The city in libertarian thought

Marcelo Lopes de Souza

City, 2012, vol. 16, issue 1-2, 4-33

Abstract: There are many examples of aversion to the city and city life among classical anarchists, as well as of an exaggerated positive valuation of nature and rural life. This 'urbanophobia’ is certainly simplistic; but it was or has been by no means the sole or even the most representative position in the course of the history of libertarian thought. In this text, I aim to show the complexity of libertarian approaches to the city in the 19th and 20th centuries, using as examples, respectively, the works of Élisée Reclus and Murray Bookchin. Additionally, and in a brief way, I also try to summarise what seems to be the utility of such a discussion for contemporary purposes, drawing inspiration and examples from the recent Latin American experience in terms of urban movements' spatial practices. All these contributions are examined considering three foci: (1) the opposition between city and countryside; (2) the (anti-)ecological dimension of urbanisation; (3) strategies for socio-spatial change.

Date: 2012
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DOI: 10.1080/13604813.2012.662376

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