Communalism as a Democratic Repertoire From the Paris Commune to the Present

Introduction: Communalism as a democratic repertoire
EVERT VAN DER ZWEERDE, GAARD KETS AND MATHIJS VAN DE SANDE

1 The Spanish "Municipio Libre": A communalist tradition to update?
DAVID HAMOU

2 Anarchism and communalism: The defeat of the commune and the rise of communal anarchism
RUTH KINNA

3 "The biggest festival of the nineteenth century": The Paris commune in the radical imagination of the 1960s
MATHIJS VAN DE SANDE

4 Was communalism born from the commune?
PAULA COSSART

5 A democracy without titles?: 1871: Against the politics of the few
MARTIN BREAUGH

6 Between the past future and the future past: On the democratic experimentalism of the Paris Commune
MATTHIAS FLATSCHER

7 "The revolution will be live": Towards a pedagogy of radical imaginaries beyond the Paris Commune
FEMKE KAULINGFREKS

8 Rethinking representation as delegation in the framework of communalist direct democracy
SIXTINE VAN OUTRYVE

9 The commune beyond the Commune: Abdullah Öcalan, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), and democratic confederalism
JOOST JONGERDEN

10 Contemporary communes and council democracy in Venezuela
DARIO AZZELLINI

11 The new wave of ecological municipalities in Quebec: Between quiet municipalism and rural communalism
JONATHAN DURAND FOLCO

Biography

Gaard Kets is Assistant Professor of political theory in the Department of Political Science at Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands. His research interests include the theories and practices of past and present forms of radical democracy, workplace democracy, council communism, social movements, and revolution.

Mathijs van de Sande is Assistant Professor in philosophical ethics and political philosophy at Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands. He conducts research into democratic legitimacy and the role of protest and social movements. For this purpose, he draws on various philosophical movements and traditions, such as anarchism, feminism, and Marxism and post-Marxism.

"Communalism as a Democratic Repertoire brings together an international, interdisciplinary group of scholars, innovatively examining the emergence of communalism as a mode of existing politically that can be transferred over space and time. Rooting communalism’s birth in the 1871 Paris Commune, this vital collection investigates the Commune’s ongoing influence in communalist theory and praxis, together envisioning a radically democratic future."
Carolyn Eichner, Professor of History and Women’s & Gender Studies, University of Milwaukee and author of Surmounting the Barricades: Women in the Paris Commune and The Paris Commune: A Brief Introduction.

"This compelling volume of essays offers an incisive exploration of the revolutionary ideas that animated the Paris Commune and its subsequent historical manifestations––and their important lessons for those who hope to re-envision democracy today. An essential text for anyone interested in the urgent task of nurturing new forms of democracy that can help us build a liberated future."
Debbie Bookchin, editor of Murray Bookchin, From Urbanization to Cities: The Politics of Democratic Municipalism and The Next Revolution: Popular Assemblies and the Promise of Direct Democracy.

"Communalism as a Democratic Repertoire is a captivating and insightful journey through the history and impact of communalist thought. Kets and van de Sande brilliantly illustrate how the Paris Commune's legacy fuels democratic ideals today—a must-read for anyone passionate about democracy and our future. "
Dr James Muldoon, Reader in Management, University of Essex

"The Commune de Paris seems to be coming back to life in a host of contemporary projects that seek to respect its forms while retaining the same spirit of radical democracy. This much-needed book is a reminder of that."
Christian Laval, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, Université Paris Nanterre