Podcasts about kropotkin

Kropotkin e A conquista do pão, livro que é da leitura e discussão na Caverna do Morcego!.Chamamos Adriano Skoda, da Biblioteca Terra Livre pra entendermos quem foi Kropotkin e porque leremos o livro A conquista do pão, cola nas lives!.Redes sociais:@bibliotecaterralivrePara adquirir o livro: https://bibliotecaterralivre.noblogs.org/editora/nossos-livros/.Para adquirir seu livro da Autonomia Literária com CUPONS DE DESCONTO:#MorcegoNaAutonomia (cupom de desconto de 20% nos livros da Autonomia Literária) - https://autonomialiteraria.com.br/loja/.Drive das leituras (Roteiro disponibilizado no drive sobre a terceira temporada):https://mega.nz/folder/UYNwQZZS#rCNoahoz13hVy7Elyc4Ymg.Não se esqueça de nos seguir nas redes sociais para ficar sempre por dentro dos nossos conteúdos:.instagram: @morcego_marcos_bsky: marcosmorcego.bsky.socialYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/livescavernadomorcegoTwitch: twitch.tv/cavernamorcego.Colabore com a Caverna do Morcego, seja um apoiador:Apoio coletivo:apoia.se/cavernamorcegopicpay: @ marcos.morcegopix e email de contato: podcastmorcego@gmail.com.Equipe:Roteiro/edição : Marcos MorcegoVoz/Postagem: Marcos Morcego

"The sound of waves and voices intertwine in an endless field, creating an immersive experience that echoes through the depths of the Neva River. Field recordings were processed through a resonator to expand space and enhance sub-bass frequencies. "A tape-recorded and processed recitation of the poem Requiem by Anna Akhmatova adds lyrical meaning to the composition. The Peter and Paul Fortress is not merely a tourist attraction with museums and an 18th-century architectural ensemble but also a place of memory and mourning. Once the main political prison of the Russian Empire, it held figures such as Bakunin, Dostoyevsky, Kropotkin, the Decembrists, and many other philosophers, revolutionaries, and intellectuals. "Understanding the cultural and historical context of the places we visit is essential. The sound of waves hitting the granite embankment has echoed for over 300 years—these frequencies carry deep significance, preserving the past that is worth recognizing and remembering." Peter and Paul Fortress, St. Petersburg reimagined by Oyuun Tuule. IMAGE: Alex 'Florstein' Fedorov, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons ——————— This sound is part of the Sonic Heritage project, exploring the sounds of the world's most famous sights. Find out more and explore the whole project: https://www.citiesandmemory.com/heritage

The Professor's room has been condemed by the city so he's off to the Old Men's home.

This lecture examines Peter Kropotkin's assertion that production is a social endeavor, emphasizing the complexity of quantifying individual contributions within collective efforts like coal mining. The speaker explores themes of labor rights, the implications of ownership, and the interplay between personal initiative and market dynamics. Kropotkin's critiques of private ownership and production for profit are addressed, highlighting the tension between individual expertise and collective systems. The lecture argues for the necessity of recognizing personal contributions within economic frameworks, challenging the feasibility of Kropotkin's vision of a society without personal property.GET MY NEW BOOK 'PEACEFUL PARENTING', THE INTERACTIVE PEACEFUL PARENTING AI, AND AUDIOBOOK!https://peacefulparenting.com/Join the PREMIUM philosophy community on the web for free!Also get the Truth About the French Revolution, multiple interactive multi-lingual philosophy AIs trained on thousands of hours of my material, as well as targeted AIs for Real-Time Relationships, BitCoin, Peaceful Parenting, and Call-Ins. Don't miss the private livestreams, premium call in shows, the 22 Part History of Philosophers series and much more!See you soon!https://freedomain.locals.com/support/promo/UPB2022

Anarcho*Entheo*Astro* Animism – Facing the Global Conflagration with the Strength of Community  Caroline welcomes the return of Eddy Nix who “plays a bookseller in real life and has many projects operating in the dream world. He is founder and operator of Driftless Books and Music in Viroqua, Wi and was a founding teacher at Youth Initiative High School, and has a radio show on community radio station WDRT every Sunday. He identifies as a rhizome, or a verb, depending on circumstances. He has been many other things also. honoring ancestral mentors: David Graeber, Peter Lamborn Wilson, Kropotkin, And the Book “Occult Features of Anarchism” by living author Erica Lagalies, forward by Barbra Ehrenreich The post The Visionary Activist Show – Anarcho*Entheo*Astro* Animism appeared first on KPFA.

For questions, comments or to get involved, e-mail us at audibleanarchist(at)gmail.com You can read the Appeal at https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/petr-kropotkin-an-appeal-to-the-young  Addressed to young men and women preparing to enter the professions, An Appeal to the Young was first published in 1880 in Kropotkin's paper, La Revolte, and was soon thereafter issued as a pamphlet. An American edition was brought out by Charles H. Kerr in 1899, in the wake of the great Anarchist's first U.S. speaking tour; his Memoirs of a Revolutionist was also published (by Houghton-Mifflin) that year. A new edition in Kerr's “Pocket Library of Socialism” appeared in 1901; just after Kropotkin's second U.S. tour. (In Chicago, he had been introduced to a large audience by Clarence Darrow, a close associate of the Kerr Company.) Yet another Kerr edition in the 1910s went through many printings, and was still on the Kerr list well into the 1930s. Long unavailable in any U.S. edition, it is reprinted here in the standard English translation by pioneer British socialist H.M. Hyndman, whose lush Victorian prose ably captures the eloquence, fervour and charm of this celebrated revolutionary classic.     Revolutionary Classics     Charles H. Kerr Publishing Company     Established 1886

For questions, comments or to get involved, e-mail us at audibleanarchist(at)gmail.com The article can read online at https://www.filmsforaction.org/articles/an-anarchist-guide-to-christmas/ Ruth Kinna's examination of Christmas, Kropotkin's connections to the traditions and the potential within it for Anarchist praxis.

In this lecture, Stefan Molyneux analyzes the relationship between capitalism and socialism through Peter Kropotkin's critiques. He emphasizes the importance of addressing societal needs over profit motives and discusses capitalism's inefficiencies and mischaracterizations, particularly in terms of overproduction and scarcity. Molyneux contrasts Kropotkin's vision of decentralized production with capitalist structures, examining the dynamics between workers and capitalists while critiquing governmental roles in sustaining monopolies. He advocates for a transformative perspective that prioritizes genuine needs in economic frameworks.GET MY NEW BOOK 'PEACEFUL PARENTING', THE INTERACTIVE PEACEFUL PARENTING AI, AND AUDIOBOOK!https://peacefulparenting.com/Join the PREMIUM philosophy community on the web for free!Also get the Truth About the French Revolution, multiple interactive multi-lingual philosophy AIs trained on thousands of hours of my material, as well as targeted AIs for Real-Time Relationships, BitCoin, Peaceful Parenting, and Call-Ins. Don't miss the private livestreams, premium call in shows, the 22 Part History of Philosophers series and much more!See you soon!https://freedomain.locals.com/support/promo/UPB2022

In this episode, I investigate the relationship between wealth and poverty through Kropotkin's lens, questioning how the rich's fortunes arise from the poor's conditions. I explore how childhood resource allocation experiences shape adult perceptions of wealth and reflect on familial roles mirroring societal class struggles. The discussion critiques wage differentials and labor exploitation in capitalism, while emphasizing the meaningful contributions of all jobs. I argue that financial success arises from market demand rather than capitalist control, urging listeners to reconsider their beliefs about economic systems and the personal responsibility required for equity.GET MY NEW BOOK 'PEACEFUL PARENTING', THE INTERACTIVE PEACEFUL PARENTING AI, AND AUDIOBOOK!https://peacefulparenting.com/Join the PREMIUM philosophy community on the web for free!Also get the Truth About the French Revolution, multiple interactive multi-lingual philosophy AIs trained on thousands of hours of my material, as well as targeted AIs for Real-Time Relationships, BitCoin, Peaceful Parenting, and Call-Ins. Don't miss the private livestreams, premium call in shows, the 22 Part History of Philosophers series and much more!See you soon!https://freedomain.locals.com/support/promo/UPB2022

This lecture delves into the concept of wage slavery through Kropotkin's critiques of capitalism and socialism. It begins by framing wage labor as a coercive necessity, emphasizing the struggles of the proletariat against the elite capitalists who benefit from their labor. The speaker employs an analogy comparing a concert audience to the dynamics of capital and labor, questioning societal aspirations and opportunities. Key themes include the challenges faced by successful artists, such as Queen, and the differing journeys of performers versus their audience, highlighting the importance of talent and resilience. The lecture critiques the educational system's failure to provide necessary skills for economic advancement and discusses the complexities of social mobility. Concluding with a call for deeper investigation into socio-economic disparities, the speaker urges a nuanced understanding of success beyond perceptions of exploitation.GET MY NEW BOOK 'PEACEFUL PARENTING', THE INTERACTIVE PEACEFUL PARENTING AI, AND AUDIOBOOK!https://peacefulparenting.com/Join the PREMIUM philosophy community on the web for free!Also get the Truth About the French Revolution, multiple interactive multi-lingual philosophy AIs trained on thousands of hours of my material, as well as targeted AIs for Real-Time Relationships, BitCoin, Peaceful Parenting, and Call-Ins. Don't miss the private livestreams, premium call in shows, the 22 Part History of Philosophers series and much more!See you soon!https://freedomain.locals.com/support/promo/UPB2022

David Gornoski and Mentzer's Meth Labs talk about the personalities that influenced Ray Peat, being vs becoming, why the best is yet to come, whether God hates the world, how good thyroid helps us love our neighbors, and more. Thread on Ray Peat: A Poor Man's Guide. Thread on The Ethics of Energy: Bioenergetic Idealism:. Follow Mentzer's Meth Lab on X here. Follow David Gornoski on X here. Visit aneighborschoice.com for more

Mutual Aid, a Factor of Evolution by Peter Alekseevich Kropotkin explores the role of mutually, beneficial cooperation in both the animal kingdom and human species. The book acts as an argument against the theories of social Darwinisim that focus on survival of the fittest and competition, instead Kropotkin suggests that mutual aid is better and has more advantages for the future of animal and human communities. "Mutual Aid a Factor of Evolution" by Peter Kropotkin - Book PReview Book of the Week - BOTW - Season 7 Book 43 Buy the book on Amazon https://amzn.to/4frFyCu GET IT. READ :) #mutualaid #cooperation #evolution  FIND OUT which HUMAN NEED is driving all of your behavior http://6-human-needs.sfwalker.com/ Human Needs Psychology + Emotional Intelligence + Universal Laws of Nature = MASTER OF LIFE AWARENESS https://www.sfwalker.com/master-life-awareness --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sfwalker/support

Our next episode comes from the hands of one of the more prolific local artist under his electro moniker The Kropotkin Ensemble, also know as Abiz Sonko. With his new aka our guest want to spread a political message against the system and using the Electro as weapon. Kropotkin message: It's not the human race fault, but the system some humans have delivered to their planet partners to increase their profits. Play load & fuck the system! Tracklisting: 01.- Framewerk: Lost In Sensation / Capital Heaven 02.- Zobol: Inter-city Travel / Tiger Weeds 03.- Annie Hall: Ultra Dynamic Formation / Lunar Disko Records 04.- Kamyar Ring: Black Palace / JADE 05.- E.R.P.: Equiponderance / OM:NIA 06.- Tresher & Väth: I See You / Turbo 07.- Vaimler: Thorn / Digital Distortion 08.- The Spy: Fried Brain / Dalmata Daniel 09.- Exzakt: GSix (G6 2024 Flip) / Monotone-Future Electro 10.- Kris Baha: Hypercortex / Kindcrime Recordings 11.- Univac: H-Beat / Fanzine 12.- Ten Lardell: Year 6900 / Clone 13.- Lloyd Stellar: Phantom Passenger / Burial Soil 14.- UHF: Skynet Was Shy / HC Records 15.- Alessandro Adriani: Wounds / Mannequin 16.- Legacy: Abyss BLWE / Lgyscab 17.- Nite Fleit: Tell Me Another One / Bad Manners 18.- Human Rebellion: Jupiterians / Co-Accused 19.- Somnolent Works: Lost Transmission / Ovelha Trax 20.- Grow & Anthony Nuzzo: Solid State Lie (Helsmoortel's Truth Remix) / CHP Recordings 21.- Raw Ambassador: Panic / Acid Avengers 22.- Jadzia: Forward (BB69 Remix) / Ovelha Trax 23.- Yo Speed: Celeste / 83 24.- Zeta Reticula: Chemical Signatures (Tag & Wandrach Remix) / Science Cult 25.- Decal: More Space / Intrinsic Rhythms 26.- Data Assault: Euforia Sinistra / Falling Apart 27.- Umwelt: Undercurrent / Rave Or Die 28.- The Impant: Panopticant (Assembler Code Remix) / U-Trax 29.- Jadzia: Triple Check (Kosmood Remix) / Ovelha Trax 30.- Salome: Hacker (Umwelt Remix) / Herrensauna 31.- Blu Terra: Zero Reasons / SPLOT 32.- DIRTY GLASSEZ & N95: W0000YS / System 108 Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/abizsonko

2+ Hours of ComedyFirst a look at this day in History.Then Father Knows Best starring Robert Young, originally broadcast September 27, 1951, 73 years ago, The Billiard Table. The family is mixed on having a billiard table in the house. Followed by My Friend Irma starring Marie Wilson, originally broadcast September 27, 1948, 76 years ago.  The Professor has lost his job at The Gypsy Tea Room. Irma gets the idea of opening a restaurant for the Professor, "The Cafe Kropotkin."Then The Life of Riley starring William Bendix, originally broadcast September 27, 1947, 77 years ago, the Art Object.  Riley buys a statue of Venus de Milo, with a clock and a radio in her stomach, lights in her hair, and a cigar lighter in her nose. She's just beautiful!Followed by The Sweeney and March Show starring Bob Sweeney and Hal March, originally broadcast September 27, 1947, 77 years ago, Enlisting in the National Guard. Finally Claudia, originally broadcast September 27, 1948, 76 years ago.  Claudia telephone David in the hospital...and speaks to the butler!Thanks to Sean for supporting our podcast by using the Buy Me a Coffee function at http://classicradio.streamCivil defense info mentioned on the show can be found here: http://www.civildefensemuseum.com/docs.html

Ever wondered if the state really just serves capitalist interests? Zoe Baker, a libertarian socialist philosopher, joins us to sift through the logical arguments and historical contexts behind anarchist positions. From Brexit to Kropotkin's nuanced view of state factions, we dissect the complexities of state power and its role in class oppression. This episode promises to challenge your preconceptions and illuminate the intellectual rigor of anarchist theory.We dive into the tension between socialist movements and electoral politics, scrutinizing how the pursuit of votes can dilute revolutionary goals. By contrasting classical anarchist and Marxist perspectives, we explore whether electoral engagement can remain true to socialist principles. Zoe Baker provides a thorough breakdown of historical debates, including those from the First International, that shaped these divergent paths.Our conversation extends to the various strategies anarchists have employed for social revolution. From mass anarchism to insurrectionist tactics, we cover the evolution of anarchist organizational strategies and the rise of platformism. We also touch on the impact of social media on radicalism, offering insights into how platforms like Twitter can distort and amplify extreme behaviors. Join us for a rich, historically grounded, and deeply analytical discussion that spans from the early days of anarchism to its modern-day challenges and strategies. Support the showCrew:Host: C. Derick VarnIntro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.Intro Video Design: Jason MylesArt Design: Corn and C. Derick VarnLinks and Social Media:twitter: @varnvlogblue sky: @varnvlog.bsky.socialYou can find the additional streams on Youtube

Paddy Woodworth re-litigates whether Kropotkin was a crackpot in The Naturalist's Bookshelf; Tadhg O'Sullivan floats in with his Cloud of Unknowing; Jennifer Walshe's Things Know Things follows the electronic trail of a neighbourhood cat; and the voices behind a performance of Stockhausen's Stimmung on the composer's baby his cosmic vocal workout.

Paddy Woodworth latest choice for addition to our shelf of ideal nature books suggests Stephen Jay Goolde 1988 essay on Russian noble-turned anarchist, Peter Alekseyevich Kropotkin.

A comunidade está aí, e o capitalismo é o verme que lhe suga. Na esquerda, às vezes imaginamos o comunismo como um paraíso distante e pensamos a revolução como a mudança absoluta de tudo o que conhecemos. No entanto, autores anarcocomunistas como Kropotkin, nos convidam a pensar que as relações de cooperação já existem e que a radicalidade da ação política está na nossa capacidade fazê-las valer. No programa desta sexta, conversamos sobre o capital, a burguesia e a competição como efeitos de um “carrapitalismo” das comunas subjacentes. ParticipantesAdriano SkodaRafael LauroRafael TrindadeLinksEspinosa - TeopolíticaTexto lidoBiblioteca Terra LivreLive no YouTubeOutros LinksFicha TécnicaCapa: Felipe FrancoEdição: Pedro JanczurMailing: Adriana VasconcellosAss. Produção: Bru AlmeidaTexto: Rafael LauroGosta do nosso programa?Contribua para que ele continue existindo, seja um assinante!Support the Show.

Radical Magazine Spiraling forth Liberating Ideas (Moon 4+ Gemini sabian symbol) Anarcho *Entheo * Astro *Animism – Caroline welcomes return of Eddy Nix, who ” plays a bookseller in real life and has many projects operating in the dream world.  He is founder and operator of Driftless Books and Music in Viroqua, Wi and was a founding teacher at Youth Initiative High School, and has a radio show on community radio station WDRT every Sunday.  He identifies as a rhizome, or a verb, depending on circumstances.  He has been many other things also. Post Eclipse magic honoring ancestral mentors: David Graeber, Peter Lamborn Wilson, Kropotkin,   anomalous egalitarian city of Teotiohuacan….and the living mentors – Isabel Wilkerson, author of “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent,” – the subject of Ava DuVernay's profoundly pertinent movie “Origin,” And anything else to guide us at decisive time, that ‘Community' eclipse ‘Cult'….   Support The Visionary Activist Show on Patreon for weekly Chart & Themes ($4/month) and more… *Woof*Woof*Wanna*Play?!?* The post The Visionary Activist Show – Anarcho *Entheo * Astro *Animism Radio appeared first on KPFA.

In 1946, Paul Sears took the stage at the “Food & the Future” Conference to deliver a new vision of agriculture from a global, ecological perspective. In this speech, on the heels of World War 2, he credited Darwin & Kropotkin for providing a biological framework for the ethics humanity needed in order to make sense of what seemed like an unravelling world. Sears told his audience that “Our responsibility now has two facets—we are custodians of ourselves and our environment as well. We did not make and cannot change the laws under which we must work, but at least we can understand them.” The early 1940s had proven to be a time of maturation for the permanent agriculture movement, as the science and ethic of ecology had emerged as the central component of permanent agriculture.    How did it lose its momentum going into World War 2, and how did that impact the rise of the movements we see today in regards to alternatives to conventional agriculture?     To read about this unique period in history, check out the following substack for sources and further details: https://poorprolesalmanac.substack.com/p/the-20th-century-permanent-agriculture   To support this podcast, join our patreon for early episode access at https://www.patreon.com/poorprolesalmanac For PPA Writing Content, visit: www.agroecologies.org For PPA Restoration Content, visit: www.restorationagroecology.com For PPA Merch, visit: www.poorproles.com For PPA Native Plants, visit: www.nativenurseries.org To hear Tomorrow, Today, our sister podcast, visit: www.tomorrowtodaypodcast.org/  

For questions, comments or to get involved send us an e-maill at audibleanarchist(at)gmail.com This is a reading of the full article penned by Kropotkin under the title The Spirit of Revolt, and not to be confused with the more well known abridged version that appeared in multiple English language newspapers from the 1910s onward. It is also a new translation by Ian McKay from his book Words of a Rebel by PM Press. Read for us by Dave Donnelly Words of a Rebel https://pmpress.org.uk/product/words-... The Abridged version https://theanarchistlibrary.org/libra...

For my very first repeat episode, I'm reposting a conversation with Ruth Kinna about Santa Claus, Kropotkin, and the prefigurative practice of Christmas.You can read Ruth's article on the topic here: An Anarchist Guide to Christmas

The Conquest of Bread by Peter Kropotkin audiobook. In this work, Kropotkin points out what he considers to be the fallacies of the economic systems of feudalism and capitalism, and how he believes they create poverty and scarcity while promoting privilege. He goes on to propose a more decentralised economic system based on mutual aid and voluntary cooperation, asserting that the tendencies for this kind of organisation already exist, both in evolution and in human society. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ariel Hessayon returns to discuss The Diggers, the radical group whose farming community most closely resembles the ideas of anarchist communism as expressed by 19th century figures such as Kropotkin, Morris, and Tolstoi. Ariel and I discuss their origins, their theology, their 19th century recovery, and above all the brilliant writings of one of their leaders, Gerrard Winstanley.

In this episode I talked to the amazing Margaret Killjoy, anarchist author and podcaster. We talked about how she got into podcasting, how long she's been doing it, and why as well as what anarchism means to her and whether Kropotkin was wrong about World War One or not. It was a wonderful discussion and I hope you enjoy it. Check out all of Margaret's stuff at her linktree https://linktr.ee/margaretkilljoy You can check out the full shownotes with pictures on my website - www.skepticalleftist.com and you can find all my social links on my linktree https://linktr.ee/skepticalcory You can rate and review the show here - https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-mind-of-a-skeptical-leftis-1779751 You can support the show here - - https://www.patreon.com/skepticalleftist - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/skepticallefty --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/skepticalleftist/message

Full Moon Radio – Deep roots in Community allow us to rise to the occasion… cause ack requires the re-wedding of Politics and Magic…. Caroline plays segments of her Anarcho*Entheo*Astro*Animist Equinox address in Viroqua Wisconsin, with music by Sound Play… (the whole shebang available for down-load – for pledge of $50 call 800-439-5732) with Kropotkin's “Mutual Aid” and Erica Lagalisse's “Occult Features of Anarchism.” The post The Visionary Activist Show – Full Moon Radio appeared first on KPFA.

On this episode of the pod, my guest is Penny Travlou, a Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor in Cultural Geography and Theory (Edinburgh School of Architecture & Landscape Architecture, Edinburgh College of Art/University of Edinburgh). Her research focuses on social justice, the commons, collaborative practices, intangible cultural heritage and ethnography. She has been involved in international research projects funded by the EU and UK Research Councils. For the past eight years, she has been working with independent art organisations in Colombia and most recently in the African continent to understand the commons from a decolonial perspective and to look at commoning practices within artistic forms while understanding the specificities of the commons rooted in various socio-cultural and geographical contexts. As an activist, she has been involved in a number of grassroots and self-organised initiatives on housing and refugees' rights in Greece.Show NotesGreek Elections and the Rise of the Ultra-RightExarcheia and the Student Uprisings of 1974An Olympic Tourism Plan for AthensMass Tourism Consumption in ExarcheiaGovernment Plans to Dismantle Local Social MovementsThe Greek Golden VisaAARG and Community Action Against GentrificationFortress EuropeWhen Will the Bubble Burst?Advice for Tourists; Advice for OrganizingHomeworkPenny Travlou University of Edinburgh WebsiteAARG! AthensPenny's TwitterTranscript[00:00:00] Chris: Good morning, Penny, from Oaxaca. How are you today? [00:00:04] Penny: Very good. Good afternoon from Athens, Chris. [00:00:07] Chris: So perhaps you could share with me and our listeners a little bit more about where you find yourself today in Athens and what life looks like for you there. You mentioned that you had local elections yesterday.[00:00:19] Penny: Yes, I am located in the neighborhood of Exarcheia but towards the borders of it to a hill, Lycabettus Hill. And I am originally from Athens, from Greece, but I've been away for about 20 years, studying and then working in the UK and more specifically in Scotland.So the last eight years, since 2015, I've been coming and going between the two places, which I consider both home. And yes, yesterday we had the elections for the government. So we basically got, again, reelected the conservatives, which are called New Democracy, which is a neoliberal party, but also government also with patriotic, let's say, crescendos and anti-immigration agenda.And at the same time, we have first time, a majority in parliament of the, not even the central, but the right wing, in the Parliament. So it's 40%, this party and another three which are considered basically different forms of ultra- right. And one of them is a new conglomeration, from the previous, maybe, you know, or your audience Golden Dawn, which is a neo- Nazi party, which was basically banned and it's members went to us to prison as members of a gang, basically.But now through, I don't want to go into much detail, managed to get a new party called the Spartans, which obviously you can think what that means, plus two more parties, smaller parties, which are inclined towards very fundamentally religiously and ethnic focus, meaning, you know, anti immigration.And then it's the almost like the complete collapse of the radical left that is represented by Syriza. The Communist Party is always stable. You know, it's the fourth party. So anyway, we, it's a bit of a shock right now. I haven't spoken with comrades. Not that we are supporters of Syriza, but definitely change the picture of what we're doing as social movements and what it means to be part of a social movement right now.So there will be lots of things happening for sure in the next four years with this new not government. The government is not new cause it's the current one, just being reelected, but the new situation in the Parliament. [00:03:02] Chris: Hmm. Wow. Wow. Well, perhaps it's a moment like in so many places, to begin anew, organizing on the grassroots level.You know, there's so many instances around the world and certainly in Southern Europe where we're constantly reminded of the context in which local governments and top-down decision makings simply no longer works.And that we need to organize on a grassroots level. And so I'm really grateful that you've been willing to speak with us today and speak with us to some of these social movements that have arisen in Athens and Greece, in Exarcheia around the notions of immigration as well as tourism.And so to begin, you mentioned that you've been traveling for the last half decade or so back and forth and I'd like to ask you first of all, what have your travels taught you about the world, taught you about how you find yourself in the world?[00:04:02] Penny: Very good question. Thank so much for raising it because I won't say about my personal history, but my father was, actually passed away a couple of years ago, was a captain in the merchant Navy. So for me, the idea of travel is very much within my family. So, the idea of having a parent travel, receiving letters before emails from far away places was always kind of the almost like the imagination of the other places, but also reality.So, when myself become an adult and moved to the UK specifically, to study and then work. This became my own work and my own life reality because I had dramatically to live between two places. So, it was almost this idea of not belonging and belonging. This concept from in both places, but also the specific type of research, because, I haven't mentioned that my day job is an academic. I am currently, equivalent in the United States will be associate professor in geography, but in the school of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. But the type of research I do request me to travel a lot. I'm looking on the idea of collaborative practices in emerging networks of artists, digital artists, specifically activists and trans-local migrants.So what it means actually to connect and to collaborate and to share knowledge and co-produce knowledges. Actually knowledge travels. So everything in my life, in the last two decades is around this, let alone that my own PhD was about tourism. I was looking on tourist images and myths, myths in metaphorically speaking of representations of Athens before the Olympic Games of 2004.So the journey and the travel and tourism is very much part of what I do in my day job, but also on other things I do personally. So what I learned through this is, first of all, maybe it's very common to say that without travel, knowledge doesn't travel.So, how we basically do things and flourish and develop ideas is through the sharing and sharing travels very much. So, movement is totally important. [00:06:37] Chris: I think that, for so many of us who have taken a critical eye and, and looked to the critical eyes around tourism and over tourism in the tourism industry, that there is this sense that things can be different and things must be different.To find a way to look towards, as you said, some sense of collaboration, some sense of interculturality, some sense of working together so that our earthly movements can produce honorable connections and meetings as opposed to just this kind of flippant and flacid kind of turns style travel.And so, I've invited you on the pod, in part, today, to speak about this neighborhood that you're in Exarcheia in Athens, in Greece. And you know, I imagine that many of our listeners have never heard of this, this neighborhood before, but many in Greece and many, many in Athens have, certainly. And I'm wondering if you could offer our listeners a little bit of background in regards to why Exarcheia is such a unique place and why it attracts so much attention politically in terms of social movements and also with tourists.Mm-hmm. [00:07:53] Penny: The history of Exarcheia is quite long in the sense with where it is in the very center of Athens. So if somebody basically get the Google map, you will see that the neighborhood is in walking distance from the Greek parliament. And Syntagma Square, which is another important square with regards to movements.It became very known in later years in the 2010s due to not only riots demonstrations that happened in what we now call the square movement. It started from Spain, to put it this way, and then to Greece, as well, in Athens. So Exarcheia is very central, but also it was since, postwar, it was a bohemic neighborhood.Lots of artists related to the left or at that point to communist party, et cetera, were living here, but also there were theaters, independent theaters, the printing houses. So we have a number still of Publishing houses that they are located in various parts of the Exarcheia neighborhood. So it has put its imprint into the Athenian urban history for quite a number of decades. And when I say Communist party, the communist Party was not legal at the time, when we say postwar. But, we had people inclined towards the left, like intellectuals, et cetera.Then with the dictatorship that happened in 1967-19 74, that's when first time really it gets, it's a real place in the political side of not only of the left, but also generally speaking of the political milieu and situation in Greece and abroad, and became very known due to the uprising, the student uprising against the dictatorship or otherwise, as we call it, junta in 1974, where here in Exarcheia is also the National Technical University of Athens, which is known also as a Polytechnic, where it was basically the uprising against the dictatorship with students basically rioting, but also died. So, it became an iconic part of the student movements since then in Greece. So, since the seventies.People can Google search or YouTube. They will see various documentaries dedicated specifically to that student uprising. And through that, after the dictatorship, one thing which was added in the Constitution and now has changed with this current government is that for a number of decades, it was what we call the asylum.That the police or the army cannot enter the university premises, and that's across Greece. So, students can occupy buildings. They can have, their own strikes, et cetera, without the police and or army entering. However, the Constitution changed a year ago. During the COVID period with the current government, the conservatives were basically they're not only say the police can enter if there is antisocial behavior happens within the university premises, but also that they will basically would like to have a police dedicated to university premises. Anyway, things are changing, but if we go back to Exarcheia and to your question, so since then the seventies, it became the neighborhood hub for the left and particularly for the radical left to congregate, to meet, to have social spaces.And also that a lot of demonstrations start from this neighborhood. And also since late eighties, became also the center of the anarchist and anti authoritarian movement. Since 2015, it was also a hub for those let's say groups, initiatives dedicated to offer solidarity to the newly arrived refugees in Greece and Athens due to the Syrian conflict. Yeah. So there is lots of facts related to why Exarchia has become iconic neighborhood with regards to social movements and definitely since 2015. The year of the election of the radical left as said, Syriza government at the time were attracted also more attention from abroad, from journalists and "solidarians," comrades, from international or transnational, social movements to come to Greece to see what was happening, to take part into the local movements and initiatives.But also it was the deep time of the austerity crisis. So, we have austerity crisis and refugee crisis at the time, ...and tourism! How did that happen?I was at that point here in 2015 is when I started coming in Athens and spending more time. And it was much more obvious that, first of all, before Athens, it was a completely different story with regards to tourism and specifically even before the Olympic games of 2004. People from abroad were coming, spending one or two days, nothing, just to visit the Acropolis and the other historical sites and museums and go to the islands. Was not basically considered as a beautiful city, as an interesting city. Or even as a modern city.So if somebody wants to see, let's say, "Rough Guides" of that period, the way the city was described was, I remember very well, I think it was a rough guide, "a cacophony." That it was extremely ugly. 2004 basically is the first time that there is a definitely dedicated clear plan from the top, from the government and local authorities to think of Athens as a tourist product.And they made some major plans. One is obviously that it's not about tourists, but it relates to tourism. It's the metro and it's the unification of the archeological sites and creating pedestrian zones, which makes it easier for people to walk through the different places. So slowly, we saw tourism getting, numbers like higher and higher.Interestingly, the austerity crisis that you expected there will be a "no" for tourism became actually an attraction for tourism, first, because things were getting cheaper. And the crisis created this, actually, this opportunity in that sense. And secondly, that even the radical left government, Syriza thought that tourism is an industry that can top up the economic issues related or the economic, the financial deficiencies of the country.So it created a series of possibilities for investment from people from abroad to invest in real estate that was matched with the beginnings of the short-let accommodation businesses, Airbnb and equivalent. So all these started slowly creating a fertile land of the right conditions for the tourist economy to flourish further. And to get tourist numbers up in such an extreme that in 2019, we reach full capacity in regards to accommodation. And I don't remember now that in numbers of millions of tourists who visited the country. So there's lots of factors which brought Athens to experience.And of course, Exarcheia, specifically mass touristification, because Exarcheia is in the center of Athens. Very easy to come. Secondly, attractive because it's a vibrant neighborhood, not only because of social movements, because the tourists who come are not all interested in the political scene of the area, but mostly it's about consuming this very vibrant nightlife economy.It's the art economy, which is related with the street art and basically night economy because it has a lot of cafes which have doubled. Nowadays is one of the most populated with Airbnb accommodation. Wow. [00:16:56] Chris: Wow, what a history. It seems, from what I've read, from what I've seen, that Exarcheia was, perhaps summarize it in a single word, a kind of sanctuary for many people over the decades.And and you mentioned the Olympics too, but certainly Barcelona as well had the Olympic Games in the last 30 years, and then you tend to see this similar result or effect or consequence after the Olympic Games in which the cities themselves in some cases are either abandoned in terms of infrastructure.And so all of the billions of dollars that went into them seems to have been only for that month of the Olympic Games or in the case of Athens or, or Barcelona, perhaps, that it's created this unbelievable kind of spiraling out of, of economic growth, if you wanna call it that.But certainly of gentrification, of exile and the increase in cost of living. Mm. And so in that regard, Penny, I'm curious, what have you seen in regards to the growth of tourism in Athens? How has it affected the people, the culture, and the cost of living there?Hmm. What have you seen on that kind of street level? Cause we can talk about it on an economic level, right? Where we're kind of removed from the daily lives of the people, but what do you see in regards to your neighbors, your family, your friends that live in that neighborhood with you?[00:18:18] Penny: Okay. I mean, first of all, I mean there is a lot of things that happen in Exarcheia and now it's clear there is also a strategy to completely dismantle the social movements. It's not like extreme to say that, but it's very clear and that's what the discussions now are focusing. And it's important to say that because in order to do that, one of the ways is to basically disrupt the spaces, disrupt the space that this happens. And Exarcheia is not metaphorically the location that the social movements and initiatives are and happen,but it is the first time that we see a plan, a strategy that if there is a future here, that through not anymore tactics, but strategies from the government and the local authorities, which also are conservative, in one sense.So, to give you an example, Exarcheia neighborhood is identified by its square. The square. When we talk about Exarcheia, we talk about the Exarcheia Square, specifically, when you want to talk about movements. Not the things were happening on the square, but it's identification of the movements.So, the government with the municipality decide that the new metro station in the Exarcheia neighborhood will happen on this square. So, through this, they block completely, they fence the square, so there's no activity in the square. So, this completely changes the landscape.To put it this way, the imaginary of this landscape for the local residents, but also visitors. So, if you check the images, you will see, which is a reality, is a five meter fence. So it's definitely changes. So, I'm saying that cause somebody from the audience say, but "yes, it's for the metro. It's for the benefit of the people."Of course it's for the benefit. But there were also Plan B and Plan C that was submitted by a group of architects and some of them academics from the university here to suggest that they are better locations in the area for the metro for various reasons. "No, the metro will def will happen in the Exarcheia Square."And there is now a number of initiatives that they were dedicated to solidarity to refugees now are moving towards struggles and resistance against the metro. Mm, wow. And how tourism comes in, because you have the blocking of a central square, for a neighborhood, which is its center and then you see slowly, more and more businesses opening, pushing out or closing down all the more traditional local businesses, for opening businesses more related to tourism, like restaurants that they have a particular clientele, you know, of the food they promote, et cetera, which definitely dedicated to this particular clientele, which is basically foreigners.The second thing that happens and has to do, of course, with gentrification. In the high rank of gentrification, we're experiencing aggressive gentrification, fast and changing the look and the everydayness of the neighborhood, is that since the Syriza, they make things much easier for foreign investors through what is called golden visa.Mm-hmm. The golden visa is that in order for a non-European, non-EU national to be in Europe. And you need a specific visa, otherwise you can be only with the tourist visa for three months. In order to obtain a longer term visa of five years, 10 years, is this we call Golden Visa, where you can invest in the local economy, like in London, I don't know, in Paris. Greece has the cheapest Golden Visa, which is until recently up to 250,000 euros. So imagine it's not a lot of money if you want to invest. So, people will start getting this visa by buying property, and obviously they want to make more money by converting these places into Airbnbs.Mm-hmm. They started with individuals like, let's say me that I decide to buy a property in Paris, but now we have international real estate developers, like from China, Israel, Russia, Turkey to say a few and Germany, where they buy whole buildings, right. And they convert them to Airbnbs, not only for tourists, but also for digital nomads. So, for your audience, for example, yesterday I was at an event and I was speaking to a young artist and the discussion moved, I don't know how to, "where do you live?" I said, "I live Exarcheia." He said, "I live in Exarcheia. I asked, "Where?" And he told me, "I live there. But I have big problems, because although I own the place through inheritance, I would like to move out to sell it, because the whole building, apart from my flat and another one has been bought by an international company and now my neighbors are digital nomads, which means I dunno who these people are, because every couple of weeks it changes. It's fully dirty. Huge problem with noise. Lots of parties. It's extremely difficult."So, imagine that this changed. There are stories of this, a lot. The other thing that has happened in Exarcheia is young people, in particular, are being pushed out because the rents, as you understand, if somebody who wants to rent it for Airbnb then thinks in this mindset and something that was until recently, 300 euros. A one bedroom flat. Now it ends up in 500, 600 euros, where still the minimum sa salary is less than 700 Euros. Wow. So people are being pushed out. I have lots of examples of people, and when I say young, not young in the sense of 20s, but also people in their forties that they are being pushed out. They cannot rent anymore, let alone to buy. To buy, it's almost impossible. Yeah. [00:25:04] Chris: Yeah. Almost everyone I talk to, doesn't matter where they live these days and not just for the podcast, but in my personal life, and of course with the people who I interview on the podcast, they say the same thing. This housing crisis, if you wanna call it that, because I don't know if it's an issue of housing, as such, but an issue of regulation, an issue of the lack of regulation around these things. And it's clear that so much of the issues around tourism have to do with hyper mobility and and housing. Yes. Or at least that's what it's become in part. Mm-hmm. And so I'd like to ask you, Penny, I know you're also part of an organization named AARG! (Action Against Regeneration and Gentrification) in Athens. Mm-hmm. And so participating in the resistance against these consequences.So I'd love it if you could explain a little bit about the organization, its principles and what it does to try to combat gentrification and of course the government and police tactics that you mentioned previously. [00:26:12] Penny: Well, now we are in a turning point because obviously what are we going to do? It's like "day zero."But we started in 2019. It's not an organization. It's an activist initiative. So, we don't have any legal status as an activist group, but came out of a then source of free space called Nosotros, which was located, and I explain why I use the past tense. It was located in the very center of Exarcheia, in Exarcheia Square, basically, in a neoclassic building since 2005, if I'm right. And it was really like taking part in all the different events since then with regards to, you know, things were happening in Athens in particular, and the square movement later on during the austerity crisis years.And it is also part of the anti-authoritarian movement. So, in 2019 a number of comrades from Nosotros and other initiatives in Exarcheia Square came together through recognizing that, definitely, since 2015 started slowly seeing a change in the neighborhood. On the one hand, we were seeing higher numbers of comrades coming from abroad to be with us in different projects with the refugees, but at the same time, as I said earlier, an attraction by tourism. And gentrification was definitely happening in the neighborhood; at that time, in slow pace. So it was easy for us to recognize it and to see it, and also to have discussions and assemblies to think how we can act against it.What kind of actions can we take, first of all, to make neighbors aware of what was happening in the neighborhood, and secondly, to act against Airbnbs, but not only, because the issue was not just the Airbnbs. So in 2019 we started, we had a series of assemblies. We had events. We invited comrades from abroad to, to share with us their own experiences of similar situation, like for instance, in Detroit, that at that time we thought that it was the extreme situation on what happened with the economic crisis in US and the collapse of the car industry, not only with the impact in Detroit and in Berlin, which again, at the time, still in 2019, we felt that Berlin was experiencing gentrification very far beyond what was happening in Athens and specifically in Exarcheia.So, that's in 2019. We had also actions that we start mapping the neighborhood to understand where Airbnbs were kind of mushrooming, where were the issues, but also in cases, because the other thing that was start becoming an issue was the eviction. At that time was still not as, for example, we were reading 2019 and before in Berlin, for example, or in Spain, like in Barcelona or Madrid...but there were cases, so we experienced the case of a elderly neighbor with her son who is a person with disabilities who were basically forced through eviction from the place they were renting, for almost two decades, by the new owners, who were real estate developer agency from abroad, who bought the whole building basically, and to convert it to Airbnb, basically. So we did this. Let's say this started in January 2019, where we just have elections and it's the first time we get this government, not first time, but it's the first time we have conservatives being elected and start saying dramatically and aggressively neighborhood with basically the eviction almost of all the housing spot for refugees in the area, apart from one, which still is here.All the others were basically evicted violently with the refugees, were taken by police vans to refugee camps. Those who had already got the papers were basically evicted and sent as homeless in the streets, not even in camps. So, we basically moved our actions towards this as well.And then Covid. So during Covid we created a new initiative were called Kropotkin-19, which was a mutual aid, offering assistance to people in need through the collection of food and things that they need, urgently, in the area, in the neighborhood, and the nearby neighborhood and refugee comes outside Athens.So, AARG! Has basically shifted their actions towards what was actually the urgency of the moment. So, and what happened in all this is that we lost the building through the exact example of gentrification, touristification. The owners took it because obviously it's next to the square where it's actually the metro and the think, they say future thinking, that they will sell it with very good money, to the millions, basically.So Nosotros and us as AARG! were basically now currently homeless. We don't have a real location because the building was basically taken back by the owners, and we were evicted right from the building. [00:32:14] Chris: Well, this context that you just provided for me, it kind of deeply roots together, these two notions of tourists and refugees of tourism and exile.In southern Europe, it's fairly common to see graffiti that says "migrants welcome, tourism go home." And in this context of that building, in that relative homelessness, it seems that, in a place that would house refugees, in a place that would house locals even, that this gentrification can produce this kind of exile that turns local people as well as, you know, the people who would be given refuge, given sanctuary also into refugees in their own places.And I'm wondering if there's anything else you'd like to unpack around this notion of the border crises in Greece and Southern Europe. I know that it's still very much in the news around this fishing vessel that collapsed with some seven to 800 people on it, off the coast of Greece.And certainly this is nothing new in that region. And I'm just wondering if there's anything more you'd like to unpack or to offer our listeners in regards to what's happening in Greece in regards to the border crises there. Mm. [00:33:36] Penny: Okay. I mean, the border crisis, is Greece and it's Europe. So when you speak about national policies or border policy, you need also to think of what we call fortress Europe, because this is it. So Greece is in the borders and it's actually policing the borders. And, there's lots of reports even recently that quite a lot of illegal pushbacks are happening from Greece back to Turkey or in the case of this current situation with a boat with more than 500 people.I think it's almost like to the 700. That's the case. So this current government it was for four years, we've seen that it has definitely an anti-immigration policy agenda, definitely backed up by European policies as well.But now being reelected is going to be harder and this is a big worry for, because still we have conflicts nearby. We need to consider environmental crisis that it creates in various parts for sure, like refugees, and we have conflicts.We have Ukraine, et cetera. Although also there is discussion of thinking of refugees in two ways: those that they come from, let's say, Ukraine, which they look like us and those who do not look like us. And this obviously brings questions of racism and discrimination as well.So borders and tourism also. It is really interesting because these two are interlinked. We cannot see them, but they're interlinked. And even we can think in the widest, let's say, metaphor of this, that at the same week, let's say 10 days that we had this major loss of lives in the Greek Sea.At the same time we have the submarine with the millionaires or billionaires, which almost is a kind of a more like upmarket tourism because also we need to think what the submarine represents symbolically to the life we are creating, worldwide.And I'm saying worldwide because I was currently, and I think I talked with you, Chris, about it, in Latin America and specifically in Medellin, which is a city known mostly abroad for not good reasons, basically for the drug trafficking. But one of the things, definitely post pandemic that the city's experiencing is massive gentrification and massive touristification due to economic policies that allow specific type of tourism to flourish through digital nomads having real opportunities there for very cheap lifestyles. Very good technology infrastructure, but other issues that bring mass tourism that in this case is also sex tourism and underage sex tourism, which is really, really problematic. But going back to Athens and Exarcheia in particular, the issue, it's very obvious. We are even now discussing that this thing is a bubble and sooner or later we will see that bursting because tourism is a product. Tourist locations are products and they have a lifespan.And it's particularly when there's no sustainable planning strategy. And an example in Greece, which is recently been heard a lot, is Mykonos Island. The Mykonos Island was known as this like hedonistic economy, up market, et cetera.But right now it is the first year that they've seen losses, economic losses, that it doesn't do well on the number of tourists coming. So, there are these things that we will see. Still, Athens is in its peak and they're expecting big numbers still because we are not even in July. I live now what most of us would say, we don't want to be in Exarcheia for going out because it doesn't anymore looks as a space we knew, for various reasons. But still there is movement. As I said the metro now is the center of the resistance. And also the other thing that I forgot to say that it's actually from the municipality coming in is that they are closing down and closed down basically green areas in the area, like Strefi Hill, and the nearby park for supposedly to regenerate it and to ensure that it's up in the level that it needs to be. But at the same time, they are leasing it into corporate private businesses to run. [00:38:43] Chris: Yeah. Yeah. And just for our listeners, whether this is the intention of local governments or not the closure or at least suspension of these places such as parks or local squares is the refusal to allow people to use public lands or to operate on what are traditionally understood as the commons, right? Mm-hmm. And these are traditionally places that people would use to organize. And so whether this is a part of the government's plans or not this is the consequence, right?And this tends to happen more and more and more as tourism and development reaches its apex in a place. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And Penny, I have a question that was actually written in by a friend of mine who lives there in Athens and his name is Alex who I had the pleasure of meeting last year there.And Alex talks about how everyone in Greece seems to be involved in tourism in some manner or another, that it's according to him "the country's biggest industry and how all of us are bound and tied to it," he said. Mm-hmm. And Alex wonders what alternatives and perhaps worthy alternatives do you think there might be to tourist economies?[00:39:59] Penny: Well, I mean, the issue is not, I mean, tourism is a type of model of tourism as well. I mean and it is also kind of percentages. So if we have more tourists than locals, then there is a question here, what exactly is happening when particular neighborhoods are turned to theme parks?Then again, it's an issue of what exactly offered locals, because okay, it could be good for businesses, but as I said, where is the sustainability in these projects and these models? Because if it's five year plan, then after the five year plan, all these people who are involved in tourism, what are they going to do?The other thing is what kinda tourism we're talking about and what kind services, because if we're all tangled or related with a tourist product, but what we do is servicing, meaning that even very few people will make money because most of us, we will be employees. And saying that is also about labor rights.So this is actually not regulated. There is no real regulation to various levels. Housing, for example, that you touched upon, earlier on in the conversation... In Greece doesn't have a dedicated law. So housing comes in various different parts of law, but it doesn't have a dedicated one.That's another reason why things are very unruly, unregulated. And the other thing is that in Greece, one thing that is unique, in comparison to all the countries, is that after the second World War, there was this idea of small ownership; that the dream is to own a small place, and to give it to your kids, et cetera.So it is very, very complex in that sense. And also as a tenant, it's very difficult to basically to have rights as well. Likewise, when we talk about labor, there's lots of things which are not regulated. So people who work in the tourist industry... it's almost like slavery.Quite a lot of people do not want to work right now in the tourism industry because they know that it's really unregulated and where that ends. So go back to what your friend asked, I'm not an economist and it's not an easy, and it's not, I'm not using it as an easy way to escape from giving a reply, but it's not about how to replace tourism, but it's actually what kind of a tourist model we bringing in because it's the same thing that I brought.So in Greece what exactly are we actually looking as a model to bring things that we saw in other places, didn't work?And they've seen the aftermaths of it. So this is something we need to be very, very serious about. Because at the moment, I think it's a five year plan with no future-thinking further because imagine a scenario that if tourism collapse, and we have all these businesses dedicated to tourism in one single neighborhood. We have urban Airbnb everywhere. What all these privately owned premises going to do? What kind of alternative you they're gonna have? [00:43:27] Chris: Yeah. Yeah. You used the word " replace," to replace tourism and I'm a big fan of etymology of the study of the roots of words and in English, the word replace in its deepest meaning could mean "to place, again." Right. And if we understood the word place as a verb, and not just as a noun, not just as a thing, but as something we do, what would it look like to place again, to consider our place not just as a thing, but as a process, as a process through time.And what would that mean to re-place ourselves. To re-place the time we're in. And it brings me to my next question, which is around solidarity and mm-hmm. I'm wondering in this regard, what kind of advice might you have both for tourists, for individuals, and also for people looking to organize their own communities in solidarity with, for example, the movements, the collectives, the residents of places like Exarcheia. What advice would you have for those people who wish to act and live in solidarity with the collectives that are undertaking these battles in places like Exarcheia?[00:44:51] Penny: Okay. If I remember well, the initiative against the Metro has created an open letter which will be for also address to tourists. So to make them aware, you know, you are here, you are welcome, but be aware that this is happening in this neighborhood, that the neighborhood is not just a product for consumption, but they are us, that we live here and we have been hugely affected by policies against us.It's not a blame to the tourists because we've been tourists and we are tourists ourselves. We go somewhere else. It's a matter to how you are respectful and understanding of what happens in local level and that there are people leaving not only the people who make money out of offering you services, but basically every people who have an everydayness in these areas and they need to be respected as well. And even understand where and what may happen to them. I mean, obviously we hear, and there are people who think, okay, we rather prefer to stay in hotels instead of AIrbnbs because this will basically support further this economy, which is platform capitalism because again, at the end, who makes more money, are the people who own those platforms.So it's about to be conscious and to be open and to see around you. And I'm saying that, and I can give you an example because for me, it definitely summarizes what I want to say. Okay, last summer, I was out with friends in Exarcheia, near Exarcheia Square to have a drink with friends who were visiting. No, no one visiting. One is from here. And in another table comes a seller, a migrant from East Asia to sell something and stop in my table. We discuss something with him and behind him, a couple of tourists with a dog passed by. The dog stops, probably afraid of something and kind of barks and bites the seller, the guy who was actually the vendor.So, the vendor gets really panicked and we say what happened to him? The two people with the dog, say, don't actually listen to him. He's lying. He's trying to get money out of us. And this is a story I mean, of understanding, of two people, you know, coming here not understanding at all and having completely this idea, but at the same time trying to consume what Exarcheia is offering. Is a story that to me can say a lot, actually. Mm, [00:47:23] Chris: yeah. Deep imposition. [00:47:25] Penny: Exactly. Exactly. I mean, as tourists, we need to be more conscious of the places we go. We need to understand and to listen and to hear.It is difficult to do otherwise because I mean, when you go back to solidarity, I mean, this is another thing because we don't expect people who come for couple of days to go to different, let's say, collectives, initiatives and take part.But at the same time, people who come and they want to spend time, in the sense of being part, again, one thing you do is not only you consume experiences, you take the experience and you look something abroad. You share the experience and we need that as well. Hmm. [00:48:16] Chris: Wow. And what would you say to people, for example, in places like Oaxaca, where there's been a tourist economy for the last 10, 20 years, steadily growing, and then after the lockdowns has become a destination like cities in Southern Europe, for digital nomads, for quote unquote expatriates, where now the consequences of the tourist economy are reaching a boiling point a kind of crisis moment, and where people are experiencing a great deal of resentment and backlash against the tourist, but who want to find some kind of way of organizing together in order to lessen or undermine or subvert the tourist economies.What advice would you have for those people maybe looking to places like Exarcheia, places like Southern Europe, where people have begun to organize for many years? What advice would you have for those people, for those collectives? [00:49:21] Penny: Well, the prosperity out of what you can get from this type of economy, it's going to be short term. So those who will make money or those who anyway will make money for those who have small businesses, it's going to be for few years. And particularly with digital nomads, is exactly what the word the term means: nomads. So this year or this couple of years, they will be in Oaxaca, they will be in Medellin.Previously they were in Lisbon. They were in Berlin. There is a product that is movable because their business, the work they do is movable. So for them, is what you offer like a package. And if it is cheap package, they will go there. If it has good weather, they will go there. And easier legislation.So it's a matter of recognizing because at the same time you cannot start pushing and throwing and beating up tourists. You're not gonna change anything. It's basically awareness.I'm not fond local authorities, but I've seen that in cases like Barcelona, the local authorities were more conscious and more aware, and obviously more on the left side. They were trying as well to create policies that has some limitation that at least this thing, it doesn't become beyond what you're able to sustain, basically, to create an equilibrium.But still, even in Barcelona, there are situations as in the neighborhood, which has became totally gentrified and people were pushed out. So they need some kind of legislation to limit the numbers of visitors for Airbnbs or things like that. But in the level of action, it's actually awareness and resistance and to continue.It's not easy because the political situation doesn't help. It has created a fruitful land for this to become even more and more and more. But the idea is not to give up and stop. I know that it's very like maybe generic and very abstract what I'm offering a solutions, because obviously here we're also trying to see what solutions we can have. Maybe you create a critical mass in an international level. Also, you make aware outside of what happens. So, so the tourists before even coming, they're aware of what's exactly happening and also with regards to solidarity between similar causes. Hmm. [00:52:00] Chris: Hmm. Thank you Penny. So we've spoken quite a bit about what's come to pass in Athens, in Greece, in Exarcheia in regards to tourism, gentrification, and the border crisis there in fortress Europe. And my final question for you is do you think there's anything about these movements of people and the way that we've come to understand them about the flight and plight of other people's, not just refugees, but also tourists as well, that can teach us about what it means to be at home in our places?[00:52:40] Penny: Oh, that's a big discussion. Cause it depends. I mean, when you talk about mobile population, like those, for instance, digital nomads, then we talk about something else, which is basically a more cosmopolitan understanding of the world, but also that the world is a product for consumption. So, it is two different layers of understanding also home.And basically when you see advertisements of houses specifically short-lets dedicated to let's say, digital nomads, the advertisements will say something like "home," that what we offer you like home. But when you go to those places and you stay in, what they mean like home, is that you have all the amenities to make your life easy as a digital normal.That you have a fast internet to make your work easy, et cetera, et cetera. So it is a very complex thing and definitely the way we live in, it's between the nomadic that has nothing to do with how we understood the nomadic in previous centuries or histories and to their, place as home, like you have a stable place.So, there are many questions and many questions about borders, that borders are easy to pass if you have the right profile, but then it is a block, and it's actually a "no" for those who leave home because they're forced to. So, it's a very unequal way of thinking of borders, home and place, worldwide.It's not just about Greece or Athens or Exarcheia, but maybe Exarcheia is a good example of giving us both sides who are welcome and who are not welcome. So yes, we say "welcome to refugees" and we see this kind of tagging and stencils and graffiti around because yes, this is what we want. We want them here to welcome them, but at the same time, we say " no to tourism," not because we have individual issues with specific people, but because of what has been the impact of this mobility into local lives.[00:54:59] Chris: Yeah. Yeah. Well, may we come to understand these complexities on a deeper level and in a way that that honors a way of being at home in which, in which all people can be rooted.Mm-hmm. So, I'd like to thank you, Penny, for joining me today, for your time, for your consideration, for your willingness to be able to speak in a language that is not your mother tongue is deeply, deeply appreciated. And finally, how might our listeners be able to read more about your work, about the social movements and collectives in Greece?How might they be able to get in touch? [00:55:41] Penny: Okay. We have on Facebook, on social media, we have AARG!. So if they, look at AARG! Action Against Regeneration & G entrification, but it's AARG! on Facebook and also Kropotkin-19, they will find their information. Now about my work specifically, they will look at my profile like Penny Travlou at the University of Edinburgh. So they will see what I do in Athens and in Latin America. So there is material, some things are in the form of academic text and other things are in videos, et cetera, which are more accessible to a wider audience.[00:56:22] Chris: Well, I'll make sure all those links and social media websites are available to our listeners when the episode launches. And once again, on behalf of our listeners, thank you so much for joining us today. [00:56:34] Penny: Thank you. Thank you very much. Have a good morning. Get full access to ⌘ Chris Christou ⌘ at chrischristou.substack.com/subscribe

anarcho*entheo*animism Syncretism is a sacrament! Caroline re-hosts Charles Allison author of  “No harmless power: The Life and Times of Ukrainian Anarchist Nestor Makhno” that we tease the dedicated vision, and myriad befoiblements of anarchist revolution into guiding pertinence, with special honoring of Kropotkin ‘s “Mutual Aid” … Both books being offered as pledge incentives, magnetizing money mojo for the Mutual Aid of KPFA 800-439-5732   Charlie Allison is an anarchist writer, storyteller, and activist who lives in Philadelphia. https://www.charlie-allison.com/     Support The Visionary Activist Show on Patreon for weekly Chart & Themes ($4/month) and more… *Woof*Woof*Wanna*Play?!?* The post The Visionary Activist Show – anarcho*entheo*animism appeared first on KPFA.

We've always said that environmentalism needs to understand class if it wants to protect the world from climate catastrophe. Degrowth has been accused by some on the Left as green austerity or just a terrible political message. To debunk degrowth myths and to discuss why class is at the heart of any just transition and a degrowth economy we are join by Jason Hickel. Jason is the author of"Less is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World"  and a world-leading scientist and scholar on degrowth. We discuss how class politics and environmentalism should work in tandem, why capitalism can't stop the climate crisis, why Universal Basic Services (UBS) is at the heart of a degrowth economy, how trade unions need to remember their radical past and how the EU conference on beyond growth is opening the doors for more radical policy in Europe. LinksRead Jason's book "Less is More: How Degrowth with Save the World"  HERE Read "The Conquest of Bread" by Pëtr Kropotkin  HEREShout outs Prabhat Patnaik & Utsa Patnaik, authors of "Capital and Imperialism", which you can buy HEREMax Ajl, Check out our episode with him back in 2021 HERESenegalese economist Ndongo Samba Sylla Mark Burton for introducing Ads to Degrowth. Support the show

Waxing Full Moon enthuso anarcho woofing with Charles Allison biographer of Ukrainian anarchist leader Nestor Makhno, that we tease the dedicated vision, and myriad befoiblements of anarchist revolution into guiding pertinence, with special honoring of Kropotkin and “Mutual Aid” in resonating relevance. Charlie Allison is an anarchist writer, storyteller, and activist who lives in Philadelphia. Most of his days are spent in freelance editing, agitating, writing, consulting and giving tours of the city. He has written blogs for PM PRESS, alternate history speculation at Sea Lion Press, short fantasy fiction at Pickman's Press, Podcastle, The Stone Coast Review, Ellipsis Zine and many other fine literary establishments. Website: https://www.charlie-allison.com/ Author Page: https://blog.pmpress.org/authors-artists-comrades/charlie-allison/ And 8 days left on his Kickstarter (with rewards for supporting!): https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ww3/makhno/     Support The Visionary Activist Show on Patreon for weekly Chart & Themes ($4/month) and more… *Woof*Woof*Wanna*Play?!?* The post The Visionary Activist Show – June 29, 2023 appeared first on KPFA.

James is joined by Ruth Kinna to discuss lifeboats, Kropotkin, and how we can all take part in mutual aid.See omny.fm/listener for privacy information.

Shawn from the SRSLY Wrong podcast joins me in a crossover episode to discuss what everyday anarchism and library socialism have in common. (Hint: It's David Graeber).Along the way we discuss breadtube, Kropotkin, basic income vs. jobs guarantee, Cory Doctorow, political identification, utilitarianism, and more. Plus you get to hear me do comedy sketches, exactly like you never wanted.

David from Anarchospirituality joins Breht to discuss Buddhism, Anarchism, Marxism, and more! After an introduction section, David gives a talk on Buddhism and Anarchism, and then he and Breht discuss the talk before launching into a wide-ranging discussion on anarchism v. marxism, Kropotkin, the Buddhist conception of Karma, individual and collective improvement and struggle, Darwinian evolution, differences between western and eastern approaches to spirituality, the question of revolutionary violence within Buddhism, and much more!     Learn more about Anarchospirituality and his work HERE   Check out Turn Leftist's interview HERE   Check out Breht's talk on Buddhism and Marxism HERE   Check out Red Menace's episode on Conquest of Bread HERE   Outro music: "LIFE" by Saba   Support Rev Left Radio: https://www.patreon.com/RevLeftRadio

Last year I recorded this interview with Cyril Schäublin, the director of the new film Unrest. Unrest is a masterpiece. The film tells the story of unrest and labor organizing among the anarchist watchmakers of the Swiss Canton of Jura. Also, the tiny part at the center of a mechanical watch? It's also called an "unrest."Cyril and I talk about decentering Kropotkin in the film (sometimes literally), his family connection to Swiss watchmaking, the seductive power of paternalism, and the way corporations have taken over our sense of time.The film is premiering in the United States this week; it may already be available where you live. I truly recommend it.

Part 5 in a series of interviews on the book I'm working on, Neither/Nor. In this episode, ⁠⁠Isabela Granic⁠⁠ begin the discussion with Whitehead and his assertion that philosophy must be in conversation with the sciences. Topics discussed: My enormous Kuhn thread Are we in a scientific crisis? My recording of Kuhn's lecture: "Objectivity, Value Judgment, and Theory Choice" (1973) Kuhn's relationship to the Buddha The Buddha's relationship to Darwin Schopenhauer and his case for using intuition versus rational reasoning Buddha's dependent origination and how “backward causality” is precisely the process that Schopenhauer espouses in his writing about intuition, Kuhn with his observations of paradigm shifts, and Darwin with his careful consideration of catgories of species Framed this discussion and the podcast as a whole as a process of laying out the many different strands and nodes of ideas that need to be laid bare before selecting and constructing the coherent theoretical framework for Neither/Nor, the book I'm writing Recent podcasts on emptiness with Jake Orthwein and Rob Knight The Nietzsche quote I mention is this one, from a draft of Ecce Homo (1888) Hypercarnivory: https://archive.org/details/CopesRuleHypercarnivory Are we in a revolution? A crisis? To come back to: Heraclitus, Zhuangzi, Sextus Empiricus, Hannah Arendt, Kropotkin's Mutual Aid Ended with the impossible question: Are we living at the cusp of a paradigm shift? Previous episodes: Part 4 of this series: Language and Experience Part 3 of this series: ⁠AI and Pyrrhonism⁠ Part 2 of this series: ⁠⁠A Philosophical Journey⁠ Part 1 of this series: ⁠Causality and Conditionality⁠ Clerestory by ⁠⁠Bryan Kam⁠⁠ • Infrequent updates at ⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠ • All my work plus exclusive content at ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠ Show notes https://pod.fo/e/171350 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bkam/message

Utopias! Our favorite things to discuss on this podcast! In this episode, we look at various utopian socialist systems, including Robert Owen's millhouse, Charles Fourier's temperament-based society, Edward Bellamy's Looking Backward, and more! What is common between all of these utopias? Well, they're all complete failures! We also talk about whether the modern welfare state is socialist, the issues with socialism overall, and many other rant-based topics!  Follow us on Twitter! @UlmtdOpinions

In this episode, we chat with prolific anarchist writer Wayne Price on Peter Kropotkin. Kropotkin's “Anarchist” essay from Britannica: https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/petr-kropotkin-anarchism-from-the-encyclopaedia-britannica  Wayne Price at the Anarchist Library: https://theanarchistlibrary.org/category/author/wayne-price  Wayne at Anarkismo: https://www.anarkismo.net/newswire?author_name=Wayne%20Price“Kropotkin and War - Today”: https://www.anarkismo.net/article/32683  “Illuminating Discord: An interview with Robert Anton Wilson” http://clevelandokie.blogspot.com/2011/04/editors-note-this-interview-with-robert.html    Hilaritas Press Podcast:  http://www.hilaritaspress.com/podcasts/ Host/Producer Mike Gathers:  https://linktr.ee/mgathers23 Engineer/Producer Ryan Reeves:  https://ryan4reeves.wixsite.com/ryanreeves

O Natal capitalista é uma mentira! Se realmente levássemos os valores natalinos em conta, seríamos profundamente anti-capitalistas. Kropotkin fez isso. Inspirando-se em São Nicolau, ele se pergunta onde está a caridade, a solidariedade, o pensar no próximo e distribuir o pão? Decidido a espalhar a palavra anarquista no natal, ele se vestiu de Papai Noel e aconselhou: "Infiltrem-se nas lojas, distribuam os brinquedos!" Onde isso nos levaria? Será que o seu tio rico ia querer dividir os pertences dele com você? Nesta véspera de natal, ouvimos o conselho do bom velhinho:"roube a tevê do seu tio"ParticipantesAdriano SkodaRafael LauroRafael TrindadeLinksVote aqui!Canal na TwitchOutros LinksFicha TécnicaCapa: Felipe FrancoEdição: Pedro JanczurMailing: Adriana VasconcellosRevisão: Erika RodriguesAss. Produção: Bru AlmeidaCortes: Marcelo StehlickGosta do nosso programa?Contribua para que ele continue existindo, seja um assinante!Support the show

In this episode, I sit down with Revolutions podcaster https://thehistoryofrome.typepad.com/revolutions_podcast/ (Mike Duncan) to discuss Kropotkin's influence on the Russian Revolution, protesting in Macron's France, mutual aid during the worst of the pandemic, and whether our current political system can avoid another revolution. Many thanks to the people of Flyleaf Books, a wonderful Chapel Hill bookstore, who provided the venue for our interview. You can pick up Mike's books https://www.flyleafbooks.com/book/9781541724037 (The Storm before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic) and https://www.flyleafbooks.com/book/9781541730342 (Hero of Two Worlds: The Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution) from them.

One year later, Everyday Anarchism continues! In this episode, Ruth Kinna and I discuss William Morris, the brilliant craftsman/poet/artist who set out to defeat capitalism when he realized that the forces of commerce wouldn't let craftspeople make a living unless they sold their wares to wealthy. Just don't call him an anarchist. You can also hear Ruth's previous appearances on Everyday Anarchism, covering https://www.everydayanarchism.com/episode-16-anarchism-is-santa-claus-with-ruth-kinna/ (Santa Claus) and https://www.everydayanarchism.com/episode-26-peter-kropotkins-anarchism-with-ruth-kinna/ (Kropotkin). Please help Everyday Anarchism continue until September 2023 by telling a friend about the show, giving financially at https://www.everydayanarchism.com/ (everydayanarchism.com), or leaving a 5-star review on Apple or Spotify!

This week we will survey nihilism in Russian literature with Maya Slater and Nicolas Pasternak Slater, translators of a new edition of Ivan Turgenev's https://bookshop.org/a/82618/9781681376356 (Fathers and Children). Turgenev's novel introduced nihilism as an idea to an entire generation of Russian dissidents - including Kropotkin. Join me as the Slaters show how nihilism is portrayed in this epoch-making novel, as well as famous depictions of nihilism in Russian writers from Gogol to Dostoevsky.

This week's episode is an edition of my new podcast, https://aideas.captivate.fm/ (AIdeas). How should we teach AI about human ethics? Simple: anarchism! Subscribe to https://aideas.captivate.fm/ (AIdeas) for more!

Justin (professional historian and Marxist-Leninist) and Cory(Labourer and Anarcho-Communist) talk about Piotr Kropotkin's book The Conquest of Bread and Emma Goldman's books Anarchism and Other Essays Check out the full shownotes here - https://skepticalleftistpod.wordpress.com/?p=953 Get your copy of The Conquest of Bread here - https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/petr-kropotkin-the-conquest-of-bread And get your copy of Anarchism and Other Essays here - https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/emma-goldman-anarchism-and-other-essays You can rate and review the show here - https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-mind-of-a-skeptical-leftis-1779751 You can support the show here - - https://www.patreon.com/skepticalleftist - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/skepticallefty - https://www.paypal.me/brainstormpodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/skepticalleftist/message

In today’s Sunday Letters essay, I’m taking a look at the Anarchist Communist philosophy of the Russian Prince and social activist, Petr Kropotkin. He envisioned a socialist revolution, a revolution of the people, but was his vision for society too idealistic to work? Is our society today any different from Kropotkin’s era? Most commentators suggest our working conditions and freedoms have improved one hundredfold. But large numbers of people are dissatisfied with work, still seeing it as a means to an end. So have things really improved? One hundred years after Kropotkin’s death, let’s examine his Anarchist philosophy and its parallels with today’s society.Become A Patron of Sunday LettersIf Socialism is a dirty word, Anarchism is outright filth. Where the former is a cynical means by which the lazy and inept in our society scheme to lie about all day doing little while hard-working citizens like you and me pay for it, the latter steals from our pockets and destroys everything we own. Of course, this is the Fox News or Daily Mirror version. The reality is very different. Anarchism, and by extension, Socialism, are not about you and I propping up wasters and wielding the wrecking ball on society. Rather, their fundamental premise was founded on equity and fairness for all and the removal of exploitation by dictators and bureaucrats of those in society who are weaker.Anarchism has its roots in the socialist movements of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, where its idealism centred upon ultra-democratic principles of fairness, economic equality, individual and collective freedom, the integrity of self-directed work, and non-hierarchical socially-led politics. Unfortunately, as it has been with most if not all social change through history, violence and destruction are never far away and served to taint the ideals that gave birth to those movements. Lenin’s version of socialism and corruption of Marxist ideas — the communist dictatorship of the proletariat—is a case in point.One of the modern era’s most recent Anarchist initiatives was the Occupy Wall Street movement post the 2008 global financial crash. People were irate with the boldness and arrogance of the political and financial elite that ran the show. These were and are the real pick-pockets of ordinary working people, not the unemployed and disadvantaged. However, in spite of the sympathy the movement received, its leftist ideology, which sought to address the imbalance, failed to drum up a long-lasting following. It was merely a flash of idealism that peered out from a gap in the capitalist fabric of US society. The reason to fight must become compelling and inevitable for real change to happen. It must be enduring too, and I wonder if most Americans, British, Europeans and others in the Global North, are simply too comfortable to fight even in spite of the raging inflation we’re currently experiencing.Anarchism’s 2011 display of rage against the machine of Capitalism and the inequality it breeds petered out, and people once again settled into their jobs (or their unemployment). Powerless to make a lasting change and alienated once again from the promise of work that might possibly bring about fulfilment and freedom, people got on with their lives. Although founded on the principle of freedom and liberty from the tyranny of hierarchical systems, some suggest that Anarchism may be too interested in making bold statements through violent action. It is argued that it has no lasting impact because it lacks the ability to think strategically about the change it wishes to see. As the populist idea goes, Anarchism is too interested in looting, burning, rioting and being a general nuisance to society to become a popular long-lasting movement for change.But perhaps this idea is too simple.The Sunday Letters Journal is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.What Is Anarchism?The late David Graeber, in a 2011 article for Aljazeera, said the following of Anarchism;“The easiest way to explain anarchism is to say that it is a political movement that aims to bring about a genuinely free society – that is, one where humans only enter those kinds of relations with one another that would not have to be enforced by the constant threat of violence. History has shown that vast inequalities of wealth, institutions like slavery, debt peonage or wage labour, can only exist if backed up by armies, prisons, and police. Anarchists wish to see human relations that would not have to be backed up by armies, prisons and police. Anarchism envisions a society based on equality and solidarity, which could exist solely on the free consent of participants.”There is a long tradition of political and intellectual anarchist thought, one of the most astute being the nineteenth Century anarchist communist Petr Kropotkin. (For an extensive collection of political and intellectual writings from Kropotkin and others, see The Anarchist Library, the Monthly Review, and Freedom Press). Kropotkin was a blue-blood aristocrat born to an ancient noble family descendant from the Ninth Century Rurik Dynasty and the first rulers of Russia. Despite his privileged background, he railed against its imperial status and its abuse of power over the people. His father was, in his eyes, the embodiment of Tsarist Russia and its military-bureaucratic state, and although highly regarded in political and social circles, Kropotkin dedicated his life to activism. Petr’s home life was irrationally disciplinarian, and he viewed his father’s contempt and cruelty towards servants as despicable. As such, Petr developed a strong empathy for ordinary people. He wrote, “I do not know what would have become of us if we had not found in our house, amidst the serf servants, that atmosphere of love which children must have around them.”It was this childhood experience and the contrast between the cold imperialist attitude of his parents and the open and loving arms of the servents that laid the foundation for his later thought and writing, the most influential of which was The Conquest of Bread. The book is said to capture Kropotkin’s philosophy more than any other of his writings. His vision of the anarchist society was based on camaraderie rather than hierarchy and goodwill rather than coercion and was founded on a profound optimism about human nature. It is a system of society based on cooperation, fairness, collectivism, and the belief that these traits of being are natural and innate to human beings.Kropotkin on Work & CapitalismHowever, Kropotkin’s Anarchism wasn’t without its challenges. For example, how may Anarchism be made compatible with the modern technological society and growing consumerism? The Conquest of Bread was first published in a series of articles, then republished in a single volume in 1892 and was his attempt to address these concerns in simple terms. He started from the assumption that property must be collectively owned because, in the complex modern world where everything is interdependent, claiming a single origin for a product of industry was untenable. He also wrote that keeping the wage system unequal would only ensure the survival of competitiveness and selfishness. Wages would have to be distributed equally, and goods and services distributed freely by democratic bodies. The economy would then be organised according to the communist principle — from each according to their ability and to each according to their need.These ideas are so alien to a mind educated and raised in a Capitalist culture that they seem completely absurd and unworkable. But Kropotkin believed that this radical equality should govern all spheres of life. He argued that the normal division of labour that privileged intellectual, white-collar workers enjoyed over manual workers, consigned most people to monotonous and soul-destroying lives. Labour was to be shared, and “mental” and “manual” tasks integrated so that work would no longer be a curse, and instead, be the free exercise of all the faculties of humankind.His critique of specialisation and hierarchy was also applied to the global economy. An early critic of globalisation, Kropotkin argued that industry and agriculture must be integrated into all regions of the world, ensuring self-sufficiency. Developing countries were to be aided towards industrialisation and, therefore, rectify the growing gap between rich and poor.It [economics] should try to analyse how far the present means are expedient and satisfactory… [, and] should concern itself with the discovery of means for the satisfaction of these needs with the smallest possible waste of labour and with the greatest benefit to mankind in general.Kropotkin’s Anarchism was a rigorous and coherent application of radical democracy and equality to all areas of life. It did not, for example, require a central state body to distribute wages according to performance and so avoided the potential authoritarianism of other versions of Anarchism. However, it did show Kropotkin to be overly idealistic with a naive view of human nature. What about people who refused to work or those who behaved antisocially? Would eliminating market incentives not undermine a functioning economy bringing it to its knees? On the subject of production, Kropotkin insisted that collective organisation and participation were more efficient than the managerialism common in private firms. Enjoyable work, Kropotkin argued, and workers’ knowledge that they were working for the common good provided higher incentives than being compelled to work under the threat of starvation or punishment. It was the democratic organisation of work.Kropotkin also insisted that eliminating market capitalism would improve, not undermine, market efficiency and minimise waste. For instance, abolishing private banks, he suggested, would remove parasitic middlemen allowing resources to be directed to those parts of society that desperately needed them. Similarly, local economic self-sufficiency would remove the expense of transport systems and communications required by the increasingly specialised global economy. For Kropotkin, a more egalitarian society with fair patterns of consumption was possible, and at the root of this argument was his conviction that the economy already produced enough to provide everyone with a good standard of living. The problem, he insisted, was with distribution rather than production. In Fields, Factories and Workshops, Kropotkin demonstrated that humanity already possessed the technical means to produce healthy food abundantly for everyone with relatively little effort and expense. We know this today too, although the imperative to hoard wealth and resources remain in place. The precursors to today’s factory farms existed at this time, and which, Kropotkin noted, destroyed the soil for generations and displaced people who might otherwise obtain a comfortable living from the land.On the subject of wages, Kropotkin suggested that if people had the means to support themselves, to meet their daily requirements without the need to hire out their bodies for payment, no one would consent to work for wages. Which are, he insisted, inevitably a mere fraction of the value of the goods or services they produce. Even the independent artisan worker of Kropotkin’s time could barely do better than support his family, let alone save for his old age. Have Things Changed For The Better?Here we are today, just over one hundred years since Kropotkin’s death, and I wonder, are things fundamentally any different? Technology is a bit of a double-edged sword insofar as it has improved materially the lives of millions of people. But it has also worsened the lives of many more. African children still dig in mines for precious metals, Indian girls are forced into the sex trade in the slums of Mumbai, and illegal migrants in the US are forced to work in cramped rooms all day and night for meagre wages. Jason Hickel, economic anthropologist and author, writes extensively on globalisation and the damage it does to people in the global south. They are, he suggests, paying for the luxury that we in the north enjoy. In a recent article, Hickel says that extreme poverty is not natural; it’s created. Exploitation in the name of Capitalism carries on.Kropotkin sought a global revolution by working people over their capitalist overlords. It didn’t happen, and although there are brief flurries of anarchist activity, as we saw in the 2011 Occupy movement, they are short-lived. I sense that we have become too comfortable, too easily manipulated and made weak by the ease at which life comes to us. Yet, ironically, we are deeply dissatisfied and unhappy with work. We may wear different clothes, have access to a universe of information in our pockets, enjoy better healthcare, have access to endless “entertainment”, and the opportunity to satisfy our every whim, but are we really better off? And crucially, have we found a way to work free? I’m not so sure the conquest of bread has ever been satisfied and perhaps it never will.The Sunday Letters Journal is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sundayletters.larrygmaguire.com/subscribe

Iain McKay joins me to discuss the new edition of Kropotkin's https://bookshop.org/books/words-of-a-rebel/9781629638775 (Words of a Rebel )from https://pmpress.org/ (PM Press). In this book, Kropotkin's very first, he lays out the need for a revolution and how to prepare for that revolution. It's strikingly relevant, beautifully written, and packed with all sorts of context from Iain. I highly recommend the book!

In this February 2022 discussion episode of https://www.everydayanarchism.com/anarchism-101/ (Anarchism 101), I discuss Kropotkin's "Anarchism" with Ruth Kinna. Join me and Ruth as we discuss Kropotkin's life, his place in the history of anarchism, and his analysis of anarchism as both a modern movement and an ancient practice. For more from Ruth, check out https://www.everydayanarchism.com/episode-16-anarchism-is-santa-claus-with-ruth-kinna/ (her discussion of the anarchism of Santa Claus with me) and the https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0038x9t (overview of the history of anarchism on In Our Time.) This project is year-long; on the first of each month of 2022, I'll be posting my reading of an important anarchist text. Later that month, I'll post an episode in which I discuss each text and its author. Look forward to Proudhon in March 2022! If you have any questions you would like answered about the text or Kropotkin, email me at everydayanarchismpodcast@gmail.com As always, you can find me at https://my.captivate.fm/www.everydayanarchism.com (www.everydayanarchism.com).

In this episode of Anarchism 101: An Anarchist Syllabus, I read Kropotkin's historical overview of anarchism, published in the 1911 edition of Encyclopedia Britannica. If you would prefer to read the essay, you can find it here: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Anarchism (https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Anarchism) This project is year-long; on the first of each month of 2022, I'll be posting my reading of an important anarchist text. Later that month, I'll post an episode in which I discuss each text and its author with a scholar of anarchism. If you have any questions you would like answered about the text or Kropotkin, email me at everydayanarchismpodcast@gmail.com If you email soon enough, we can include your question in the discussion episode. Look forward to Proudhon in March 2022! As always, you can find me at https://my.captivate.fm/www.everydayanarchism.com (www.everydayanarchism.com)

In this first discussion episode of Anarchism 101, I'm joined by eminent Goldman scholars to discuss Emma Goldman's https://www.everydayanarchism.com/anarchism-101-emma-goldmans-anarchism-what-it-really-stands-for/ ("Anarchism: What it Really Stands For.") Join me, Kathy Ferguson, and Penny Weiss as we discuss the text and where it fits in Goldman's thinking and the history of anarchism This project is year-long; on the first of each month of 2022, I'll be posting my reading of an important anarchist text. Later that month, I'll post an episode in which I discuss each text and its author. Look forward to Kropotkin in February 2022! If you have any questions you would like answered about the text or Goldman, email me at everydayanarchismpodcast@gmail.com If you email soon enough, we can include your question in the discussion episode. As always, you can find me at https://my.captivate.fm/www.everydayanarchism.com (www.everydayanarchism.com).

In this inaugural episode of Anarchism 101: An Anarchist Syllabus, I read Goldman's famous essay. If you would prefer to read the essay, you can find it here: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2162/2162-h/2162-h.htm#anarchism (https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2162/2162-h/2162-h.htm#anarchism) This project is year-long; on the first of each month of 2022, I'll be posting my reading of an important anarchist text. Later that month, I'll post an episode in which I discuss each text and its author. If you have any questions you would like answered about the text or Goldman, email me at everydayanarchismpodcast@gmail.com If you email soon enough, we can include your question in the discussion episode. Look forward to Kropotkin in February 2022! As always, you can find me at https://my.captivate.fm/www.everydayanarchism.com (www.everydayanarchism.com)

This week's episode is the first of several episodes about how colleges and universities have abandoned their core mission - the collaborative search for truth - in favor of, well, something else. My guest for this episode is https://billderesiewicz.com/ (William Deresiewicz), author of https://billderesiewicz.com/books/excellent-sheep/ (Excellent Sheep), The Death of the Artist, and the landmark essay ""https://newrepublic.com/article/118747/ivy-league-schools-are-overrated-send-your-kids-elsewhere (Don't Send Your Kid to the Ivy League)." Bill and I discuss the meritocracy and the damage it is doing to our students, our colleges, and our political institutions. We also discuss the way that the meritocratic language around "diversity" obscures the actual problems and solutions for social and political justice in higher education. Next week's episode is about anarchism and Christmas. I highly recommend that you read "An https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/transformation/anarchist-guide-to-christmas/ (Anarchist Guide to Christmas)" by Ruth Kinna, covering the similarities between Kropotkin and Santa Claus, in advance of my conversation with Ruth about Santa and anarchism. As always, you can find me at https://www.everydayanarchism.com/ (https://www.everydayanarchism.com/)