ABSTRACT
This chapter gives attention to anarchism's opposition to hierarchy in human relations. The centrality of an anti-hierarchical perspective is evident in anarchist theory and action alike. It might be said that a robust notion of anti-hierarchy is the sine qua non of anarchism, the core concept that differentiates it at root from other ideologies. Anarchism admits a wide variety of perspectives under its rubric and, moreover, even encourages an openly critical stance toward its own workings and ostensible principles. This suggests that one might view anarchism more as a set of interrelated processes than as a settled goal, and hence as a perpetual means toward its own evolving ends. The chapter illustrates some of the complexities with anti-hierarchical thinking, and strengthens the case for it being an indispensable feature of anarchism. As a fundamentally anti-authoritarian perspective, the chapter seeks both to demolish the institutions that promote hierarchy and to construct viable alternative organizations.
