Anarchism_A_Conceptual_Approach_Edited_b

Direct Action A theoretical and practical notion that appears in revolutionary trade unionism and in libertarian communism in the 19th century, direct action is one of the most relevant contributions that anarchism offers to (anti-)political science and social practice. However, we come across many difficulties when attempting to grasp anarchist direct action, which are mostly related with its constant hybridisation, diversity and multifaceted nature. My particular concern here is to show how and why direct action is for anarchists the prefigurative, unmediated activity initiated by the oppressed to overcome, albeit perhaps only temporarily or partially, repressive conditions. I argue that direct action is not an attack on the enemy: above all, it is an examination of what is human, a commitment to individual and collective possibilities.