Over at the Anarchist FAQ blog, Iain has a post recognizing the sesquicentennial of the term libertaire, used in 1858 by Joseph Déjacque as the title of his journal, La Libertaire, Journal du Mouvement Social. Déjacque is generally credited with the first use of the term “libertarian” as a synonym for “anarchist.” We’ve learned, as the digital archives grow, to be skeptical of first-use claims, but I’m happy to take a moment to recognize the importance of Déjacque’s contribution. His fascinating mix of anarchism, communism, egoism, and feminism, drawing on the thought of Fourier, Proudhon, Pierre Leroux and others, is deserving of much more attention that it has generally received.
Contr'un
Proudhon on “libertarians” in 1858
I’ve been working my way through those sections of Proudhon’s Justice in the Revolution and in the Church which I didn’t have to consult carefully while writing the chapter on the State, as the […]
Working Translations
Joseph Déjacque, “The Theory of Infinitesimal Humanities” (1859)
La Théorie des Humanités Infinitésimales, OU SYSTEME DES QUATRE GRADATIONS Si mon ignorance de bien des sciences n’est pas un insurmontable obstacle à ce que je médite, j’essayerai quelque jour de développer plus complètement une […]
Contr'un
Joseph Déjacque, “The Humanisphere” (Part III)
[I’ve posted parts of The Humanisphere before, and talked a bit about the difficulties involved. Slowly, but surely, I’m working my way through the work, but not necessarily tackling the sections in order. This is […]