The Concealment of the State

193 Pages·2013·1.1 MB·English

by  Jason Royce Lindsey

The Concealment
of the State
CONTEMPORARY ANARCHIST STUDIES
A series edited by
Laurence Davis National University of Ireland, Maynooth
Uri Gordon Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, Israel
Nathan Jun Midwestern State University, USA
Alex Prichard London School of Economics, UK
Contemporary Anarchist Studies promotes the study of anarchism as a
framework for understanding and acting on the most pressing problems of
our times. The series publishes cutting-edge, socially engaged scholarship
from around the world—bridging theory and practice, academic rigor and
the insights of contemporary activism.
The topical scope of the series encompasses anarchist history and
theory broadly construed; individual anarchist thinkers; anarchist-
informed analysis of current issues and institutions; and anarchist or
anarchist-inspired movements and practices. Contributions informed
by anti-capitalist, feminist, ecological, indigenous, and non-Western or
global South anarchist perspectives are particularly welcome. So, too,
are manuscripts that promise to illuminate the relationships between the
personal and the political aspects of transformative social change, local
and global problems, and anarchism and other movements and ideologies.
Above all, we wish to publish books that will help activist scholars and
scholar activists think about how to challenge and build real alternatives
to existing structures of oppression and injustice.
International Editorial Advisory Board:
Martha Ackelsberg, Smith College
John Clark, Loyola University
Jesse Cohn, Purdue University
Ronald Creagh, Université Paul Valéry
Marianne Enckell, Centre International de Recherches sur l’Anarchisme
Benjamin Franks, University of Glasgow
Judy Greenway, University of East London
Ruth Kinna, Loughborough University
Todd May, Clemson University
Salvo Vaccaro, Università di Palermo
Lucien van der Walt, University of the Witwatersrand
Charles Weigl, AK Press
The Concealment
of the State
Jason Royce Lindsey
NEW YORK (cid:127) LONDON (cid:127) NEW DELHI (cid:127) SYDNEY
Bloomsbury Academic
An imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
1385 Broadway 50 Bedford Square
New York London
NY 10018 WC1B 3DP
USA UK
www.bloomsbury.com
First published 2013
© Jason Royce Lindsey, 2013
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval
system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers.
No responsibility for loss caused to any individual or organization acting on or
refraining from action as a result of the material in this publication can be
accepted by Bloomsbury Academic or the author.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lindsey, Jason Royce.
The concealment of the state : explaining and challenging the postmodern studies / Jason
Royce Lindsey.
pages cm -- (Contemporary anarchist studies)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4411-0206-5 (pbk.) -- ISBN 978-1-4411-7245-7 (hardcover) 1. State, The.
2. Capitalism. 3. Anarchism. 4. Sovereignty. I. Title.
JC11.L55 2013
320.1-- dc23
2013012217
ISBN: HB: 978-1-4411-7245-7
PB: 978-1-4411-0206-5
ePub: 978-1-4411-4123-1
ePDF: 978-1-4411-4856-8
Typeset by Integra Software Services Pvt. Ltd.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-ShareAlike
2.0 England and Wales License. Permission for reproduction is granted by the editors and
the publishers free of charge for voluntary, campaign and community groups. Reproduction
of the text for commercial purposes, or by universities or other formal teaching institutions
is prohibited without the express permission of the publishers.
For Holly

CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ix
1 The concealment of the state 1
The politics of concealment 5
Ideology and the state 10
Does the state still exist? 13
A postmodern state? 15
Notes 19
2 Deep and shallow state 23
The shallow state 28
The deep state 33
Hiding behind the market 41
Concealment of our dependency 48
Notes 51
3 Theories of the state 57
Formation and evolution of the state 62
The utility and contingency of the state 65
Deeper challenges 71
State, markets, and political legitimacy 77
Notes 80
4 Engines of oppression 85
Historical dynamics 86
Coercion and the market 92
Surveillance and the market 96
The nonlethal future of coercion 100
Concealing invincibility 104
Notes 106
viii CONTENTS
5 A postindustrial peasantry? 111
The usefulness of an analogy 112
Cultural similarities 115
Peasants and politics 121
A postindustrial peasantry? 128
Notes 132
6 Conclusion 137
Revealing the state 140
Intermediaries, representation, and anarchism 149
Challenging the state to act 152
The delusion of violent resistance and so-called direct action 156
Some final questions 159
Notes 162
Bibliography 167
Index 179
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The main catalyst for Concealment of the State was my participation in
the first annual conference of the Anarchist Studies Network (ASN) held
at the University of Loughborough in 2008. After exchanging ideas with
such an interesting group of peers, I began to devote much more time to
some questions that are central to contemporary Anarchist Studies. How
has political ideology changed following the end of the Cold War? What
are the similarities and differences between our current period of global
capitalism and that faced by the anarchists of the nineteenth and early
twentieth centuries? How well does the anarchist critique fit contemporary
nation states? Through the efforts of many people, including Ruth Kinna
and Dave Berry at Loughborough University, the Anarchist Studies Network
held its second “annual” conference there in 2012. My experience at the
second ASN conference provided the inspiration to finish the manuscript.
My thanks to the many organizers and participants.
I also learned about the proposed Contemporary Anarchist Studies book
series through the ASN. Thanks to the series editors—Laurence Davis, Alex
Prichard, Uri Gordon, and Nathan Jun—for their interest and constructive
criticism. Alex Prichard is owed particular thanks for his guidance on how
to put together a better book proposal. All were very supportive of my effort
to contribute to the field of Anarchist Studies. Thanks are owed as well to
my editor Ally Jane Grossan at Bloomsbury and to Marie-Claire Antoine for
steering the proposal through its first steps. The final version of this book is
better thanks to their input, though responsibility for errors and oversights
rests with me.
I wrote the main draft of Concealment of the State while on a sabbatical
from my home institution in Minnesota, St. Cloud State University. I also
received a reduction in my teaching assignment the following year from the
School of Public Affairs while finishing the book. This support for research
time outside of the classroom was critical for completing the project. I owe
special thanks to Dr Orn Bodvarsson, Dean of the School of Public Affairs,
for his support. This support for research in contemporary Anarchist Studies
shows that academic freedom, and the commitment to open inquiry, can still
be found in US higher education. All of us in academia should work to make
sure things stay that way through our professional organizations.