User:Kim/reading/Tyranny of Structurelessness

The Tyranny of Structurelessness
by Jo Freeman aka Joreen

www.jofreeman.com

this reading followed the protocol of dry annotation:

1. For every paragraph:
   1. Write short summary in your own words and/or important keywords
2. For every section (sub chapter) of the text:
   1. With the support of 1.1., summarize what you read: what are the key ideas and arguments?
   2. Make a selection of important terms and concepts that you would like to investigate further (glossary fodder)
3. Always:
   1. Mark "?" whenever you don't understand

INTRO

chapter:

development + status quo: fighting overstructuredness with structurelessness

stating problem: we dont get anywhere with 'just' consiousness raising', refusing any structure is denying deying necessary tools : misuse of "no tool" tool

outlook: understand, why structurelessness does not work

p1

leaderless, structureless modes of collective work became intrinsic value of womens lib movement / ideology to fight overstructuredness (of society, elitist political left) - engourages participation and discussion, evoke personal insight did more than personal insight ever result from these groups?, is it their purpose to?

p2

structureless groups exhausted work in consciousness raising blindly believeing in structure/ organization as bad/ opressive is denying ourselves tools we need why does structurelessness not work?

FORMAL AND INFORMAL STRUCTURES

chapter:

all groups are structured dynamics between structurelessness and power (masks)

p3

all groups of people are inherently structured (to flexible and varying conditions) strong/ lucky parties use structurelessness to establish hegemony structurelessness is masking power, only some profit

p4

structures of groups must be explicit to enable participation structurelessness gives informal structure dominant control (over groups) = basis for forming elites question is not wheter we have structured or structureless group, only wether we have formally structured one

THE NATURE OF ELITISM

p5

Any individual alone can never be an elite - an elite is always a group of people, holding power over a lager group of people they are part of a group of friends who participate in the same political activities will become an elite > have informal communication channels outside of regular elites and informal communiaction is not new dynamic, nor specific to women lack of decision on who should exercises power within groups pushes informal criteria (for acceptance to the group) - marriage/ partnership - academia - age ... elites are based on informal patterns that maintain themself

p6

formal decision making allows everyone participation informal structures not necessarily harmful, only when combined to structurelessness which leads to possible consequences: - decision making based on person who voices not significance of voice - lacking obligation to any responsibility for the larger group, makes them dependent on elites interests

THE "STAR" SYSTEM

p7

womens lib movement does not have spokesperson or established systems for mass group opinion like every moevement this too has 'stars' which are then automatically chosen as representatives and public communicators (chosen by public, only removed by public) star system pushes nonresponsible, individualitstic behaviour that movement "works against"

POLITICAL IMPOTENCE

chapter:

structurelessness renders womens lib movements political impotent and unprepared for the tasks that it has to move on to (from consciousness raising to 'political action')

p8

unstructured groups only possibly productive when: task orientied, small and homogenous, high communication, similar skill levels and range downsides: restricts movement action to local level, small groups bring forth informal relations elitism becomes institutionalized as long as friendship groups are main organizational act

p9

lack of perspektive (consciousness raising) and ways of getting forward framework for new informal structures through women joing other movements but staying within womans lib - new elites new elites vs old elites - how can they maintain power? rationalize (explicit) exclusion formally structure group according to informal power dynamic

p10

the more uunstructured a group the less control it has over its own growth, development and action ideas can still 'diffuse' widely, but does not mean they are implemented problems of unstructuredness are not felt in small scope "friendship" networks but reach to limits: politically ineffective/ unable exclusive discrimminating not fitting ones: discrouraged from participating + fitting: dont want to change status quo

p11

(in)'effectiveness' find middleground between domination and ineffectiveness conscious raising is done, movement must move on to other tasks and therefore get organized

PRINCIPLES OF DEMOCRATIC STRUCTURING

p12

letting go structurelessness make room to experiment with different structurings, adjustable to situations nothing bad about structure per se, just blindyl following it or exessive usage

7 points for democratic structuring:

1. Delegation
2. Responsibility
3. distribution of authority
4. rotation of tasks
5. giving tasks along rational criteria
6. access of information to everyone
7. access to resources for everyone