AUSTRIA
Graz Anarchist Bookfair - The City in Ruins, Sep 19-21
From non grata, Austria
September 19th to September 21st 2024
3rd ANARCHIST BOOKFAIR IN GRAZ
«THE CITY IN RUINS»
The City destroys our autonomy, our social relations and everything that we and other beings need to live. The City as we know it dictates how we live, how we think and how we see the world. To live in the City means: near-total surveillance, social control, stress, poor air quality and alienation. Any attempt to escape the City soon turns out to be an act of self deception that can only be maintained temporarily at best. We all live in the City – as a system it spans far beyond densely populated areas. Even those who believe themselves to dwell in an idyllic pastoral soon will have to realize that they are completely integrated into the logic of a global infrastructural network. Where ever we try to be living our lives we are dependent on community and mutual aid. No matter if we try to get by within or outside of the city as a physical entity: In order to take control over our lives we must overcome the City as a system.
If the City is everywhere it can also be attacked anywhere.
The City in ruins. It’s a projection.
These are times in which we are lacking perspective. And even if we may not find hope in the negation of the existing, in its destruction, this can still be a point of leverage, a place for us to start realizing our creative potential.
When social tension erupts, this may happen without strategy, but this eruption may still have clear targets. Who ever tries to realize themselves in such an eruption doesn’t necessarily share an anarchist analysis. But still, the well greased engine may start to sputter. And those longing to act out their anarchist dreams in such a turmoil can do so if they only seize the moment. Instead of romanticizing the situation we need to be aware of our task as anarchists in the turmoils that are being anticipated and are already happening: It is to identify and destroy all forms of authority, the existing ones and the ones that are emerging.
The City in ruins. It’s a paralyzing menace.
Those in power are painting a picture of horror before our eyes. This picture is meant to keep us in a state of fear. It’s meant to make us comply. We are living in a state of dependency: What if the umbilical cord of infrastructure rips and we find ourselves alone – destroyed individuals, a destroyed social fabric in a destroyed landscape? We are made believe that we can only surviveunder the warmth of the City’s smog dome, that only its elaborated supply system can provide for us.
Even those who desire the end of the City seem to find more perspective in its “natural” breakdown than in its active destruction through a revolutionary process. The narrative of the collapse is blocking our lust for insurrection.
The City in ruins. It’s a social reality.
Apart from authoritarian scare tactics and insurrectionary projections the reality is that most people live in cities. In spite of all the alienation, our social relationships are inevitably entangled in the city. People are dependent on mutual aid in cities just the same, trying to make our lives as beautiful as possible. Besides frustration and feeling empty inside we also experience joy, community and, at times, self-realization in the cities. And there are many who have fallen in love with the city as a playgroundfor their acts of resistance.
Its destruction confronts us with concrete social problems, in many cases hardship and despair – no matter how this destruction comes about: wars, natural catastrophes or insurrectionaryeruptions.
But both, the destruction of the City and maintaining it, hit those the hardest who are already now the most marginalized. And it may be worthwhile to remind oneself that the City is hostile to life and can by no means support itself. Without the exploitation of the surrounding areas food, water and heating are virtually unavailable.
Rebuilding the oppression coming from the City cannot be our goal. The City is a place of control, exclusion and erosion. And a seemingly good life in the city for some is only possible through the exploitation of many.
Fearing we might lose what we possess leads to the destruction of what we need.
Let us hence destroy the City as a system and its inherent logic of hierarchy, exploitation and the consumption of resources. Let’s begin to reshape our lives on top of the City’s ruins and beyond. Those who seeksalvation in escapism trying to enjoy an idyllic life in the country without seeing the surrounding projects of extractivist infrastructure, without realizing that the periphery is itself part of the logic of the City, have missed the analysis and dropped out of the discussion. No matter how much we long for retreat: We can only exist through community and cooperation. And this cooperation always includes creative and destructive elements.
The City is everywhere. Destroying it is necessary, and possible anywhere.
This proposal is meant to be an invitation to actively participate in the anarchist book fair in Graz. If you want to do a book table or if you have ideas for discussions or presentations, write us (or simply come around). All (anarchist) contributions are welcome. We’d be happy, though, if you’d think about how your proposals might fit into The City in Ruins. As you can see, we also think of this topic in a very broad sense.
A little disclaimer concerning the text itself:
May those reading this text be aware that it has been written within the social reality of Central Europe and its analysis reflects its way of thinking and the experiences that can be made there. It’s certainly important to point out that this is, as we all know, a region of the world in which materially altogether destroyed cities are (contemporarily) not part of those experiences.
And still: A specific (pacified) set of experiences does not mean that one cannot develop their own point of view. To hide behind others at all times when it comes to taking up a position means to kick open the door to authoritarianism. It’s important to develop one’s own standpoint. And it is necessary to either support or disprove postulated arguments with examples or counter-examples. Merely pointing out the background of the authors is simply not enough.
Yet this is still to be understood as an open invitation to criticism: Reactions to and commentary on the arguments of this text are very welcome – especially concerning communities in actual existence that dwell (or maybe still supposedly dwell) outside of the realm of the City and concerning examples from other times.
In order to contact us about the location, (your) program (proposals), book tables, sleeping spots or discordance visit nongrata.noblogs.org or write to nongrata@riseup,net (pls use pgp).