Michael Knapp (1)

This book is not about philosophy. It is a biased description of reality. It is neither a justification or an argument. It is simply a description.

It is important that you know about it. I try to hold hope in my heart for Rojava. I also worry.

*Revolution in Rojava* is a description of the founding of Rojava and the sociopolitical activity in the region that challenges and maintains it as an entity. Rojava is a democratic confederacy made of independent cantons of villages and cities in northern Syria. The idea is that instead of a Kurdish ethnostate, what if radical democracy prevailed, such that everything was self-governing: communes, neighborhoods, villages, cities, cantons, all made of panels of citizens who discuss and, in the face of disagreement, vote, about nearly everything. And what if, as a fundamental part of the platform, 40% of all panels or groups are women.

The book does not do much in the way of philosophical discussion of why this is the best setup for the region, though it does discuss how the diversity in the region makes this the most agreeable *for everyone*. It does not investigate why and how communalism or democratic confederacy is, say, better than liberal humanism. It does, at times, get sidetracked by the need to state what sounds like rehearsed philosophical declarations, but the arguments are few and far between.

It does not discuss things *in terms of* liberal humanism, either: what of the individual who is unjustly accused? How do you prevent the spread of fads, of unjustified claims? How do you make sure there is no persecution against queer people, people out of social norms, or people who seek to change those norms? There’s no discussion at all of liberated sexuality or other individual-focused traits. There’s only the collective. Which is a little worrying for such a thorough description of a people and a time. I do wonder what mistakes the panels have made, what storm winds of the people’s imagination they’ve weathered, and how their composition helped or hindered truth and justice. This is why I say this book is biased.

I hope Rojava succeeds. I try to maintain hope in my heart for them; the book asks that much of the reader, that you believe in their project, and their people, enough to maintain that hope in the face of the constant onslaught of Salafism and similarly imperial movements in the area, from all over. What’s happening in Syria is a proxy war between so many different groups with different agendas, fighting on behalf of this country one day, and another the next. Borders, alliances, discussions in the UN and NATO, all are meaningless on the ground and in the dirt.

You should be paying attention.… (plus d'informations)