Anarchism and Ecology

By Graham Purchase

Before Bookchin, there was a deeper, broader lineage connecting anarchism and ecology?and in Anarchism and Ecology, Graham Purchase excavates it with clarity, passion, and intellectual force. Spanning decades of writing and revision, this provocative collection traces the eco-communitarian tradition from early anarchists like Kropotkin and Reclus to the radical ecological vision of the 20th century.

Purchase argues that while Marxism has had to graft ecology awkwardly onto its framework, anarchism contains an intrinsically ecological core. Through rich historical exploration and political analysis, he reveals how anarchist ideals of decentralization, direct democracy, appropriate technology, and regional autonomy naturally align with ecological imperatives. Drawing on figures from Fourier to Bookchin, and referencing the Spanish Revolution and even the countercultural experiments of the 1960s, Purchase builds a vision of society rooted in cooperation, sustainability, and bottom-up governance.

Critically engaged and philosophically bold, the book also grapples with the limitations of eco-anarchist thought in the modern world?raising questions about scale, cultural preconditions for self-governance, and the ecological consequences of decentralization in a world of billions. Yet, at its heart, Anarchism and Ecology remains an impassioned plea for rethinking politics, not just as governance, but as a living relationship between people and planet.

Part historical recovery, part utopian blueprint, this is essential reading for anyone interested in radical ecology, anti-authoritarian politics, and the search for sustainable futures.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1551640260
• ISBN13: 9781551640266
• Release Date: October 1996
• Publisher: Black Rose Books
• Length: 216 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.2" x 8.2"