Braziliaanse anarchisten: Anarchisme op een kruispunt.. vind elkaar niet in de academie maar in actie en organisatie!
https://anarchistnews.org/content/academic-pulpit-empty-trenches-crossro...
"From Agência de Notícias Anarquistas
May 17, 2025
Criticism of the paralysis of anarchism in Brazil is not new, but it remains urgent. As capitalism advances, the State tightens its grip, and inequalities deepen, part of the local anarchist movement seems to have enclosed itself in a bubble of infinite theorizing. This “reflexive paralysis,” as some call it, reveals a disconnect between intellectual production and direct action. It is not a question of rejecting theory—essential for radical critique—but of questioning why so many anarchist collectives and individuals are content to talk about revolution while reproducing the hierarchical and passive dynamics typical of academia.
The assimilation of academic culture by anarchism is a perverse phenomenon. In universities, the production of knowledge often serves individual careers, the competition for recognition, and the legitimization of intellectual hierarchies. When anarchists adopt this logic, they become “theorists of revolution” who prescribe abstract formulas, far removed from concrete struggles. The hermetic language, the endless debates on doctrinal nuances, and the fetishization of theory as an end in itself are symptoms of an academicism that disarms praxis. It is no surprise that many of these groups, although critical of power, reproduce the dynamics of academia: thinking for the oppressed, never with them.
Historically, Brazilian anarchism flourished in factories, unions, and communities, articulating theory and action. In the early 20th century, anarchist workers organized strikes, published militant newspapers, and created free schools, understanding that social transformation required presence, not just reflection. Today, part of the movement seems to have exchanged popular assemblies for university symposiums. Of course, academia can be a space of resistance, but when theory does not return to the streets, does not dialogue with the immediate needs of the people, it becomes an exercise in self-celebration — and, worse, a way of neutralizing the revolutionary potential of anarchism.
Academicism is not innocent: it is a tool of domestication. By confining critical thinking to indexed articles and debates between “enlightened” peers, academia co-opts anarchist radicalism, transforming it into a harmless object of study. When activists adhere to this logic, they reinforce the idea that social change is the task of “experts,” not of organized people. Worse still, this stance fuels a class divide within the movement itself, where academic intellectuals — mostly white and middle-class — dictate the agenda, while workers, blacks, indigenous people, and those from the periphery remain as mere “case studies.”
We need to reclaim the popular and practical character of anarchism. This requires stepping down from the theoretical pedestal and diving into everyday struggles: urban occupations, indigenous resistance, strikes, anti-fascist collectives, mutualist actions during crises. Anarchist theory must emerge from these trenches, not from decontextualized European bibliographical references. Let us ask ourselves: how many collectives are currently in the favelas, building community gardens or confronting the police alongside residents? How many prioritize horizontal political education over lectures in inaccessible language? The revolution will not be a well-referenced article — it will be a process built in the cracks of the system, with sweat and solidarity.
Overcoming paralysis requires self-criticism and courage. It is not enough to denounce academicism; it is necessary to break with the comfort of closed circles and take risks. Anarchism is not a debate club, but a project of radical transformation. If we want to honor our history and face the challenges of the present, we need to replace “revolutionary performance” with direct action, linked to the people’s urgent needs. May our theories be weapons, not ornaments. And may our greatest legacy not be theses, but free territories, decolonized relations, and the certainty that, as long as there is oppression, there will be anarchists willing to fight it — not only in the pages of books, but in the streets, where history is truly written.
Liberto Herrera."