A new wave of geographical scholarship and activism from the date of the publication of the former entry on Anarchism/Anarchist Geography in the International Encyclopedia of Human Geography, authored by Myrna M. Breitbart in 2009, very significant changes have occurred in this field of study. Breitbart’s contribution especially drew upon the rediscovery of early anarchist geographers and of anarchist approaches which characterized the circuits of English-speaking radical geography in the 1970s, eventually around the journal Antipode. Breitbart was one of the protagonists (with Gary Dunbar, Richard Peet and others) of this movement, with her works on anarchist decentralization and “anarchist landscapes” in 1936–1939 Spain and on Pyotr Kropotkin’s (1842–1921) intellectual legacy. Almost in the same years, around the French journal Hérodote, Yves Lacoste and Béatrice Giblin provided a first “rehabilitation” of the figure of Elisée Reclus (1830–1905) in the history of French geography, where the eminent anarchist geographer was almost completely forgotten. While these authors have provided a tremendous contribution, which still nourishes present-day works, it is possible to argue that the last decade has seen the rise of a spectacular new wave of “anarchist geographies,” internationally promoted by a heterogeneous array of activists and scholars, mostly at their early career stages. The explosion of this new generation of scholars is already an element of novelty, while the varied elements of their contributions’ originality will be further explained in this chapter. Yet, it is worth noting the elements of continuity which this new generation claims in relation to the critical and unorthodox components of what David N. Livingstone called “the geographical tradition,” especially the geographies of Kropotkin, Reclus, and their closest collaborators. These early works are experiencing a renewed and increasing interest, despite having been produced between the 19th and the 20th centuries.
Anarchism/Anarchist Geographies
Ferretti, Federico
2020
Abstract
A new wave of geographical scholarship and activism from the date of the publication of the former entry on Anarchism/Anarchist Geography in the International Encyclopedia of Human Geography, authored by Myrna M. Breitbart in 2009, very significant changes have occurred in this field of study. Breitbart’s contribution especially drew upon the rediscovery of early anarchist geographers and of anarchist approaches which characterized the circuits of English-speaking radical geography in the 1970s, eventually around the journal Antipode. Breitbart was one of the protagonists (with Gary Dunbar, Richard Peet and others) of this movement, with her works on anarchist decentralization and “anarchist landscapes” in 1936–1939 Spain and on Pyotr Kropotkin’s (1842–1921) intellectual legacy. Almost in the same years, around the French journal Hérodote, Yves Lacoste and Béatrice Giblin provided a first “rehabilitation” of the figure of Elisée Reclus (1830–1905) in the history of French geography, where the eminent anarchist geographer was almost completely forgotten. While these authors have provided a tremendous contribution, which still nourishes present-day works, it is possible to argue that the last decade has seen the rise of a spectacular new wave of “anarchist geographies,” internationally promoted by a heterogeneous array of activists and scholars, mostly at their early career stages. The explosion of this new generation of scholars is already an element of novelty, while the varied elements of their contributions’ originality will be further explained in this chapter. Yet, it is worth noting the elements of continuity which this new generation claims in relation to the critical and unorthodox components of what David N. Livingstone called “the geographical tradition,” especially the geographies of Kropotkin, Reclus, and their closest collaborators. These early works are experiencing a renewed and increasing interest, despite having been produced between the 19th and the 20th centuries.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
