無秩序や混乱、暴力などのイメージと結びつけられがちなアナキズムですが、果たしてその本質を私たちは理解しているのでしょうか。著者はアナキズムが植民地主義・帝国主義の中で生まれ広がった思想であり、その批判的視点は今日私たちが大切にする自由の理想、参加型の教育、連邦主義などの概念や価値観の形成にも影響を与えていると指摘します。今日も世界で続く自由を得るための闘いにも関わりがあり、より良い未来を思い描くすべての人にとって学ぶべきことの多い思想であると説きます。アナキズムを改めて捉えなおすための出発点を提供する一冊です。
 

• Explains the origin, history, and meaning of anarchism in an accessible and engaging way
• Explores anarchist ideas in relation to the provision of four key public goods: health, education, law and order, and work
• Demonstrates that anarchist ideas are as relevant as ever, placing them within a modern framework and covering the latest developments in anarchist theory

    
If you asked a passerby on the street what anarchism is, they may answer that it is an ideology based on chaos, disorder, and violence. But is this true? What exactly is anarchism?
     
This Very Short Introduction provides a new point of departure for our understanding of anarchism. Prichard describes anarchism as a lived set of practices, with a rich historical legacy, and shows how anarchists have inspired and criticised some of our most cherished values and concepts, from the ideals of freedom, participatory education, federalism, to important topics like climate change, and wider popular culture in science fiction. By locating the emergence and globalization of anarchist ideas in a history of colonialism and imperialism, the book links anarchism into struggles for freedom across the world and demonstrates that anarchism has much to offer anyone trying to envision a better future.