“Punk still means much more than fashion,
A movement made that no one can change,
It’s a form of rebellion; it comes from the street”

- Conflict, “Punk Inn’it”

In the 1970s, punk rock emerged in England. The emergence of punk can be traced to a number of different factors and historical events. There is an ongoing debate over which bands were punk, what bands were precursors to punk, and all of that. In my opinion, that’s for record nerds and punk historians to figure out—I’m much more interested in the social context out of which punk emerged and how it challenged the status quo. In England, the punk scene arose in part as a reaction to the country’s poor economic condition. Countless youth were unable to find jobs, existing industries were in a period of transition, and the country as a whole was going through economic changes. Moreover, the political climate was changing after the decline of the global left movement in the 1960s and 1970s and there was a gradual shift towards the right that would culminate in the election of Margaret Thatcher.

Out of this context, punk rock emerged—and interestingly—brought along a renewed interest in anarchism. Anarchism—a political ideology seeking the eradication of all forms of hierarchy and the building of a new society based on principles of cooperation and mutual aid—fit well with the emerging politics of the punk scene. The early punk scene would largely ignore the more nuanced aspects of anarchism, and instead focused on the “destruction of the existing order” component of anarchism. The Sex Pistols screamed about “Anarchy in the U.K.” and while their interpretation of anarchism (and their politics generally) owes more to reaction than clear analysis, it was the beginning of a long relationship between punk rock and anarchism.

Whereas young punks rejected much of the dominant culture, anarchism was a political ideology that sought as its goal to destroy that culture all together. It offers a new way of living and its rejection of political action (in the sense of electoral politics and governments) was appealing to punks who saw that the state was unwilling or unable to help them. Emerging out of the political and social context of 1970s England, it is really no surprise that anarchism would see a resurgence. When young punks looked at what the country had to offer to them, it was easy to believe that there was no future. At this time, punk’s version of anarchism was associated with nihilism and the view that anarchy was chaos and disorder, rather than a political ideology that offered an option for both the future as well as the here and now. In the ensuing years, Crass—and the anarcho-punk explosion that followed—would greatly advance anarchist politics in the punk scene, so much so that in many cases anarchism became the default political position. Moreover, punk rock provided significant numbers of recruits to the anarchist movement and became the vehicle through which many anarchists become politicized.

Of course, the above history is incomplete and I gloss over many things, but what can you expect in a page? Still, while many of the generalizations hold true, it would be a mistake to say that once Crass came along that the relationship between punk rock and anarchism was entirely symbiotic and the punk scene adopted the values inherent in anarchism. Unfortunately, this hasn’t been the case. Instead, while anarchism continues to play an important role in the punk scene, it has manifested itself in three main ways, two of which are problematic.

Remember when I mentioned The Sex Pistols above and said that their interpretation of anarchism was more akin to nihilism than anarchism? Sadly, this interpretation of anarchism continues to carry a lot of sway in the punk scene. Many punks interpret “anarchism” or “anarchy” as a state of chaos or disorder and use “anarchy” as a means of justify all manner of ridiculous behavior. “Punx” are “anarchists,” because they will hit you in the pit, smash glass in your driveway at house shows, and piss on your couch. Their leather jackets are adorned with Circled A’s, but the politics behind the symbol go largely unexamined, aside from an occasional anti-police song. Anarchy represents a rejection of the dominant culture’s values. Anarchism means to each their own and everything goes. There are no common standards, values, or responsibility—there are no rules and none apply to them (or anyone else). There is no consistent anarchist politics and indeed rather than political consciousness, this form of anarchism and punk is often surprisingly apolitical and apathetic. While this is all problematic in obvious ways, it is doubly problematic in that it reinforces stereotypes of anarchism from the late 1800s and early 1900s when critics of anarchism (both on the left and the right) asserted that anarchists sought only chaos and dismissed the revolutionary anarchist project.

Anarchism has also manifested itself in the punk scene as a means of individualized rebellion. Many punks become anarchists or adopt an anarchist analysis of the dominant culture after hearing anarcho-punk bands, reading political zines, or otherwise being exposed to anarchist politics in the punk scene. However, given the nature of the anarchist movement, there are often few venues for which punks can get involved in doing anarchist work. Short of starting your own project or anarchist band with friends—or joining an existing project if your city has one—there is relatively little for anarchist punks to do to express their politics. In response, many punks go to great lengths to reject the dominant culture. Some, seeing the violence inherent in landlordism, squat while others travel across the country. Some become freegan and try to reject the consumerism of the dominant culture. Others learn to grow their own food and incorporate punk’s D.I.Y. politics into all facets of their lives. Many punks use anarchism’s critique of politics to reject political activism and eschew any type of organizing efforts. Unfortunately, this individualized manifestation of anarchism—however praiseworthy some of the individual actions are—is problematic in that it represents no organized challenge to the system.

Finally, for many in the punk scene, anarchism has become more than just a way to live your life, interact within the punk scene, or view the world—it has been a motivating factor for working to destroy the dominant culture and build alternatives. Many anarchist punks have taken the ideas of anarchism and sought to use those to make strides towards the new world that anarchism seeks. Punks have gotten involved in community gardening projects, started sharing discarded food with those in need via Food Not Bombs, organized protests, opened collective houses, and organized riots. Punks have been involved in infoshops, anarchist collectives, done prisoner support work, liberated animals, and more. They’ve kicked racists out of their scenes and communities via Anti-Racist Action, helped to bring the neoliberal trade agreements of the Clinton years to a halt via the anti-globalization movement, and participated in anarchist networks such as Love and Rage. Other punks have sought to advance the fusion of punk rock and anarchism, through projects such as Profane Existence or the Anarcho-Punk Federation. In these cases, anarchism has been a means of challenging the dominant culture and punk is a base from which to build.

Anarchism arose within the punk scene out of a specific context—1970s England—but its influence has transcended that limited context and anarchism remains an important component of the punk scene. Anarchism adds to punk’s rejection of the dominant culture and expands on it, moving beyond fashion and music to challenge hierarchies and the state itself. Moreover, anarchism can give coherence to the broadly anti-authoritarian/left-wing politics of punk and it can be a helpful way of making sense of the world. Anarchism is at once a response to claims that punk’s rejection of politics (defined as participation in the electoral system) is apathetic as well as providing ideas for political action outside the electoral system. In a world that is literally being destroyed by capitalism, anarchism is the only sane response.

“It is an inspiration to see that anarcho-punks in Mexico are working with the Zapatistas. Publications like Profane Existence have been promoting an international punk movement. We are even moving beyond this subculture to work within a larger society and commit ourselves to multicultural organizing, connecting ourselves to other subcultures of rebellion, and promoting the concepts of mutual aid, solidarity and revolution.”

- Resist and Exist, “Insurrectionist Deed”