Erin Daley 2021-04-15
ESPRESSO
ANARCHIST GAMES
20 anarchist communities around the world
Throughout history, communities with anarchist philosophies have sprung up around the world. Members have formed intentional communities, stateless societies, and autonomous regions, sometimes through tightly controlled memberships, other times through loose associations for a common cause. Here’s a look at 20 anarchist communities around the world, some that are still functioning today.
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Freetown Christiania – Denmark
Founded in 1971 as a “permanent squat in a former military complex,” Freetown Christiania is an intentional community of roughly a thousand members located on nearly eight hectares (20 acres) in Copenhagen. The self-reliant, DIY community, famous for its tolerance for using and selling marijuana, has supported itself over the years by operating bars and restaurants, organizing cultural events, and manufacturing bicycles.
Still operating today, the “breakaway anarchist commune” is now subject to Danish regulations and struggles to maintain its original anti-establishment values due to rising costs caused by tourism and gentrification.
See photo on Instagra
During the Ukrainian Revolution (1917 to 1921)
Which overthrew the old regime, and the Bolshevik uprising which, after signing a peace treaty, “allowed the Germany and Austria-Hungary Axis alliance to occupy Ukraine,” Nestor Makhno, a prisoner released during this tumultuous period, attempted to set up a “stateless society organized under anarchist principles.”
In 1918, rejecting political parties, dictatorships, and a centralized state, the Makhnovists fought to reclaim the land to create worker-based communes and cooperatives. At their peak, they had amassed 100,000 troops and controlled an area occupied by roughly 7 million people. By 1921, however, they were defeated by the Bolsheviks.
Shinmin Prefecture – China
Between 1929 and 1931, in Manchuria’s rural province of Shinmin, 2 million Korean migrants operated their own autonomous anarchist region. Villagers set up their own form of government through assemblies and councils, which oversaw “agriculture, education, finance, military affairs, and health.”
Despite organizing a militia, the self-governing communities were ultimately unable to defend themselves against attacks by Japan and the Stalinists.
Zomia – Southeast Asia
You won’t find Zomia on an official map. The term was coined by Dutch historian Willem van Schendel in 2002 to describe the vast and remote mountainous area in Southeast Asia, spanning from the Vietnamese highlands to the Tibetan plateau and over to Afghanistan.
In his 2009 book The Art of Not Being Governed: An Anarchist History of Upland Southeast Asia, Yale professor James C. Scott argues that the area’s 100 million inhabitants, made up of a wide mix of small ethnic groups, live in stateless “egalitarian societies” free from “taxation, conscription, and forced labor.”
Rojava – Syria
Rojava (the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria) is a decentralized autonomous region in northeastern Syria that is actively resisting the Islamic State. The area, established in 2012, is home to some 5 million residents—a mix of Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians, Turkmen, Yazidis, and other groups who have come together to promote “radically democratic and decentralised self-governance, equity between genders, regenerative agriculture, a justice system based on reconciliation, and inclusion of minorities.”
The area is currently facing “extreme violence and genocide” from the Turkish invasion, which seeks to crush the movement and occupy Rojava.
Puerto Real – Spain
The seaport of Puerto Real in southern Spain is home to a unique community of shipyard workers who successfully organized and resisted the proposed shipyard closures with the help of the anarcho-syndicalist union CNT.
In 1987, the shipyard workers began engaging in direct action, including blockading the main road in protest. Building on their success, they went on to fight for other causes, including health and economic issues
In 1918, rejecting political parties, dictatorships, and a centralized state, the Makhnovists fought to reclaim the land to create worker-based communes and cooperatives. At their peak, they had amassed 100,000 troops and controlled an area occupied by roughly 7 million people. By 1921, however, they were defeated by the Bolsheviks.
Shinmin Prefecture – China
Between 1929 and 1931, in Manchuria’s rural province of Shinmin, 2 million Korean migrants operated their own autonomous anarchist region. Villagers set up their own form of government through assemblies and councils, which oversaw “agriculture, education, finance, military affairs, and health.”
Despite organizing a militia, the self-governing communities were ultimately unable to defend themselves against attacks by Japan and the Stalinists.
Zomia – Southeast Asia
You won’t find Zomia on an official map. The term was coined by Dutch historian Willem van Schendel in 2002 to describe the vast and remote mountainous area in Southeast Asia, spanning from the Vietnamese highlands to the Tibetan plateau and over to Afghanistan.
In his 2009 book The Art of Not Being Governed: An Anarchist History of Upland Southeast Asia, Yale professor James C. Scott argues that the area’s 100 million inhabitants, made up of a wide mix of small ethnic groups, live in stateless “egalitarian societies” free from “taxation, conscription, and forced labor.”
Rojava – Syria
Rojava (the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria) is a decentralized autonomous region in northeastern Syria that is actively resisting the Islamic State. The area, established in 2012, is home to some 5 million residents—a mix of Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians, Turkmen, Yazidis, and other groups who have come together to promote “radically democratic and decentralised self-governance, equity between genders, regenerative agriculture, a justice system based on reconciliation, and inclusion of minorities.”
The area is currently facing “extreme violence and genocide” from the Turkish invasion, which seeks to crush the movement and occupy Rojava.
Puerto Real – Spain
The seaport of Puerto Real in southern Spain is home to a unique community of shipyard workers who successfully organized and resisted the proposed shipyard closures with the help of the anarcho-syndicalist union CNT.
In 1987, the shipyard workers began engaging in direct action, including blockading the main road in protest. Building on their success, they went on to fight for other causes, including health and economic issues
This past summer, six blocks of downtown Seattle were occupied by protesters clashing with police following the death of George Floyd, who was killed by Minneapolis police.
After police ceded the zone, known as the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest or CHOP, the area became an impromptu, largely peaceful autonomous commune, with protesters making demands such as defunding the Seattle Police Department. Less than a month later, however, CHOP was dismantled by police, due in large part to the four shootings which took place there, two of which were fatal.
After police ceded the zone, known as the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest or CHOP, the area became an impromptu, largely peaceful autonomous commune, with protesters making demands such as defunding the Seattle Police Department. Less than a month later, however, CHOP was dismantled by police, due in large part to the four shootings which took place there, two of which were fatal.
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