Freedom is interdependency: intellectual openings for contemporary anarchist thought into relational sociology

This article presents the theoretical affinity between relational sociology and contemporary anarchist thought, two intellectual trends that found resonance and gained momentum in the post-Cold War globalized milieu of the early 21st century. The point of convergence is the concept of relation, ontologically used by relational sociologists to overcome the dualism between structure and agency and by anarchist thinkers to reconcile the aspiration for both individual and collective freedom. Using Francois Depelteau’s ideational core for relational sociology as a guide, I analyze three contemporary anarchist works and argue that the theory of society underlying anarchist thought and praxis is a form of radical relational sociology. This theoretical affinity presents an interesting intellectual opening into sociology for anarchist thought, which points to a promising direction for a relational sociological theory of freedom.