Anarcho-Indigenism: Conversations on Land and Freedom

by Francis Dupuis-Déri (Editor), Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz (contributor), Clifton Ariwakehte Nicholas (Contributor)

As early as the end of the 19th century, anarchists such as Peter Kropotkin and Élisée Reclus became interested in indigenous peoples, many of whom they saw as societies without a state or private property, living a form of communism. Thinkers such as David Graeber and John Holloway have continued this tradition of engagement with the practices of indigenous societies and their politics. There has also been a long history of (often imperfect) collaboration between anarchists and indigenous activists, over land rights and environmental issues, including recent high-profile anti-pipeline campaigns. Anarcho-Indigenism is a dialogue between anarchism and indigenous politics. In their interviews, contributors Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, Véronique Hébert, Gord Hill, Freda Huson, J. Kehaulani Kauanui, Clifton Ariwakehte Nicholas, and Toghestiy reveal what indigenous thought and traditions and anarchism have in common, without denying the scars left by colonialism even within this anti-authoritarian movement. They ultimately offer a vision of the world that combines anti-colonialism, feminism, ecology, anti-capitalism, and anti-statism.

Genres: Nonfiction, Indigenous, Theory, Feminism, Anarchism, Politics

160 pages, Paperback

Published September 20, 2023

About the author

Francis Dupuis-Déri est professeur de science politique à l’Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). Spécialiste des idées politiques et des mouve­ments sociaux, il est l’auteur de nombreux ouvrages.

Reviews

[Raymundo VR · Rating 1 out of 5]

The title is very pretentious as it is only interviewing indigenous people in what is now called Canada, exposed to the anglo-franco colonialism.
Could understand what they're saying but it's still different from the experience in other parts of the American continent.

Unfortunately it replicates several myths in regards with the indigenous people of what is now called Mexico.
I found it disinformative in that aspect.

[Ziggi Chavez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled to want to rate this higher, but in the end I have to give this 3 stars. There is good information here, but of the 6 interviews included herein, the 2 most impactful are reprints carried out by other [more practiced/qualified] contributors for different projects. Of the remaining 4, 2 have little to offer, and 2 have good information, but only 1 really felt like it had a point. It made me feel misled because the title makes this sound like this is a project supported by the indigenous community, but more than one interviewee points out that they don’t trust the non-Indigenous interviewers here, and that there is clearly more they have to say but are not comfortable [understandably] placing their stories in the care of outsiders. In the end I felt like I didn’t get much out of this from the publishers, and would rather have spent the money I paid for this book on direct support to the communities interviewed and not what are clearly some anarchist idealists doing exactly what they talk about a few times in the interview, which is idealizing Indigenous communities as some utopian ideal to learn from and emulate, on some kind of pedestal. While the subjects of the interviews point out that the way to get involved in Indigenous Anarchistic activism is through support and involvement and learned/earned respect by presence in the community and decolonization of the self from white supremacist framing of the greater social structure, there wasn’t enough of a voice of agreement/acknowledgement from the author/editor/publishing group. I guess for a project like this, done by outsiders from the indigenous communities, I needed in effect an afterword or conclusively understanding that focused the lessons to be taken here, and centering the most important takeaway bits of wisdom learned here. If just ends after the interview. Part of me is glad the final word is from the community, but perhaps I’d rather they brought in an Indigenous partner to the project that could have done a final bit. It was missing some kind of intermediary or true reflection on part of the outsider that could humanize this as a greater collective form of theoretical engagement.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anarcho-Indigenism: Conversations on Land and Freedom is a thought-provoking collection of interviews with indigenous activists from around the world, translated from French. Some consider themselves anarchists and others do not, but all have interesting perspectives on it. They talk about how white anarchists past and present sometimes idealise and/or over-simplify indigenous political organisation. I appreciated the examples of indigenous resistance to companies, often fossil fuel multinationals, appropriating their lands. It was also fascinating to learn about the ways in which indigenous and anarchist movements have influenced each other. This comment from Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz gave me a new perspective on Marx:

I want to mention here that there are a lot of words Marx used that should be retranslated. For instance, regarding primitive accumulation, it's just easy to say 'primary' or 'higher' but Marxists don't know what you are talking about unless you say primitive. In other languages, primitive means primary. It doesn't necessarily have the baggage that the word 'primitive' does for indigenous peoples subjected to European ethnography. It became clear to me while working on my thesis that the first big onslaught of the primitive accumulation process that set of capitalist development happens over and over again, even today. This has entered into a part of Native studies with Glen Coulthard's book, Red Skin, White Masks, in which he makes that argument.

I appreciated the complexity and ambivalence with which the interviewees viewed anarchism and anarchists in relation to their own indigenous activism. Clifton Ariwakehte Nicholas expressed this particularly neatly:

I do see some bridges being made, but at the same time, there's never been total co-operation between the two. I think it's impossible because Indigenous people do not want that. It's a bit like Malcolm X said: you can be in solidarity, but you cannot be part of us. I think that a lot of - and it's not intended to anybody - non-Indigenous people involved in anarchism are trying to become part of it, they're feeling so alienated in this society coming from capitalism and colonisation from Europe, so destructive of the individual that they wanna grasp at something more pure, more rich - I think there's this search for of purity also in movements. But you look at Indigenous people, it's not a pure thing, it's a thing that's been damaged. We lost like 90 percent of our populations to war and disease... How do you remain viable, all the minds, thinkers, inventors, medicine people... We're still here but only as a vestige of what we were.

[interviewer:] Survivors?

Survivors for sure!

The interviewees agree that anarchists can and should be their allies, while recognising there are differences in priorities, philosophies, and tactics. I liked this response from Veronique Hebert to a question about anarchists rejecting religion:

Even anarchists have faith. They place their faith in their own ideology: anarchism. It's a powerful emotional connection.

Among the other topics discussed are language preservation, land management, and feminism. Although Anarcho-Indigenism: Conversations on Land and Freedom is a short book, it provides considerable insight into indigenous activism and its linkages to white-dominated European and American left-wing movements.

[Mariam Rawwas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I fear this compilation of interviews edited by Franco-anarchists isn't particularly helpful, troping indigenous politics as anti-state, anti-power, and therefore anarchist in spirit (though it does explore some tensions between the two terms, at least in terms of the "whiteness" of the latter), which completely evades the question of the structures of governance within indigenous communities, instead narrowly focusing on indigenous activism's struggle against colonialism. I do appreciate the feminist undercurrent throughout the interviews, especially the emphasis on the existence of that tension within certain movements, some interlocutors being much more aware of this dynamic than others.

[Nadirah · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Anarcho-Indigenism" is a series of conversations with six different indigenous persons representing several communities across the world, among them the Americas, Africa, and Canada. Throughout these dialogues, each personality gave their own views by what is meant by 'anarcho-indigenism' and how it relates to their fight against modern colonialism in the guise of capitalism.

It's interesting to note the differences and similarities in each communities' struggles; often they come from the same sources (i.e. colonialism's ever-lasting effects on the indigenous people of the lands), but since the make-up and landscape of each indigenous communities are so varied, there are a lot of different perspectives on how anarchists & indigenist movements can collaborate without stepping on each others' toes, which can take different forms depending on each community's strategies.

I appreciated all the insights into how indigenous people are fighting back against capitalism in their own ways (e.g. the fight against more projects that encroach into nature and indigenous lands which will result in more losses to the indigenous people), and the dialogues about preservation of language, culture, and oral histories were enlightening as well. This is a great introductory read for anyone who is not familiar with the anarcho-indigenism movements and the fault lines that exist between non-native and indigenous people with regards to such movements. Be warned though that it can be heavy on the academia speak, which is to be expected if you're diving into such topics, so do adjust your expectations accordingly.

[Abby Shade · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5! I definitely liked some interviews better than others. On the whole, I thought the list of contributors/interviewees was great and would have liked more interviews in the book, but some of the questions asked, and the framing of said questions were not great. Overall not super sold on anarchism but glad i read this!

[Pierre-Olivier · Rating 5 out of 5]

L’anarchisme et l’indigénisme ,2 mouvement qui se côtoie, qui sont en relation directe ou non, qui se renforce ou se cannibalise, l’un étant l’inspiration de l’autre et ainsi de suite. Dans ce magnifique recueil réunis et présentés par Dupuis-Deri et Pillet, plusieurs acteurs et activistes autochtone y propose leur définition et leur point de vue personnel sur l’intersection de ces 2 mouvements. Je le recommande !!!

[Ian Johnston]

This was a really interesting idea, but I feel like execution kinda fell short. The interviews could have just asked such better questions. It was also weird that the over-arching idea of anarcho-indigeneism that they were trying to really make a thing was kinda torn apart in the interviews. Cool end to the semester tho

[Mar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interviews with indigenous activists, a really great opportunity to learn from the people involved in resistance for their communities and what projects are happening. Interesting discussion of overlaps with anarchism and where non-indigenous anarchists can learn from indigenous action - and where the different interviewees differ in how they speak about these aspects. A bit about how non-indigenous people can show solidarity with indigenous communities too.

[Aleks Sz. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Great overview of contemporary Indigenous acts of resistance and critical perspectives on anarchism, (de)colonisation, solidarity, and colonial state politics. The interview form also works well and gives voice to the diversity of Indigenous activisms. Yet, in some instances, I would have liked more critical commentary and reflection. Still, a great starting point to engage with the potential synthesis of Indigenous and anarchist thought.

[Brian Washines · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of conversations about the comparable ideologies of Indigenous people looking to preserving their land and autonomy and anarchism. Interesting stuff. Especially when you take into account that capitalistic ideologies tend to run counterintuitive against the needs and rights of the people who necessitate balance and stability over obscene gain.

[Axel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dommage qu'il faille attendre Francis pour lire des trucs chouettes comme ça (faut juste aller vite sur l'entretien avec le guy virilo qui dit que les meufs dans la lutte c'est bien pour faire la bouffe)

[Maria]

Entrevistas fascinantes mas tenho problemas com a forma como os editores usam indigenismo como se de um grupo homogéneo se tratasse e a afirmação de que este é inerentemente anarquista, mesmo tendo os vários entrevistados contestado essa visão

[Marisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introduction with a manageable amount of further reading references

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice collection of essays and interviews from Indigenous activists. I enjoyed the Canadian context. The most value for me was suggestions for further reading and research.

[crow · Rating 4 out of 5]

i learned a lot but these interviewers need to ask better questions. i could feel gord hill’s exasperation through my pages

[Mathea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the format of this book! Took a little bit to adjust to the academic language, but appreciated the varying perspectives given. Some of the interviewer questions were a bit off topic and didn’t feel as though they lead into each other well, but the interviewees handled these changes in directions well. Thought it was a great introduction to anarcho-indigenism and the varying perspectives on anarchists and indigenous anarchists.