A-Infos (en) Poland, FA: Report on the ASN9 Anarchist Conference in Manchester (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

From August 26 to 28, the Anarchist Studies Network organized its ninth 
conference, with this year's central theme being the search for a form 
of anarchism that avoids anthropocentrism. On one hand, there is an 
increasingly urgent need for activism to address the protection of the 
environment, animals, forests, and even specific spaces against 
exploitation and destruction for profit. On the other hand, critical 
voices regarding technology are becoming more frequent. In a widely 
discussed book, Karen Hao argues that corporate-controlled AI 
development is imperial in nature; Yanis Varoufakis has long warned 
against the concentration of power in the hands of techno-feudal giants 
like Amazon; Shoshana Zuboff has described the intensification of 
surveillance; and, in the Polish context, Jaroslaw Urbanski has recently 
written about accelerationism and the excessive hopes placed in new 
technologies. The conference focused on presenting ecological, vegan, 
and post-colonial perspectives, as well as reflecting on the possibility 
of solidarity with other species and the struggle for the environment. 
Issues concerning the relationship between humans and technology were 
also raised | specifically, whether it is possible to propagate 
anarchist attitudes in a digital world increasingly regulated by 
corporations. This human entanglement with the environment | both 
natural and technological | prompted the organizers to title this latest 
edition "More Than Human Anarchism." The conference featured not only 
dozens of thematically grouped lectures but also introductory workshops, 
film screenings, panel discussions, and stalls offering zines and books 
from publishers such as Freedom Press. The overarching theme lent 
coherence to the conference without restricting it; there was ample room 
for presentations addressing the history of anarchism, cooperatives, 
syndicalism, or mutual aid in a broader sense.

Academic researchers and activists from around the world participated in 
the conference. Among the speakers was Toru Oda | the Japanese 
translator of Alexander Berkman's *Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist* and 
Peter Kropotkin's *Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution*. He discussed the 
history of how the "Anarchist Prince's" books were received and 
translated in Japan. Laurence Davis explored the subversive imagination 
of Ursula K. Le Guin and her critique of the vision of linear progress | 
a concept that can easily devolve into colonization and the seizure of 
resources and territory in the name of "civilizing." Many papers 
examined the ideas of classic thinkers such as Bakunin and Kropotkin, 
while others drew unexpected connections | such as the link between Max 
Stirner's views and Donna Haraway's posthumanism, the subject of a 
presentation by Elke Van dermijnsbrugge. Conference discussions covered 
topics ranging from new technologies and the dangers of a blind drive 
for efficiency to the treatment of society as a machine | issues 
addressed by Nishikant Sheorey and Karn Bianco.

I flew to Manchester to present a paper on Peter Kropotkin, focusing 
specifically on the significance of the memoirs he recorded in *In 
Russian and French Prisons*. Kropotkin's thought remains relevant today;

the Social Darwinism of Herbert Spencer | which Kropotkin criticized | 
haunts us now in the form of neoliberal contempt for market "losers" 
(survival of the fittest) and creeping privatization. Meanwhile, 
Kropotkin's reflections on the penal system reveal that such 
institutions merely reinforce discipline and help break strikes, failing 
to deliver genuine social progress. The content of the presentation 
mirrored my book *Society vs. the State* (*Spoleczenstwo wobec 
panstwa*), published by Bractwo Trojka.

The Anarchist Studies Network conference provided an opportunity to 
exchange views across diverse circles, spanning both activism and 
academia. These multi-level conversations | covering practical matters 
(such as organizing direct action using digital tools) and theoretical 
issues (movement history, analyses of anarchist utopias in literature) | 
demonstrated the enduring vitality of anarchist ideas.

There is a palpable need across many fields for decentralized, 
horizontal, spontaneous, and direct action | in opposition to 
homogenizing nationalist or militaristic narratives.

ASN10 is scheduled for 2028 at the University of Helsinki; however, if a 
trip to Finland isn't on your agenda, many resources are available 
online via the Anarchist Studies Network blog and website.

The site features, among other things, a list of anarchist readings 
covering a wide range of topics | from anti-fascism, urban planning, and 
criminology to philosophy.

Jan Szyszkowski

1 What will AI bring us: doom, unemployment, or liberation from the 
burden of hard labor? 2 History - Freedom Press
3 How did the strike at Jeremias end? Summary - Workers' Initiative 
National Trade Union

https://federacja-anarchistyczna.pl/2026/09/20/relacja-z-konferencji-anarchistycznej-w-manchester-asn9
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