Remaking the thread since it was deleted for some reason. Discuss communalism and communalist theory ITT

Bookchin didn't completely abandon the class struggle, but they thought that it did not have the primacy that it did during the industrial revolution. In place of the proletariat as a historical agent of change, Bookchin advocated for a broad populist position embracing the People as the agent of history. However, Bookchin still held onto the class struggle as something that would need to be resolved. For Bookchin, they wanted to resolve the class struggle within the context of the municipal assemblies, where the working classes would invariably be the majority. To quote Anarchism, Marxism, and the Future of the Left page 315:

Interviewer: You speak of "citizens" as though there were no classes today that separate people and their interests. Does your view of libertarian municipalism exclude the reality of classes, their conflicts in the economy, and their basically divergent interests?

Bookchin: Categorically not. For one thing, the existence of classes is not a matter of theory but a historical and contemporary reality. Marx, by his own admission, did not "discover" classes and the class struggle; he tried to give them meaning and programmatic importance. However unconscious class conflict may be today, it definitely still exists. And it is our responsibility to bring class differences to the surface and to foster class consciousness among the proletariat and consciousness of oppression among all oppressed classes…

… What I am trying to emphasize is that libertarian municipalism and the associated concept of citizenship find their concrete expression in a politics based on neighborhood and town assemblies, in which the interests of proletarians and other oppressed strata can be expressed and mutated into a general social interest—that is, a libertarian community interest. This would nourish class consciousness and class struggle not only in the economic realm but, very significantly, in the communal or civic realm. Conflicting class interests would be expressed in the popular assemblies themselves and would ultimately produce a revolutionary situation in which a general interest would be oriented toward the abolition of classes and the transformation of proletarians and members of other oppressed groups into citizens actively engaged in creating a new society. With the abolition of classes, proletarians would cease to be mere class beings and would become citizens in the fullest and most humanistic sense.

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DUDE ANCAPS ARE MY ALLIES LMAO
DUDE ANTICOMMUNISM LMAO
DUDE ANTIMARXISM LMAO
DUDE IDEALISM LMAO
DUDE UTOPIANISM LMAO

nigga you dumb

Fantastic post

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Might be worth it to have a separate thread for that discussion. Unless a helpful leftcom wants to explain the differences ITT for us

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How does this compare to Ecology of Freedom? Is it just a more dumb downed version?

These are a series that typify the basic structure of Bookchin's most mature political philosophy. Whereas EOF is a complete exposition of his ideas. Reading EOF would give you a comprehensive outlook of Bookchin's ideas, whereas these essays would give you an introduction to his ideas, as well as a look at his most mature ideas.

populist "People" = workers + capitalists

It's by definition the abandonment of organizing around social antagonism for a vague (and arch conservative myth of the) "harmonious social whole".

CLEARLY

Not really. Capitalists don't participate in such assemblies because they have the state and numerous other organs of power. Capitalists wouldn't be able to accomplish anything in an assembly, where their power is reduced to simply a single vote. That's why you don't see capitalists or land owners participating in the communes in DFSNS

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Fuck you liberal imperialist

no u

I started reading post-scarcity anarchism. So far, its great. His writing style is so damn clear for some reason, unlike any other leftist writer IMO

I haven't really read his earlier stuff tbh. He seems much more idealistic in them

So far I haven't really seen much realism. He has largely been arguing about how we are at the precipice of a post-scarcity society, we possess the means but the capitalist system holds us back. Obviously not into the meat and bones of it but I'd largely agree with his conclusions thus far.

*idealism not realism*

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Tried reading some of The Ecology of Freedom yesterday, but it didn't help that the introduction is loaded with like 30 pages of polemic against AnPrims and liberal environmentalists. It feels like Bookchin's later arguments are hampered by his constant need to refute an audience which was prominent in the late 20th century, but has IMO diminished a lot in recent years. It's almost like the early Bookchin of "Listen, Marxist" is more pertinent to today's leftist landscape.

Also do any of Bookchin's works elaborate on the form of economic organization that would accompany a libertarian municipalist confederation? It might prompt some interesting discussion, since alternative economic systems are so in vogue on leftypol these days.

Liberal environmentalism is very prevalent today I'd say. People who think eating certified organic food, recycling, being vegan, whatever, is the only key to solving the ecological crisis are highly prevalent these days.

Yes, that is expounded upon at length in his From Urbanization to Cities, and to a lesser extent in his essay on the moral economy, though the latter is more of an ethical piece than it is economic planning.

Also, The New Municipal Agenda is the chapter in the previously mentioned book that details Bookchin's political and economic organisation. Also, Janet Biehl's book the Politics of Social Ecology is an easier read and introductory look at the subject. Here's a link to both, the latter in audio book format:
dwardmac.pitzer.edu/Anarchist_Archives/bookchin/libmuni.html
archive.org/details/TPoSE

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While I would not consider my self a Communalist, I still think it is worth it to read some of Bookchins works and to consider his ideas. Ive read The Next Revolution and some articles and guides on the internet about the basics of Communalism. I think his ideas on confederation, decentralization, criticism of lifestyleism, liberatory technology, his definition of the state, and the new internationalism he talkes about in TNR. What else should I read by him?

Ecology of Freedom and Urbanization Without Cities

I was reading this the other day. Is it just me or is every revolutionary movement destined to be absorbed into the established order?