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By Ray Cunningham
Workers Solidarity

Universal education is a relatively recent innovation originating in the late 19th century. Its spread followed that of the industrial revolution quite closely — and for good reason. With the increase in the amount of mechanical, as opposed to manual, work it was found that workers required more skills. It wasn't enough to have a strong back any more — to operate machinery you need at least basic literacy.

If the economy was to grow it was no longer enough to have a very narrow layer of highly educated people, everybody had to have some basic training. You can see the same thing going on today. The workplace is becoming increasingly computerized, and employers are complaining that their workforce isn't familiar enough with computers.

Jeremy O’Toole
LINCHPIN

In order to remain relevant, anarchists should strive for our theory to be a culmination of teachings from individuals and communities in struggle and revolt against capitalism and domination. Black anarchism is a term used to describe the contributions made by black revolutionaries to anarchist thought and towards a movement that is tailored to their own experience.

Andrew Loucks
LINCHPIN

Ashanti Alston (b. 1954) came of age as the political action of the ‘60s was hitting its peak. He recalls struggling through Malcolm X’s biography as a teen and feeling awestruck at the 1967 rebellions that saw numerous American neighbourhoods temporarily taken over by the people who lived there, including his home town of Plainfield, New Jersey. “That was my entry,” recalls Alston. “I wanted to be one of them black revolutionaries.” (http://illvox.org/2008/06/22/an-interview-with-ashanti-alston/)

Anarchism and the Psychology of Motivation

Hamilton organizing against health care cuts

Mohawk Anarcha-Indigenist Taiaiake Alfred Speaks at McMaster University

New Sunrise Anarchist Collective in Portland, Oregon

NEFAC Quebec metamorphosizes into Union Communiste Libertaire

Women often feel the need to organize as women within larger organizations – including the more radical and leftist ones – in order to fight against inequality between men and women, develop their own voice and feel empowered by it. A great example is the Women’s Committee of the Edmonton, Alberta branch of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), a union that believes in workers’ power to organize ourselves and take the fight directly to the bosses without other people acting on our behalf. Karine Welm interviewed one member of the Women’s Committee. We hope this interview will empower and encourage other women to organize within their own organizations.

Linchpin: Could you explain what the I.W.W. is in brief and tell us a little bit about the Edmonton branch?

Campbell Young
LINCHPIN

These days, concern for the state of the planet is all the rage in the mainstream media. But an ecological perspective on things is nothing new in anarchism. In fact, one of the first serious “green” thinkers of modern times was also a social anarchist. Murray Bookchin (1921-2006), the American philosopher/activist who was an early pioneer in the ecology movement, also played a major role in getting anarchism back on the political landscape.

Through numerous books and articles, Bookchin developed a radical, coherent analysis of such diverse topics as cities, revolutions, technology, gender, and labour. As a whole, he called his praxis (praxis = thought + action) social ecology.

Greg Macdougall
LINCHPIN

When we talk about the moral and ethical implications of climate change it sounds like something that could put you to sleep. “Morals”. “Ethics”. A response might be, “stop lecturing me” or “don’t you have anything more interesting to talk about?”
But what we’re really saying is that the fight for “climate justice” is on the same level as efforts to end slavery, stop genocide, or win the right for women to vote. It’s on the same scale, but perhaps even more profound than any of those. What we’re saying is that climate justice isn’t just a technical thing or an economic thing or a political thing. It’s way bigger than any of that.

In the world we're fighting for (one without property or exchange, without classes or money, without a coercive state) the things that typically compel people to work under capitalism will have lost their hold over us. Why then, we're often asked, would anyone engage in productive labour?

Anarchists respond that people will be intrinsically motivated toward tasks which they find interesting and useful, that humans have an innate tendency toward creative, productive pursuits. To some, this makes intuitive sense. Others require a little more convincing, and it's hard to blame them. Our boilerplate response is lacking because it requires people to take for granted this proposed human tendency without an explanation of where that tendency comes from.

By Scott Neigh

Election season. It's a sad time.

Elections are neither nothing nor everything. Within narrow bounds, we get to choose -- criminally narrow bounds that mean they cannot touch the things that mean life or death, more suffering or less suffering, for many, but can make small but real changes that mean life or death, more suffering or less suffering, for others. It would be politically foolish and morally dubious to ignore that.