Authors

Discussion

This paper is based on the analysis of a historically turbulent period in Central and Eastern European history: the collapse of the Soviet Union. While there is general agreement on the disruptive nature of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the conceptualisations of this disruption differ. This paper seeks to identify the conceptualisation and instrumentalisation of ‘disruption’ by looking at the views and practices of an underexplored radical political movement that was active in the late Soviet sphere: the re-emerging anarchist movement. This underexplored movement emerged in the late 80s with the gradual opening up of Soviet society. The collapse of the Soviet Union combined with the apparent failure of Marxist ideology and the introduction of Gorbachev’s ‘perestroika’ and ‘glasnost’ provided late Soviet anarchists with a unique opportunity to propose a radical restructuring of society; raising the question of what extent (the imagining of) a radical reconfiguration of society and geopolitical space was possible in an increasingly globalised and interlinked world. As such, anarchists highlight the importance of examining the nature of disruption. As anarchists show, the way disruption is conceptualised and instrumentalised is crucial in disruptive times, as disruptive ideas and actions can easily be incorporated into new power structures. In an attempt to transgress established ways of resistance, the movement proposes and instrumentalises disruptive behaviour (in an attempt) to bring about a radical transformation of society. This paper will distinguish between the negative anarchist conceptualisation of disruption, such as the limits that constitute or appear as a result of disruption, as well as the positive aspects of disruption, such as its reformative and/or transformative potential. By doing so, this paper aims to offer a unique contribution to the debate around the conceptualisation and instrumentalisation of disruption.