Anarchist Essays

In this essay, Robert T.F. Downes examines how the eco-anarchist philosophy of social ecology and the pluriverse of Indigenous political thought come together in anarcho-Indigenous solidarities, from Standing Rock to the Zapatista caracoles, to imagine a “democracy of species” beyond the (neo)liberal rule of law. He asks how these experiments in “living otherwise” challenge anthropocentrism, private property, and the State while sketching participatory, multispecies alternatives to governance, grounded in care, consent, land, more-than-human relations, and mutual aid. Robert T.F. Downes is a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of Connecticut, investigating questions at the intersection of political theory, environmental politics, and law. His most recent publications are "Green Anarchy & Red Praxis: An Anarcho-Indigenous Dialogue Towards a Democracy of Species," Anarchist Studies 33, no. 2 (2025): 6-49 (doi.org/10.3898/AS.33.2.01) and "Constitutional Dictatorship and Enemies Within: A Constitutional and Historical Analysis of the Alien and Sedition Acts from John Adams to Donald Trump," Journal of International Relations, Peace Studies, and Development 10, no. 1 (2025): 1-60 (https://scholarworks.arcadia.edu/agsjournal/vol10/iss1/4/). Anarchist Essays is brought to you by Loughborough University's Anarchism Research Group and the journal Anarchist Studies. Follow us on Bluesky @anarchismresgroup.bsky.social Our music comes from Them'uns (featuring Yous'uns). Artwork by Sam G.

In this essay, Juan Carlos Mijangos Noh reflects on an experience of creating a microcosm of an anarchist community in a Yucatecan Maya Village in Mexico. The experience involved women students trained in a neoliberal university who, despite that, were able to perform in an anarchistic fashion. Juan Carlos Mijangos Noh is a full professor at the Autonomous University of Yucatan, Mexico. His most recent publications are: Creating an Anarchist Community: How can Students from a Neoliberal University Participate?, published by Anarchist Studies (https://journals.lwbooks.co.uk/anarchiststudies/vol-33-issue-2/); and The Canicab Charter: A Mayan Model for Data Governance, published by the International Council of Media Literacy (https://ic4ml.org/journal-article/the-canicab-charter-a-mayan-model-for-data-governance/). A longer version of this article appeared in Anarchist Studies 33.2 (2025). For a version of this podcast in Spanish, fast forward to 15.34 Anarchist Essays is brought to you by Loughborough University's Anarchism Research Group and the journal Anarchist Studies. Follow us on Bluesky @anarchismresgroup.bsky.social Our music comes from Them'uns (featuring Yous'uns). Artwork by Sam G.

In this essay, Steve Emery and Dai O'Brien discuss the life and politics of a deaf anarchist communist, Leonard A. Motler. Steve and Dai explain his significance to both the anarchist movement in the UK as a visibly deaf signing person and to the deaf community as an openly anarchist radical. A longer version of this article appeared in Anarchist Studies 33:1 (2025). This episode is read by Isobel van Hagen. Steve Emery is a freelance writer and researcher in the field of Deaf Studies and works as a project manager at the University of Surrey. His most recent publications are: O’Brien, D. and Emery, S. (2025). L.A. Motler: a Deaf Anarchist. Anarchist Studies 33(1) DOI:10.3898/AS.33.1.02X and Emery, S. D., and Iyer, S. (2024). Deaf Migrants in London in Kusters, AMJ, Moriarty, E, le Maire, A, Iyer, S & Emery, S (2024). Deaf Mobility Studies: Exploring International Networks, Tourism, and Migration. Washington DC: Gallaudet University Press, 91-117. DOI:10.1111/jola.70013. <https://gallaudetupress.manifoldapp.org/projects/deaf-mobility-studies>Dai O'Brien is an Associate Professor in BSL and Deaf Studies at York St John University. His most recent publications are: Sauntson, H., Cunningham, C., Ennser-Kananen, J., & O'Brien, D. (2025). Language and Social Justice: An Introduction to Linguistic Activism. Routledge. and O’Brien, D. and Emery, S. (2025). L.A. Motler: a Deaf Anarchist. Anarchist Studies 33(1) DOI:10.3898/AS.33.1.02 Isobel van Hagen is a PhD candidate in politics and philosophy at Loughborough University.

In this essay, Josie Holland breaks down key characteristics of queer anarchism and its connection to anarchist principles of prefiguration and revolutionary desire. They conclude with an invitation to develop a critical utopian impulse through anarchist practices more generally. Josie Holland is a doctoral student in the English Department at the University of California, Riverside. Their most recent publication is "Leading Towards the Queerest Insurrection: Queer Anarchism and Leadership Studies," available in The Interdisciplinary Journal of Leadership Studies. They also have forthcoming reviews in Extrapolation and Science Fiction Film and Television. Anarchist Essays is brought to you by Loughborough University's Anarchism Research Group and the journal Anarchist Studies. Follow us on Bluesky @anarchismresgroup.bsky.social Our music comes from Them'uns (featuring Yous'uns). Artwork by Sam G.

In this essay, Theresa Warburton talks about the power of story for building a place-based method in anarchist organizing. Building on their own experiences and the works of Indigenous scholars, Warburton asks how anarchists can make space for the past, present, and future in the work we do together. Theresa Warburton is an educator and organizer living in Washington State. Their most recent publications are Other Worlds Here: Honoring Indigenous Women's Writing in Contemporary Anarchist Movements and, with Elissa Washuta, Shapes of Native Nonfiction: Collected Essays by Contemporary Writers. She serves on the board of the Institute for Anarchist Studies and the editorial collective for Perspectives on Anarchist Theory. Anarchist Essays is brought to you by Loughborough University's Anarchism Research Group and the journal Anarchist Studies. Follow us on Bluesky @anarchismresgroup.bsky.social Our music comes from Them'uns (featuring Yous'uns). Artwork by Sam G.

In this essay, Graham McGeoch speaks about his research of Orthodox Christian influences on Anarchism in Latin America. A fuller version of the research was published in the edited volume, Orthodoxy and Anarchism: Contemporary Perspectives (ed Davor Dzalto, Rowman & Littlefield, 2024). Dr Graham McGeoch teaches Theology & Religious Studies at Faculdade Unida de Vitoria, Brazil and is a Visiting Professor at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. His most recent publications include, Russian Émigré Theology and Latin American Liberation Theology (Volos, 2023), World Christianity and Ecological Theologies (eds. Raimundo Baretto, Graham McGeoch & Wanderley Pereira da Rosa, Fortress Press, 2024), Theology After Gaza (eds Mitri Raheb & Graham McGeoch, Cascade, 2025). Anarchist Essays is brought to you by Loughborough University's Anarchism Research Group and the journal Anarchist Studies. Follow us on Bluesky @anarchismresgroup.bsky.social Our music comes from Them'uns (featuring Yous'uns). Artwork by Sam G.

This essay is adapted from Jim Donaghey's excellent collection, Fight for a New Normal? Anarchism and Mutual Aid in the Covid-19 Pandemic Crisis . It discusses some of the applications of 'mutual aid' in government agencies and its articulation in nineteenth century anarchist thought to flesh out a grassroots, transformative conception. Ruth Kinna is a member of the Anarchism Research Group at Loughborough University and the author of The Government of No One. Anarchist Essays is brought to you by Loughborough University's Anarchism Research Group and the journal Anarchist Studies. Follow us on Bluesky @anarchismresgroup.bsky.social Our music comes from Them'uns (featuring Yous'uns). Artwork by Sam G.