The concentration of power in egalitarian movements
Date
2026
Authors
Woodcock, Nakira
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Volume Title
Publisher
University of Victoria
Abstract
This study focuses on ways in which power becomes concentrated in egalitarian communities. Importantly, it also focuses on ways these issues can be solved. Anarchist activists across the world are experimenting with egalitarian structures and, thus, provide an information-rich avenue for this research. This study explores how power in the form of power-over presents challenges to egalitarian practices in activist movements through a structured, critical literature review. It examines literature citing a key piece on the topic: The Tyranny of Structureless by Jo Freeman. It focuses on empirical sources that examine groups or movements that are anarchist or have the anarchistic characteristics of egalitarianism, direct-democracy, horizontality, or prefiguration. Exploring how power-over makes its way into egalitarian groups is timely as people all over the planet try to build a more communal and cooperative future, attempting to step out of the reality of a deeply divided world.
Description
Keywords
horizontalism, power over, egalitarianism, prefiguration, social movements, anarchist, Jamie Cassels Undergraduate Research Awards (JCURA)