Olivia Domínguez Prieto and Juan Mora-Torres at the book presentation at La Catrina Cafe in Chicago. Foto: El BeiSMan
The cold seemed to have finally embedded itself in Chicago, planting roots and making plans to stay. Ice layered on top of the city sidewalks, offering up only a tiny sliver of concrete to walk on. Heading west on 18th Street just past the abandoned railroad tracks, a faint light could be seen penetrating a wood-framed door. As the clock inched towards 6:00 p.m. people filed inside to catch La Catrina Cafe’s first event of the new year.
Olivia Domínguez Prieto of the Escuela Nacional de Antropología e Historia, de México and Palabra de Clío A.C. traveled from her homeland of México City to Chicago to present her new book, El Anarquismo en México. While anarchy is typically addressed with negative connotations, Prieto set out to deconstruct that notion in her book.
Before Prieto dove into her book, Juan Mora-Torres, El BeiSMan’s Board President and Associate Professor of Latin American History at DePaul University, gave audience members a brief outline of Prieto’s work while simultaneously providing a thorough account of the growth of the anarchist movement throughout history. While many South American countries such as Brazil, Argentina and Chile were heavily influenced by anarchist movements throughout Europe, anarchy in México took a much different route.
With a lull in activity between 1930 and 1960, anarchism in México resurfaced, or reestablished itself publicly, at the height of the Cold War when communism and leftist ways of thinking were largely present around Latin America and Europe. As many anarchists were exiled to the United States, it was here where they organized themselves while being incarcerated and where they were also exposed to different ethnic groups and cultures. They returned to México with a broader world view and new forms of organizing, motivated to continue with a fresh perspective.
More often than not the word anarchist or anarchy is equated with words like ‘criminal,’ ‘violent,’ ‘destructive’ and ‘delinquent.’ As a result of the political discourse and representation in the media during the 1960’s, the assignment of these words to define the anarchist movement has transcended into the 21st century. In today’s society, social movements and individuals with leftist ways of thinking often times fall under the definition of being anarchists or rebels. In her book, Prieto details how anarchism, specifically in México, is about something much bigger that revolves around a common good for all of society and the importance of community rather than the individual.
After Prieto thanked those in the audience for bearing the cold and coming out to welcome her back to Chicago, the floor was opened up for a question and answer session that yielded some enticing conversation. In a world of instant access and the Internet, the question of anonymity was addressed. Whereas anarchists used to rely on written letters and more personal forms of communication, the digital age has caused that process to evolve and become much more immediate. As individuals become increasingly more savvy with the Internet, the prospect of using bitcoins, a form of digital currency, to fund movements and events was raised as a topic of conversation. Among those in attendance driving the discussion were local residents apart of Pilsen’s ‘Narco-Punk’ scene, an extension of the longstanding punk community in Pilsen.
Chicago’s Pilsen community has not always been viewed as a staple in the history of Chicago’s punk music scene. However, Los Crudos, a heavily influential punk band in Chicago during the 1990’s helped to cement Pilsen as a haven for punk. The band’s commitment to the movement has helped keep the anarchist and punk movement alive and well in Pilsen, evident with the current emergence of the ‘Narco-Punk’ scene. Most recently, Little Village’s annual Villapalooza street festival this past year featured many current punk bands including the Puerto Rican group Tropiezo, and Sin Orden, Eske, Nahuales Underground and Vitamin Brainwash from Chicago’s Pilsen and Little Village communities. As Prieto reiterated time and time again, the future of anarchism is in the hands of the youth.
As the night came to a close the true colors of the new anarchist movement illuminated the room. Seated in front of the stage that Prieto had just occupied, a new circle emerged where Prieto was accompanied by several local community members for further discussion. This wasn’t just a space for Prieto to showcase her work, but more so a space for collective collaboration where those in attendance could share their experiences with her and she could relate them back to her own in México. Ideas bounced off of those in the circle like boomerangs, coming back shaped with a new perspective after absorbing what the others had to say. Unfolding in front of everyone was the new anarchist movement at work, working together to create something better, not just for Pilsen or Chicago or México, but for everyone.
El Anarquismo en México book at La Catrina Café. Foto: El BeiSMan
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Parker Asmann is a 2015 graduate of DePaul University with degrees in Journalism and Spanish, along with a minor in Latin American and Latino Studies. He is currently residing in Chicago while focusing on issues of social justice and human rights. He is a member of El BeiSMans Editorial Board.
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