Law as Refuge of Anarchy: Societies without Hegemony or State

by Hermann Amborn, Adrian Nathan West (Translation)

A study of communities in the Horn of Africa where reciprocity is a dominant social principle, offering a concrete countermodel to the hierarchical state.Over the course of history, people have developed many varieties of communal life; the state, with its hierarchical structure, is only one of the possibilities for society. In this book, leading anthropologist Hermann Amborn identifies a countermodel to the state, describing communities where reciprocity is a dominant social principle and where egalitarianism is a matter of course. He pays particular attention to such communities in the Horn of Africa, where nonhierarchical, nonstate societies exist within the borders of a hierarchical structured state. This form of community, Amborn shows, is not a historical forerunner to monarchy or the primitive state, nor is it obsolete as a social model. These communities offer a concrete counterexample to societies with strict hierarchical structures.

Amborn investigates social forms of expression, ideas, practices, and institutions that oppose the hegemony of one group over another, exploring how conceptions of values and laws counteract tendencies toward the accumulation of power. He examines not only how the nonhegemonic ethos is reflected in law but also how anarchic social formations can exist. In the Horn of Africa, the autonomous jurisdiction of these societies protects against destructive outside influences, offers a counterweight to hegemonic violence, and contributes to the stabilization of communal life. In an era of widespread dissatisfaction with Western political systems, Amborn's study offers an opportunity to shift from traditional theories of anarchism and nonhegemony that project a stateless society to consider instead stateless societies already in operation.

Genres: Politics, Anthropology, Philosophy, Africa, Nonfiction

232 pages, Paperback

Published April 2, 2019

Reviews

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

"Polycephalic" (many leaders) is such a good frame for this; kind of feels like anarchy, anarchic, anarchistic are labels being incorrectly attached to the culture(s) covered in this text. They are really not anarchistic—not least of which is because they are all patriarchal! But, Amborn usually sticks with polycephalic.

All that said, still a great piece of research for what it is, really well written. Learned a ton and made me reminisce about my experiences with consensus-based decision making.

It could have been improved by saving the little bits of anarchy for a *critical* conclusion framing the study as a perspective on "egalitarian" possibilities.

[Happy Red Panda · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is amazing to read books about non-Western societies that help serve as alternatives to the Western model of state and capitalism that have brought more than enough trouble to say the least. At a time when people are desperately looking for alternative models, this book sheds light on societies in the Horn of Africa that could help with it.

It’s not too academically dense, and is concise that anyone can read without fearing that they would have to struggle to absorb too much information. It’s a good way for people to learn of non-Western societies that have been ignored and to learn of models that could be far more better than the ones we have to live with now.

My only wish is that the author probe into potential weaknesses, and that he try to find out about issues like whether the victims feel that the justice system model in their communities has failed them, or how everyday tasks and responsibilities are managed in these societies, but this otherwise felt a comprehensive look and it’s a book I would recommend for others.

[Luca Lollobrigida · Rating 3 out of 5]

"[...] Questo non significa che il concetto di Stato moderno, peraltro impregnato di ideologia capitalista, sia una panacea sociopolitica valida a livello globale". Il libro tenta di dimostrare come una "società senza Stato" sia possibile attraverso gli esempi reali provenienti da diverse esperienze in giro per il mondo. Detto questo, non so se mi ha convinto fino in fondo e a tratti l'ho trovato abbastanza pesante. In ogni caso garantisce spunti di riflessione, quindi una sufficienza piena.

[Ronan Santaniello · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty interesting book. This topic is so broad that approaching it from only the perspective of societies in the Horn of Africa feels a little restrictive, but it still does a great job of creating a more universal model for anarchic/nonhegemonic societies. I also really enjoyed the emphasis on different social theories and how those were tied into the analysis of the ethnographic data

[Benjamin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remain unconvinced that the examples Amborn draws on constitute a break with hegemony as such. Though I agree that there are certainly anti-hegemonic moments and movements to be found within them, reading these as wholesale rejections of hegemonic power seems to me to be overly hasty. This is perhaps because Amborn never really tells us what he means by hegemony.

[Alienne Laval · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Societies Without State" - to which degree this is possible? Kramer and Siegrist later investigated this on an ethnological and sociological basis further.

Does Civil Law truly lead to anarchy, or is not rather the State the true lair of anarchy (Bystrina; who also denied the Krader socialism)?