Electoralism can often feel like a dead-end for the kind of radical transformation needed to avert ecological catastrophe. Can we build power locally as a strategy for global change?
Hi Nick, I've learned a lot from you and wanted to thank you for your passion, insights, and grounded optimism. When I read about Radical Municipalism, the first thing that came to mind was the growing "constitutional sheriff" movement in the U.S. Living in a county with a "constitutional sheriff", this isn't the direction I would hope that Radical Municipalism would take. Nonetheless, I wonder if there are similar yet much more positive community-centric examples that are gaining a similar level of traction. Best wishes from Freetown, Brian
I think the really important distinction there that I maybe didn't communicate well enough is that radical municipalism isn't just about building local power -- it's about building local democratic power. If it's not practicing radical democracy (i.e. direct democracy), it's not radical municipalism. I don't know a lot about the constitutional sheriffs thing, but as far as I can tell, while it is ostensibly about "local power" (in opposition to an intrusive federal government, liberal state governments, or whatever else they're upset about), it's fundamentally authoritarian in nature: it's about a bunch of reactionary right-wing cops declaring that they are the kings of their fiefdoms.
The Rojava revolution in Syria is the most explicitly applicable example that people point to right now (https://sacredheadwaters.substack.com/p/sacred-headwaters-51-tina-pt-4-kurdish), but there are a lot of more moderate examples operating within the state (in a "dual power" type of arrangement). Depending on your opinions about where the line between communitarianism and communalism should be, this includes a broad spectrum of organizing that is active in many cities around the world. If you're on the Bookchin side of that debate, the number of examples is smaller, but they're still out there. I mentioned two in the introduction to this issue that I intend to write about in the future: Barcelona en Comú (Spain) and Cooperation Jackson (Mississippi).
Hope that helps clarify -- I certainly don't want to give the impression that right-wing "sovereigntist" movements are at all in the same spirit as what I'm talking about here.
Certainly not in the same spirit at all, but it seems advantageous to look at all sides of any movement and how they’ve managed to gain traction. All the more reason I look forward reading about the examples of building local democratic power you’ve identified.
Explanation of horizontal governance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wywMhg604W8
Great resource, thanks!
Hi Nick, I've learned a lot from you and wanted to thank you for your passion, insights, and grounded optimism. When I read about Radical Municipalism, the first thing that came to mind was the growing "constitutional sheriff" movement in the U.S. Living in a county with a "constitutional sheriff", this isn't the direction I would hope that Radical Municipalism would take. Nonetheless, I wonder if there are similar yet much more positive community-centric examples that are gaining a similar level of traction. Best wishes from Freetown, Brian
Hey Brian,
I think the really important distinction there that I maybe didn't communicate well enough is that radical municipalism isn't just about building local power -- it's about building local democratic power. If it's not practicing radical democracy (i.e. direct democracy), it's not radical municipalism. I don't know a lot about the constitutional sheriffs thing, but as far as I can tell, while it is ostensibly about "local power" (in opposition to an intrusive federal government, liberal state governments, or whatever else they're upset about), it's fundamentally authoritarian in nature: it's about a bunch of reactionary right-wing cops declaring that they are the kings of their fiefdoms.
The Rojava revolution in Syria is the most explicitly applicable example that people point to right now (https://sacredheadwaters.substack.com/p/sacred-headwaters-51-tina-pt-4-kurdish), but there are a lot of more moderate examples operating within the state (in a "dual power" type of arrangement). Depending on your opinions about where the line between communitarianism and communalism should be, this includes a broad spectrum of organizing that is active in many cities around the world. If you're on the Bookchin side of that debate, the number of examples is smaller, but they're still out there. I mentioned two in the introduction to this issue that I intend to write about in the future: Barcelona en Comú (Spain) and Cooperation Jackson (Mississippi).
Hope that helps clarify -- I certainly don't want to give the impression that right-wing "sovereigntist" movements are at all in the same spirit as what I'm talking about here.
Certainly not in the same spirit at all, but it seems advantageous to look at all sides of any movement and how they’ve managed to gain traction. All the more reason I look forward reading about the examples of building local democratic power you’ve identified.