This conference proposes to examine the spaces that self-avowed anarchists, as well as those who borrow from anarchism but do not identify with the ideology, have invested, produced and contested since the second half of the 19th century. The concept of “space” should be understood capaciously. It can be material and immaterial, ideological or symbolic, permanent or temporary, integrated or liminal, open or closed, real or imagined. Likewise, “anarchism” is to be understood broadly. For the purposes of this conference, anarchist spaces are not only those linked to a self-identified anarchist movement (in all its multiplicities). They also include spaces that may rather be seen (or see themselves) as autonomous, self-managed or anti-authoritarian, but which embody anarchism more or less implicitly through their day-to-day, activist, and revolutionary practices.

Argument

This conference proposes to examine the spaces that self-avowed anarchists, as well as those who borrow from anarchism but do not identify with the ideology, have invested, produced and contested since the second half of the 19th century. The concept of “space” should be understood capaciously. It can be material and immaterial, ideological or symbolic, permanent or temporary, integrated or liminal, open or closed, real or imagined. Likewise, “anarchism” is to be understood broadly. For the purposes of this conference, anarchist spaces are not only those linked to a self-identified anarchist movement (in all its multiplicities). They also include spaces that may rather be seen (or see themselves) as autonomous, self-managed or anti-authoritarian, but which embody anarchism more or less implicitly through their day-to-day, activist, and revolutionary practices.

Those interested participating in this conference may relate their proposals to one or several of four key themes: (1) anarchism/anarchists and the production of space; (2) anarchist discussion spaces; (3) circulations, networks and mobility; (4) archives, memory and memorialisation. These thematic suggestions are neither impermeable, prescriptive nor exhaustive: proposals can articulate several of these themes and even, to some extent, seek to displace or go beyond them.

1. Anarchism/Anarchists and the production of space

Under this first heading we are particularly interested in the materiality of anarchist spaces as well as the ways anarchists have of reading and experiencing spaces. Such spaces are necessarily diverse: they can be urban or rural, more or less artificialised, permanently inhabited or simply passed through, open or closed. These include, of course, the intentional communities that have been built throughout the world since the late 19th century. They also encompass spaces where people met, socialised or acted politically such as the street, the club or the café, the squat, the workshop or the school. We are also interested in anarchist considerations on and experiences of spaces of repression, confinement or relegation such as police stations, courts, prisons or internment camps. Finally, we would welcome discussions of anarchist geography, in theory and practice, as practitioners of such a geographies seek to challenge state-produced and state-planned representations of space.

2. Anarchist discussion spaces

With this second theme we want to draw attention to the variety of spaces of production, circulation, discussion and contestation of anarchist ideas. The materiality and spatiality of print is as crucial as the content of printed texts here, for print culture was central to the circulation of anarchist ideas and imaginaries. But we must not neglect the organisational spaces that underpinned much of this production: meetings and meeting rooms, editorial boards, general assemblies, national and international congresses all contributed to the production of anarchist ideology. When discussing the spatialisation of anarchist ideas, we should also consider the role of imaginary, legendary, mythological, utopian, or dystopian spaces in the ideological matrix of anarchism. Lastly, we must take into account what thwarted the production and circulation of anarchist ideas insofar as it leads to organisational and ideological adaptations, in other words, the obstacles anarchists faced, the constraints they had to overcome or accommodate, and the measures taken to prevent them from developing and circulating their ideas.

3. Circulations, networks and mobility

Our third theme invites examinations of the links between individuals as tools to better understand the spaces they invest and the relations forged in these spaces. Anarchists are well-known for their trasnational networks that serve a variety of purposes, for instance, mutual aid, the discussion and organisation of social struggles, the circulation of ideas, or the protection of exiled persons. Some anarchists also invested networks outside of the relatively narrow confines of the anarchist milieu. They did so as activists (trade-unionists and syndicalists, anticolonial activists, pacifists, socialists, feminists, environmentalists, etc.), professionals, intellectuals or artists. In this way, they inhabited wider spaces of discussion, which they sometimes sought to align with their own political or ideological interests. On the other hand, states and international organisations often sought to prevent anarchist circulations or to make their way into anarchist networks and spaces, relying for example on spies or agents provocateurs. We would welcome, therefore, investigations into the strategies that authorities developed and employed against anarchists or into the anarchist responses to such strategies.

4. Archives, memory and memorialisation

Our final heading encourages analyses of the spaces and practices underpinning the elaboration, the conservation and the transmission of anarchist heritage and the legacy of anarchism. Anarchists have been active participants in the process of producing anarchist myths, stories and histories, not least through commemorations, martyrologies, or celebrations in places that have a strong association with militancy or the anarchist movement. They have also contributed testimonies, biographies or works of history in a variety of forms (books, brochures, pamphlets, zines, etc.). Moreover, anarchists have set up self-managed, public-facing archives, many of which can now be accessed online. At the same time, public authorities have sought to reclaim and instrumentalise the memory of anarchism, by naming streets or schools after anarchists, by commissioning commemorative plaques or statues, or by organising exhibitions. Finally, we should not forget that some anarchist spaces have been transformed and reappropriated, usually against the will of anarchists, through phenomena such as touristification, commodification or gentrification.

Submission guidelines

We welcome 500-word proposals, in French or English. They should be sent along with a short biographical note (max. 150 words) to espacesanarchistes@proton.me,

by 26 June 2026.

We will respond by 15 September.

There is some funding available to provide (at least some) financial support to participants who might not be eligible to institutional support. Should you be eligible to some funding, do let us know either in the proposal itself, or in the email you send us.

Organising Committee

• Sarah Albientz (Université de Haute-Alsace)
• Claire Aniel-Buchheit (Sorbonne Université)
• Thomas Beugniet (Université de Nantes)
• Thomas Caubet (Université Paris Cité)
• Léo Grillet (Sciences Po Paris)
• John-Erik Hansson (Université Paris Cité)
• Léo Laglenne (Université de Picardie Jules Verne)