Four Models of Anarchist Engagements with Constitutionalism

Abstract

Political anarchism’s hostility to constitutional activity has been frequently identified as the core feature distinguishing it from other members of the socialist tradition. However, four minority anarchist traditions which engage in democratic activism can also be identified: minor formal engagement, horizontal structural reformism, revolutionary (anti-)representation, and guerrilla activism. To analyze these models of engagement, this paper examines their application to recent events such as the 2014 Scottish independence referendum and the 2016 Brexit referendum. The paper also draws out differences between the anti-politics of anarchism and those utilised by populist political movements in Europe and North America, and highlights how different strategies respond to and incorporate standard anarchist critiques of electoralism and state-centred democratic practice. It is argued that participation in referendums (direct democracy) is no less problematic than representative elections, but that some selective engagement can be justified on anarchist grounds.