A Reevaluation of the Critiques of Anarchism in Hinkelammert Four Decades Later

Abstract

This work re-evaluates, from Franz Hinkelammert's critical perspective, his analysis of anarchism four decades after his work Critique of Utopian Reason. It examines how Hinkelammert reframes the utopian as an inherent component of modern social projects but challenges anarchism for remaining trapped within the limits of Western modernity. The study addresses three central dimensions: his pioneering denunciation of anarcho-capitalism as a falsification of the authentic anarchist tradition; his choice of Ricardo Flores Magón as a Latin American representative of anarchism, while omitting his indigenous communal dimension; and his Marxist stance regarding the role of the State, which replicates the classic division between the two traditions (Marxism and anarchism). Through a non-linear analysis, the nuances scattered throughout his work are articulated, proposing a re-evaluation that integrates both the utopian potential of anarchism and its tensions with revolutionary institutionality.