Sophie Scott-Brown: Liberal democracies are backsliding worldwide. Could anarchy help?

Anarchy in the UK – and beyond. The historian Sophie Scott-Brown on why liberal democracies could benefit from anarchism.

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For many, anarchism may conjure scenes of disarray and chaos, or perhaps even riotous punk rock shows in dingy basement venues. But in this video, the historian Sophie Scott-Brown, a self-described anarchist, reframes anarchism as a movement that can be practically applied to, and even strengthen, contemporary liberal democracies. In a wide-ranging interview, Scott-Brown discusses the form of anarchy she ascribes to – pacifist, centred on direct democracy, and not inherently opposed to all forms of leadership structures – as well as the thinkers and personal experiences that influenced her.