Complexity and Social Movements: Multitudes at the Edge of Chaos ...

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The map is not the territory 151 signals of growing planetary imbalances, elements of the AGM declare global collective stakes within a philosophy based on the recognition of difference as generative and creative, and expressed simply through the slogan ‘unity in diversity’, where diversity is the becoming of a plane of immanence, catalysed by difference: Difference is not diversity. Diversity is given, but difference is that by which the given is given, that by which the given is given as diverse. (Deleuze 1994: 280) Conceptually then the slogan ‘unity in diversity’ resonates with the concept of the multitude defined by Negri (2004 http://www.makeworlds.org/ comment/reply/104) as a ‘whole of singularities’; an outcome and effect of the interplay of difference within open systems that are maintained by the dynamic iteration of practices, procedures and structures devised to facilitate consensual outcomes through encounter and deliberation. As Didek (2004) points out, iteration is correlative with a Deleuzian emphasis upon becoming thus highlighting the ‘proper’ Deleuzian paradox that ‘something truly new can only emerge through repetition’ (Didek 2004: 12). Melucci (1989, 1996a) makes similar points about the ‘epistemological limitation’ of both sides in the debate about the ‘novelty’ of the ‘new’ social movements where contemporary movement phenomena are perceived as ‘unified empirical objects’ – ‘living characters moving and acting upon a stage of history’, rather than as combinatory effects of forms of action impacting upon different levels of a social system, containing diverse goals and belonging to different phases of the development of particular historical systems (1989: 43). In both instances process comes to the fore, allowing us to pay attention to the diachronic and synchronic elements of movements and to acknowledge how the process of iteration can re-configure the relationship between the virtual (as the quality of potential immanent to an event) and the actual (as the degree to which that potential was realised). Therefore, as Didek argues, ‘what repetition repeats is the not the way the past “effectively was” but the virtuality inherent to the past and betrayed by its past actualisation’ (2004: 12). The iteration amongst movement milieu of practices that ostensibly reside within the ‘cultural’, affective gestures, performances, encounters with and articulations of difference indicate a cultural politics here which decisively breaks the limits of the system of ‘politics’ opening up multiple lines of f(l)ight for all parties. In emphasising these multiple lines of f(l)ight we depart from Hardt and Hegri’s emphasis upon the use of smooth space to strike directly at Empire. We have characterised these differences graphically in terms of the institutional anatomy of the prevailing global axiomatic, key power relations and avenues through which cultural perturbation is constituted through reflexive framing, plateaux and resultant parallelograms of force (see Figures 8.1 and 8.2).
152 The map is not the territory Network agency Biopower Personal skills and techniques Multitude Smooth space Appointment Security UN, IAEA ASEAN NATO etc. Security state Chiefs of staff Appointment Intelligence Armed Forces Elites HARDT and NEGRI’s MULTITUDE National elites/Class factions Capital Business orgs. National banks Elites “Power flows” Empire Supra state institutional nexus Global elites/Class fractions Finance/ Development WB UN IMF WTO Finance state States Regional Finance Merchant banks Stock markets Elites Governance Political state MNC TNC PM/President Cabinet Parliaments Civil service Elites Regional and local government Professional associations Trades unions NGO’s SMOs Voting Citizens Citizen – individual as singularity Figure 8.1 Power flows, empire and smooth space. Investment returns & priorities Threat definition (Whom to fear) Risk definition (What to fear) ‘Legal’ force (How to fight and when) Time frame 5 yr electoral/ Business cycle We make no claims whatsoever to being able to project the trajectories of the resultant parallelogram(s) of forces but we have endeavoured to depict some of the main vectors and forces, the relationships between them and the anatomy of, what are probably, the opening skirmishes between nomad war machines and the assemblage of empire(s) constituting the neo-liberal axiomatic. The profound challenge here is to set aside the established habits of mind identified by Bateson and to look for signs and patterns in counterintuitive places. If complexity theory has anything to say about how things
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Complexity and Social Movements Che
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Complexity and Social Movements Mul
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Contents List of figures vi Acknowl
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Acknowledgements With thanks to all
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Preface ix activists and engaged ci
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2 Introducing global movements poli
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4 Introducing global movements arou
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6 Introducing global movements esta
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8 Introducing global movements Thes
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16 Introducing global movements ‘
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18 Introducing global movements for
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20 Introducing global movements and
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2 Prefiguration and emergence Intro
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24 Prefiguration and emergence on T
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26 Prefiguration and emergence 9 If
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28 Prefiguration and emergence Prop
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30 Prefiguration and emergence agai
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32 Prefiguration and emergence C. E
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34 Prefiguration and emergence The
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36 Prefiguration and emergence Glob
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38 Prefiguration and emergence In t
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40 Prefiguration and emergence Neo-
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42 Prefiguration and emergence from
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44 Identities, protest dynamics and
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68 States fight back when trust in
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70 States fight back academically,
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72 States fight back streets from d
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74 States fight back ‘green Parli
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76 States fight back to trivialise
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78 States fight back beneath Big Be
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80 States fight back ran out. The p
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82 States fight back The attempt to
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84 States fight back Accounts of th
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86 States fight back hair, infringe
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88 States fight back crisis is in e
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5 Ecologies of action within global
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92 Ecologies of action attractor wi
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94 Ecologies of action embedded in
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96 Ecologies of action The assimila
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98 Ecologies of action compatibilit
Page 111 and 112: 100 Ecologies of action linking up
Page 113 and 114: 102 Ecologies of action occurred wi
Page 115 and 116: 104 Ecologies of action leading to
Page 117 and 118: 106 Ecologies of action siege of in
Page 119 and 120: 108 Beyond resistance to global nex
Page 139 and 140: 7 The death of collective identity?
Page 141 and 142: 130 Global movement as a parallelog
Page 159 and 160: 148 The map is not the territory th
Page 161: 150 The map is not the territory of
Page 165 and 166: 154 The map is not the territory mi
Page 167 and 168: 156 The map is not the territory or
Page 169 and 170: 158 The map is not the territory mo
Page 171 and 172: 160 The map is not the territory of
Page 173 and 174: 162 The map is not the territory ne
Page 175 and 176: Notes 1 Introducing global movement
Page 177 and 178: 166 Notes 12 Ya Basta’s! subseque
Page 179 and 180: 168 Notes 19 This practice has been
Page 181 and 182: 170 Notes Afro Bloc parading drum b
Page 183 and 184: 172 Bibliography Barker, C., Johnso
Page 185 and 186: 174 Bibliography De Sousa Santos, B
Page 187 and 188: 176 Bibliography Grubacic, A. (2003
Page 189 and 190: 178 Bibliography Lash, S. (2002) Cr
Page 191 and 192: 180 Bibliography O’Neill, J. (200
Page 193 and 194: 182 Bibliography Thompson, E.P. (19
Page 195 and 196: Index Note: Page numbers in italics
Page 197 and 198: 186 Index class: affinities 93; and
Page 199 and 200: 188 Index G7 23 G8 23, 100; meeting
Page 201 and 202: 190 Index London 52, 63, 69, 116; E
Page 203 and 204: 192 Index Poland 44, 45; ‘Orange
Page 205 and 206: 194 Index Taylor, P. 168 n.2; call
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