Paul Raekstad - Prefigurative Politics

1 Title page Prefigurative Politics Building Tomorrow Today Paul Raekstad Sofa Saio Gradin polity

2 Copyright page Copyright page Copyright © Paul Raekstad and Sofia Gradin 2020 The right of Paul Raekstad and Sofia Gradin to be identified as Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published in 2020 by Polity Press Polity Press 65 Bridge Street Cambridge CB2 1UR, UK Polity Press 101 Station Landing Suite 300 Medford, MA 02155, USA All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purpose of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-3590-3 ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-3591-0 (pb) A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Typeset in 11 on 13pt Bembo by Fakenham Prepress Solutions, Fakenham, Norfolk NR21 8NL Printed and bound in the UK by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon The publisher has used its best endeavours to ensure that the URLs for external websites referred to in this book are correct and active at the time of going to press. However, the publisher has no responsibility for the websites and can make no guarantee that a site will remain live or that the content is or will remain appropriate. Every effort has been made to trace all copyright holders, but if any have been overlooked the publisher will be pleased to include any necessary credits in any subsequent reprint or edition. For further information on Polity, visit our website: politybooks.com

3 Acknowledgements

4 1 Introduction (a) Prefigurative Politics Before It Was Named (b) The Term and the Idea (c) About This Book (d) The Chapters of the Book Notes

5 2 What Prefigurative Politics Is and Is Not (a) Prefigurative Politics Gains its Current Meaning (b) Prefigurative Politics as Organisational Structure (c) A Broader Conception (d) Is Everything Prefigurative? Notes

6 3 Praxis and Social Change (a) Powers (b) Drives (c) Consciousness (d) Praxis and Social Change Notes

7 4 Decision-Making in Large-Scale Organisations (a) Federalism in the First International and Beyond (b) The Arguments for Formal Prefigurative Decision-Making Structures (i) Empowerment (ii) The Drive to Change (iii) Consciousness-Raising (c) The Necessity of Hierarchy? (d) Political Organisation and Seeking State Power (e) Defence (f) The Formal and the Informal Notes

8 5 The Personal is Political (a) The Personal/Political Distinction (b) Addressing Informal Hierarchies and Inequalities (c) Reason and Emotions (d) Intersectionality Notes

9 6 Prefigurative Politics and the State (a) State Power Neither Sufficient Nor Necessary (b) The Praxis of the State (c) State Power and Building a New Society (d) Nationalisation and Dictatorship (e) 21st Century Socialism (f) Democratic Confederalism Notes

10 7 Radical Prefigurativism, Not Liberal Individualism (a) Prefigurative Politics as Naive (b) Prefigurative Politics as Insular (c) Prefigurative Politics as Divisive Notes

11 8 Conclusion: Now. Here. You.

12 Bibliography

13 Index

14 End User License Agreement

1 Cover

2 Contents

3 1 Introduction

1 iii

2 iv

3 vi

4 vii

5 1

6 2

7 3

8 4

9 5

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Paul Raekstad

Sofa Saio Gradin

polity

Copyright © Paul Raekstad and Sofia Gradin 2020

The right of Paul Raekstad and Sofia Gradin to be identified as Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

First published in 2020 by Polity Press

Polity Press

65 Bridge Street

Cambridge CB2 1UR, UK

Polity Press

101 Station Landing

Suite 300

Medford, MA 02155, USA

All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purpose of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-3590-3

ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-3591-0 (pb)

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Typeset in 11 on 13pt Bembo

by Fakenham Prepress Solutions, Fakenham, Norfolk NR21 8NL

Printed and bound in the UK by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon

The publisher has used its best endeavours to ensure that the URLs for external websites referred to in this book are correct and active at the time of going to press. However, the publisher has no responsibility for the websites and can make no guarantee that a site will remain live or that the content is or will remain appropriate.

Every effort has been made to trace all copyright holders, but if any have been overlooked the publisher will be pleased to include any necessary credits in any subsequent reprint or edition.

For further information on Polity, visit our website: politybooks.com