Anarchist Essays Essay #111: Livia K. Stone, ‘Autogestion: Correcting the History of Self-Management’
Dec 22, 2025
Livia K. Stone, an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Illinois State University, dives deep into the history of autogestion, challenging the notion that it originated in 1950s Yugoslavia. She reveals its roots in the Algerian independence movement of the 1960s and discusses how autogestion evolved from a workers' focus to include diverse revolutionary identities. Stone also highlights key figures in its promotion and examines the paradox of its misattributed origins, ultimately arguing for its significance in shaping modern anti-colonial and identity-based movements.
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Autogestion Reframes Revolutionary Subjects
- Autogestion reframes self-management from 'workers' to diverse collective selves like students, women, and indigenous peoples.
- This linguistic shift enabled identity-based social movements and new revolutionary subjects in the 1960s.
Translation Masks Political Weight
- The English translation 'self-management' flattens autogestion's political and cultural resonance.
- French and Spanish uses kept autogestion as a charged, forward-looking concept in 1960s radical literature.
Algeria's Shift From Co-Gestion To Autogestion
- Algeria in 1962 used co-gestion at first, then shifted to autogestion when colonial managers left.
- The term signaled local Algerian control and avoided overt Marxist language to suit anti-colonial politics.