vibrant anti authoritarianism, or the rational and conscious refusal of any form of illegitimate authority and power.
152 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
14 people are currently reading
261 people want to read
About the author
Normand Baillargeon
102 books61 followersTeacher at the University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM) in Education Sciences, he has written many essays on Philosophy. His most famous work is Petit cours d'autodéfense intellectuelle.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 19, 2019
Une très bonne introduction à l'anarchisme. L'écriture est très claire, Normand Baillargeon définit bien les concepts qu'il introduit sans ensevelir le lecteur. Il retrace l'histoire de l'anarchisme, ses grands penseurs, ses réalisations historiques, ses positions politiques. Il met bien en valeur la diversité du mouvement, sans rester neutre toutefois. Il y a une bibliographie (et filmographie et ...) fournie à la fin qui permet de creuser les sujets qui vous intéressent particulièrement. C'est une très bonne porte d'entrée.
Je trouve que Baillargeon arrive à la fois à retranscrire l'essence de l'anarchisme (qu'il définit comme la remise en cause des autorités non légitimes) et à en transmettre la diversité et le fait que c'est une idéologie politique incarnée par des êtres humains particuliers, dans une époque, et qui est tout sauf unifiée. L'implication politique me semble nécessaire pour avoir une vision non naïve de ce qu'est un courant comme l'anarchisme. Un mouvement s'inscrit dans des idées philosophiques qui s'inscrivent dans une époque et la boucle est bouclée ... Ce n'est pas en lisant un livre qu'on peut avoir une bonne connaissance de l'anarchisme, mais je suis contente de cette lecture, qui m'en a indiqué les grandes lignes et surtout m'a donné envie de fouiner un peu plus du côté du rationalisme, de l'humanisme, de la liberté et de la pratique politique ... C'est aussi une des missions d'un livre : donner envie de plus ...
Je trouve que Baillargeon arrive à la fois à retranscrire l'essence de l'anarchisme (qu'il définit comme la remise en cause des autorités non légitimes) et à en transmettre la diversité et le fait que c'est une idéologie politique incarnée par des êtres humains particuliers, dans une époque, et qui est tout sauf unifiée. L'implication politique me semble nécessaire pour avoir une vision non naïve de ce qu'est un courant comme l'anarchisme. Un mouvement s'inscrit dans des idées philosophiques qui s'inscrivent dans une époque et la boucle est bouclée ... Ce n'est pas en lisant un livre qu'on peut avoir une bonne connaissance de l'anarchisme, mais je suis contente de cette lecture, qui m'en a indiqué les grandes lignes et surtout m'a donné envie de fouiner un peu plus du côté du rationalisme, de l'humanisme, de la liberté et de la pratique politique ... C'est aussi une des missions d'un livre : donner envie de plus ...
December 12, 2019
Critique après ma première lecture :
Un livre intéressant et clair sur l’anarchisme, son histoire, ses courants de pensée et ses positions sur plusieurs sujets (économie, écologie, éducation, médias, etc.)
Critique après ma seconde lecture :
Moins de deux mois après ma première lecture, j'ai ressenti le besoin de replonger dans ce livre et je suis très satisfait de l'avoir fait. J'ai sans doute été plus attentif cette fois et j'ai pu profiter pleinement du contenu de ce livre. C'est passionnant du début et à la fin, et très enrichissant quand on s'intéresse aux idées anarchistes.
Un livre intéressant et clair sur l’anarchisme, son histoire, ses courants de pensée et ses positions sur plusieurs sujets (économie, écologie, éducation, médias, etc.)
Critique après ma seconde lecture :
Moins de deux mois après ma première lecture, j'ai ressenti le besoin de replonger dans ce livre et je suis très satisfait de l'avoir fait. J'ai sans doute été plus attentif cette fois et j'ai pu profiter pleinement du contenu de ce livre. C'est passionnant du début et à la fin, et très enrichissant quand on s'intéresse aux idées anarchistes.
May 11, 2019
Ouvrage succinct et facile à lire qui donne un survol exhaustif des différents mouvements anarchistes. Je me rends compte après coup que j’étais dans l’ignorance la plus totale. Entre autres, j’ai appris l’existence de l’anarcho-écologisme, et de Murray Bookchin, son premier penseur. Celui-ci écrivait en 1921 : « La domination de l’humain par l’humain a précédé l’idée de dominer la nature. […] Les hiérarchies, les classes, les formes de propriété et les institutions étatistes qui ont émergé avec la domination sociale ont été transposées dans les relations de l’humanité avec la nature. Celle-ci tendit dès lors à n’être plus considérée que comme une simple ressource, un matériau brut à exploiter à volonté. » Il y a plusieurs manières d’envisager le monde. Les anarchistes de différentes tendances, mis à part les anarchos-capitalistes, inspirent le reste de la société pour que nous puissions à terme changer durablement notre façon d’aborder notre environnement et aussi notre rapport à l’autre.
February 14, 2020
Excellente introduction à l'histoire et à l"actualité de l'anarchisme.
Le propos est exposé clairement et l'organisation de l'ouvrage permet de circuler librement dans la lecture. Les figures et les évenements fondateurs sont présentés de façon à se faire une idée précise des différents courants anarchistes, de ce qui les rassemble et de ce qui les distingue.
L'auteur a porté un soin de pédagogue à déconstruire les idées reçues et a pensé à nourrir la curiosité des lecteurs dans un paratexte qui inclut une bibliographie et une sitographie qui permettront de prolonger l'exploration de l'anarchisme dans différentes directions.
Le propos est exposé clairement et l'organisation de l'ouvrage permet de circuler librement dans la lecture. Les figures et les évenements fondateurs sont présentés de façon à se faire une idée précise des différents courants anarchistes, de ce qui les rassemble et de ce qui les distingue.
L'auteur a porté un soin de pédagogue à déconstruire les idées reçues et a pensé à nourrir la curiosité des lecteurs dans un paratexte qui inclut une bibliographie et une sitographie qui permettront de prolonger l'exploration de l'anarchisme dans différentes directions.
March 8, 2014
Review
This is a cursory examination of the past and present of anarchism, and it is mired in editing errors (just one example: Leo Tolstoy is listed under 'Spain' instead of Russia in the section on more modern anarchists), mediocre translation, mediocre writing -- with many instances of lists, name-dropping, and short, information-weak paragraphs which explain little -- the lack of a works cited list or endnotes/footnotes, and virtual worship of Noam Chomsky (eg the inexplicable 'but Chomsky says...' conclusion on page 97). That said, sections 3, 4 and the conclusion of Order Without Power (where we learn about historical incidents and anarchist positions on political/societal features) are considerably stronger than the rest, and the author can be forgiven for quoting Chomsky so much, to the extent that there are few comparably famous contemporary Anarchist figures and Chomsky is pretty remarkable and intriguing.
So-so presentation notwithstanding, this book does much to clear up some inconsistencies in my head regarding anarchism, and leaves me with a deeper respect and understanding of the movement, particularly in terms of the proud anarchist tradition and noble aims which set it far apart from the violent 'Black Bloc' anarchists which seem to be the only ones ever making the, admittedly biased, mainstream media.
True Rating: 3.4 Stars
Points of Interest: Below are some highlights and points of interest I picked out from the text, mostly for my own reference.
- The author makes an excellent statement on defining anarchism on page 24:
Put simply, anarchism is not a patented idea, and thankfully so; there are no property rights over the concept. It remains an open theory, destined for further transformations. I would contend that anarchism is only alive and worthy of interest to the extent that it remains open to change.
- The author's version of a famous point which has been repeatedly attributed to Mikhail Bakunin by Chomsky:
Bakunin [1814-1876] predicted that the dictatorship of the proletariat, so dear to the communists, would not lead to the withering of the state (a claim he viewed as the "most vile and dangerous lie our century has given rise to"), but could only engender a new and frightening tyranny, a "red bureaucracy," which he saw as inevitable. History has amply confirmed his prediction. "Take the most radical revolutionary," Bakunin elaborated, "and place him on the throne of all the Russias or grant him dictatorial power...within a year, he will have become worse than the Tsar." (pgs 40-41)
- And Bakunin's conception of liberty and solidarity:
"I am not fully free until all other people around me, men and
women, are also free; the more numerous are the free individuals
surrounding me, the deeper and wider their freedom, the more
extensive, deeper, and wider mine becomes." (pg 42)
- I hadn't hear of the Haymarket Incident: Fascinating, look it up and read pages 68 onwards to see how anarchist leaders were basically murdered by American officials through the police and courts.
- I discovered interesting articles on work:
Bob Black's article on the abolition of work ("The Abolition of Work") is of this nature: "No one should ever work. Work is the source of nearly all the misery in the world...That doesn't mean we have to stop doing things. It does mean creating a new way of life based on play..." This article in some ways resembles Le Droit à la paresse (The Right to Be Lazy, 1883) of Paul Lafargue: "Work, this strange madness which possesses the working classes..." Black concluded, "No one should ever work. Workers of the world...*relax*!" (pgs 94-95)
- I learned about Mondragon, a large cooperative business in the Basque region of Spain
- I find I agree with a number of the ideas generated from anarchism, such as the limiting or elimination of hierarchies and egalitarian and cooperative economic relations
- The views of Murray Bookchin, including his criticism of sustainable development as impossible, environmentalists as naive, and this thought:
The domination of the human by the human preceded the idea of dominating nature...The hierarchies, classes, forms of property, and statist institutions which emerged with social domination have been transposed onto humanity's relation with nature. Nature tends to be considered as no more than a resource, raw material to be freely exploited. (pg 102)
- It would appear that anarchists have very limited economic policy, but a very strong educational policy which has influenced contemporary education a great deal, eg concerning the ideas of Francisco Ferrer I Guardia (1859-1909):
We want people who are capable of continually evolving, capable of renewing both their environment and themselves; people whose intellectual independence will be their greatest strength and who will always be inclined to agree with what is preferable, happy at the triumph of new and right ideas...Society fears such beings; we cannot hope that it will consent to an education capable of training them. (pg 110)
- I was introduced to John Dewey and his views of education producing cogs in the machine (pg 111)
- On page 136 there are interesting criticisms of "Lifestyle Activism" (ethical consumerism, being vegetarian etc.) as being elitist and of little value.
- The author, although almost entirely uncritical of Chomsky, is critical of contemporary anarchism in his conclusion, and notes a deficit in the areas of viable proposals for political, cultural and economic organization.
- The book ends, shockingly, with some good Chomsky quotes, including:
The task for a modern industrial society is to achieve what is now technically realizable, namely, a society which is really based on free voluntary participation of people who produce and create, live their lives freely within institutions they control, and with limited hierarchical structures, possibly none at all. (pg 139)
- Anarchy rejects all illegitimate authority
This is a cursory examination of the past and present of anarchism, and it is mired in editing errors (just one example: Leo Tolstoy is listed under 'Spain' instead of Russia in the section on more modern anarchists), mediocre translation, mediocre writing -- with many instances of lists, name-dropping, and short, information-weak paragraphs which explain little -- the lack of a works cited list or endnotes/footnotes, and virtual worship of Noam Chomsky (eg the inexplicable 'but Chomsky says...' conclusion on page 97). That said, sections 3, 4 and the conclusion of Order Without Power (where we learn about historical incidents and anarchist positions on political/societal features) are considerably stronger than the rest, and the author can be forgiven for quoting Chomsky so much, to the extent that there are few comparably famous contemporary Anarchist figures and Chomsky is pretty remarkable and intriguing.
So-so presentation notwithstanding, this book does much to clear up some inconsistencies in my head regarding anarchism, and leaves me with a deeper respect and understanding of the movement, particularly in terms of the proud anarchist tradition and noble aims which set it far apart from the violent 'Black Bloc' anarchists which seem to be the only ones ever making the, admittedly biased, mainstream media.
True Rating: 3.4 Stars
Points of Interest: Below are some highlights and points of interest I picked out from the text, mostly for my own reference.
- The author makes an excellent statement on defining anarchism on page 24:
Put simply, anarchism is not a patented idea, and thankfully so; there are no property rights over the concept. It remains an open theory, destined for further transformations. I would contend that anarchism is only alive and worthy of interest to the extent that it remains open to change.
- The author's version of a famous point which has been repeatedly attributed to Mikhail Bakunin by Chomsky:
Bakunin [1814-1876] predicted that the dictatorship of the proletariat, so dear to the communists, would not lead to the withering of the state (a claim he viewed as the "most vile and dangerous lie our century has given rise to"), but could only engender a new and frightening tyranny, a "red bureaucracy," which he saw as inevitable. History has amply confirmed his prediction. "Take the most radical revolutionary," Bakunin elaborated, "and place him on the throne of all the Russias or grant him dictatorial power...within a year, he will have become worse than the Tsar." (pgs 40-41)
- And Bakunin's conception of liberty and solidarity:
"I am not fully free until all other people around me, men and
women, are also free; the more numerous are the free individuals
surrounding me, the deeper and wider their freedom, the more
extensive, deeper, and wider mine becomes." (pg 42)
- I hadn't hear of the Haymarket Incident: Fascinating, look it up and read pages 68 onwards to see how anarchist leaders were basically murdered by American officials through the police and courts.
- I discovered interesting articles on work:
Bob Black's article on the abolition of work ("The Abolition of Work") is of this nature: "No one should ever work. Work is the source of nearly all the misery in the world...That doesn't mean we have to stop doing things. It does mean creating a new way of life based on play..." This article in some ways resembles Le Droit à la paresse (The Right to Be Lazy, 1883) of Paul Lafargue: "Work, this strange madness which possesses the working classes..." Black concluded, "No one should ever work. Workers of the world...*relax*!" (pgs 94-95)
- I learned about Mondragon, a large cooperative business in the Basque region of Spain
- I find I agree with a number of the ideas generated from anarchism, such as the limiting or elimination of hierarchies and egalitarian and cooperative economic relations
- The views of Murray Bookchin, including his criticism of sustainable development as impossible, environmentalists as naive, and this thought:
The domination of the human by the human preceded the idea of dominating nature...The hierarchies, classes, forms of property, and statist institutions which emerged with social domination have been transposed onto humanity's relation with nature. Nature tends to be considered as no more than a resource, raw material to be freely exploited. (pg 102)
- It would appear that anarchists have very limited economic policy, but a very strong educational policy which has influenced contemporary education a great deal, eg concerning the ideas of Francisco Ferrer I Guardia (1859-1909):
We want people who are capable of continually evolving, capable of renewing both their environment and themselves; people whose intellectual independence will be their greatest strength and who will always be inclined to agree with what is preferable, happy at the triumph of new and right ideas...Society fears such beings; we cannot hope that it will consent to an education capable of training them. (pg 110)
- I was introduced to John Dewey and his views of education producing cogs in the machine (pg 111)
- On page 136 there are interesting criticisms of "Lifestyle Activism" (ethical consumerism, being vegetarian etc.) as being elitist and of little value.
- The author, although almost entirely uncritical of Chomsky, is critical of contemporary anarchism in his conclusion, and notes a deficit in the areas of viable proposals for political, cultural and economic organization.
- The book ends, shockingly, with some good Chomsky quotes, including:
The task for a modern industrial society is to achieve what is now technically realizable, namely, a society which is really based on free voluntary participation of people who produce and create, live their lives freely within institutions they control, and with limited hierarchical structures, possibly none at all. (pg 139)
- Anarchy rejects all illegitimate authority
March 14, 2022
L'anarchisme est en fait une philosophie politique méconnue et souvent mal amenée. On l'associe au désordre, au chaos et à l'individualisme, alors que les idées prônées par les anarchistes sont bien plus subtiles et progressistes. En fait je me suis rendue compte grâce a ce livre, que nos sociétés étaient remplies de lois et de concepts révolutionnaires sur les plans sociaux voir économiques, que nous devons directement à des anarchistes ! J'ai aussi découvert des anarchistes dans des personnalités que j'admirais avant la lecture, et comment le féminisme à pu se propulser à travers l'avènement de l'anarchisme. Bref un petit livre plein de connaissances et d'idées éclairantes.
October 28, 2023
I do not thing this should be an introductory book. I found myself having to look up more in depth information on concepts the Baillargeon tried to explain because he does not do a good job explaining the concepts. A lot of this book feels as if it relies on prior knowledge in order to understand what the author is trying to say.
Baillargeon's writing style tends to also be rather droning and makes it very difficult for me personally to absorb what is being said. He does a poor job of balancing information with interesting writing. As I was reading I just heard Ben Stien's voice in my head the entire time.
Baillargeon's writing style tends to also be rather droning and makes it very difficult for me personally to absorb what is being said. He does a poor job of balancing information with interesting writing. As I was reading I just heard Ben Stien's voice in my head the entire time.
September 15, 2018
This was a very interesting and informative book. It was an easier read than a lot of other historical and/or political books, which makes it a much more accessible book for everyone. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about anarchism.
May 30, 2020
Une belle introduction à l'anarchisme par Normand Baillargeon que j'ai apprécié. Par moments trop académique et un peu endormant, mais ça permet de faire un portrait appréciable du sujet, de son historique et de ses positions sur divers sujets.
March 23, 2020
Good overview of history, practice, and ideas of anarchism. Does not go in depth on any particular issues, but a great way to get an anarchist's perspective on anarchism.
March 18, 2021
Lecture facile sur des concepts de base en anarchie. J’aurais aimé aller plus loin, mais tout de même très intéressant.
December 9, 2021
An excellent introduction, and that’s all it needed to be
March 28, 2023
《 Je suis anarchiste : c'est que je n'aime ni recevoir ni donner des ordres. 》
Read
August 13, 2016Okay, so this is basically a very entry-level introduction to anarchist thought.
Baillargeon introduces the reader to some of the basic ideas of anarchism - the abolition of the state (and all other forms of illegitimate authority) the desired liberation and autonomy of the individual, the decentralization of power, etc. He also dispels common myths such as the ever-reiterated 'anarchy will just end in chaos'.
The book is separated into four basic parts; the historical roots of anarchism, an brief overview of some key anarchist thinkers (Proudhon, Bakunin, Kropotkin and Chomsky), anarchism as made manifest in certain times and places throughout history (including the Enlightenment and the Russian Revolution), and anarchist perspectives on a selection of issues (ethics, education, the media).
He ends in a lengthy refutation of anarcho-capitalism.
This is essentially a vague and generic introduction for anyone that's interested in anarchist thought but has no prior knowledge to it/doesn't know where to start.
Baillargeon introduces the reader to some of the basic ideas of anarchism - the abolition of the state (and all other forms of illegitimate authority) the desired liberation and autonomy of the individual, the decentralization of power, etc. He also dispels common myths such as the ever-reiterated 'anarchy will just end in chaos'.
The book is separated into four basic parts; the historical roots of anarchism, an brief overview of some key anarchist thinkers (Proudhon, Bakunin, Kropotkin and Chomsky), anarchism as made manifest in certain times and places throughout history (including the Enlightenment and the Russian Revolution), and anarchist perspectives on a selection of issues (ethics, education, the media).
He ends in a lengthy refutation of anarcho-capitalism.
This is essentially a vague and generic introduction for anyone that's interested in anarchist thought but has no prior knowledge to it/doesn't know where to start.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews