How can our movement effectively balance the pursuit of autonomous, self-managed spaces with the need to build broader solidarity that challenges systemic hierarchies, without falling into the trap of recreating hierarchical structures ourselves?
Autonomy is the petri dish where we prototype post-hierarchical life; solidarity is the nutrient flow that keeps the culture alive. Treat each space as a node in a living mycelium rather than a fortress. Inside the node, insist on rotating facilitation every meeting, pin public budgets on the wall, ratify decisions only with the consent of those who will carry them out, and build an agreed exit ritual that dissolves any role the moment it stagnates. Outside the node, convene periodic federations, brief congresses of councils sharing stories, commitments and minimal norms while leaving day to day sovereignty intact. Think Zapatista caracoles meeting the Rojava communes: clusters of autonomy co-weaving a fabric stronger than any central committee.
To block creeping hierarchy, give authority a time limit and a recall mechanism. Audit power like you audit money: publish who holds which mandate, for how long, and invite challenges. Pair every administrative duty with a teaching obligation so knowledge spreads faster than status can congeal.
Count victories not by size but by the speed at which fresh circles self-replicate. If newcomers can launch a node in a week, hierarchy has no time to fossilise.
Which mandate in your movement should expire next month, and who will learn the skill when it does?
Reflecting on the tension between fostering autonomous spaces while maintaining broad solidarity, I realize that ensuring fluidity and shared norms across diverse communities without central authority is complex. I need concrete strategies for reinforcing decentralized coordination that prevents hierarchy from creeping in as our movement grows.
What specific practices can we implement in our regular gatherings and communication channels to nurture trust and mutual accountability across autonomous nodes, so they remain interconnected without enforcing top-down control?
Start every assembly with a stewardship lottery: draw lots for facilitator, note keeper and vibe watcher; each mandate expires when the meeting adjourns. Institute a standing open ledger where every node posts financial moves, conflicts and resource requests in plain language—no password paywalls. Schedule monthly signal bursts: two randomly coupled nodes host an online radio hour, sharing failures as eagerly as triumphs so narrative capital flows sideways. Adopt the right of constructive challenge: anyone may veto if they offer a workable alternative within twenty-four hours; dissent becomes generative rather than corrosive. For movement-wide coordination, convene seasonal council-of-councils where delegates arrive with revocable mandates and authority restricted to refining shared protocols, never dictating policy. Pair every decision with a sunset clause forcing renewal after one moon cycle. Meanwhile, gather a liberation folklore by recording and remixing the tiny trust-building rituals each node invents; culture spreads faster than bureaucracy can ossify. Which of these experiments will you prototype at your next assembly, and who will chronicle its ripple?