Analytic Anarchism We are pleased to announce an upcoming workshop at Lund University, to be held on 26–27 September, exploring the application of analytic philosophy to classical anarchism. Attendance is free of charge. A preliminary schedule and further details on the workshop theme appear below.

Preliminary Schedule

Day 1 – Friday, 26 September

09.15 – Welcoming
09.30 – Keynote (Introductory): Sophie Scott-Brown
10.50 – Coffee
11.10 – Tarna Kannisto: An Anarchic Theory of Justice?
  (Chair: A. G. Garcia)
12.10 – Lunch
13.10 – Savriël Dillingh: G.A. Cohen and Non-Ideal Anarchisms
  (Chair: R. Stenwall)
14.10 – Short break
14.20 – Matti Eskelinen: Anarchism, Radical Realist Political Theory and Ethics
  (Chair: R. Stenwall)
15.20 – Coffee (“fika”)
15.50 – Sebastian Broberg: The Open-textured Core of Anarchism (remote)
  (Chair: A. G. Garcia)
18.30 – Complimentary dinner at Italia il Ristorante, Lilla Fiskaregatan 11

Day 2 – Saturday, 27 September

09.30 – Keynote (Closing): Paul McLaughlin
10.50 – Coffee
11.10 – Colin Bird: Anarchy and Human Dignity
  (Chair: R. Stenwall)
12.10 – Lunch
13.10 – Melis Kirtilli: Analytical Anarchism, Prefiguration, and Ideal Theory
  (Chair: Elias Hult)
14.10 – Short break
14.20 – Richard William Valliere: Anarchism and Hierarchy
  (Chair: R. Stenwall)
15.20 – Coffee (“fika”)
15.50 – Grégoire René: Relational Equality as Anarchism (remote)
  (Chair: Elias Hult)
18.30 – Complimentary dinner at Ostelia Italia, Stora Gråbrödersgatan 4

Workshop theme

Analytic philosophy is a tradition within Western philosophy that emphasises clarity of expression and conceptual analysis. Shaped by figures such as Gottlob Frege, Bertrand Russell, and G. E. Moore, it seeks to address philosophical problems by breaking them down into smaller, more manageable questions, often using logic and rigorous argumentation. This approach has had a profound influence on ethics, epistemology, political theory, and beyond, with a consistent aim of making philosophical discourse more precise and accessible.

Classical anarchism is a political tradition advocating for a stateless society, in which social organisation is achieved through voluntary cooperation and mutual aid rather than hierarchical authority. Associated with thinkers such as Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, Mikhail Bakunin, and Peter Kropotkin, it offers a radical critique of state power and capitalism, envisioning decentralised forms of organisation based on equality, individual freedom, and the abolition of domination and exploitation.

Few attempts have been made to examine classical anarchism through the methods of analytic philosophy. Such an undertaking could sharpen and clarify anarchist arguments, resolve ambiguities, and situate the tradition more precisely about competing political theories. This “analytical anarchism” would parallel developments in other traditions, such as G. A. Cohen’s analytical Marxism, and could deepen our understanding of concepts like hierarchy, authority, and exploitation.