autonomist

Autonomist, or autonomist politics, denotes a political tendency that places emphasis on autonomy of individuals, communities, and associations from centralized state or capitalist structures. It encompasses a broad spectrum of left-wing currents that advocate self-organization, direct action, and social self-management. The label is often applied to groups that reject traditional parliamentary methods and top-down trade unions, arguing that real change must be built through autonomous, grassroots networks and prefigurative practices.

Historically, the term gained prominence in Italy during the 1960s–70s as part of the Autonomia Operaia (Workers' Autonomy) movement and its loosely organized followers, sometimes simply called "autonomists." They sought to organize outside conventional unions and political parties, focusing on workplace occupation, anti-capitalist agitation, and solidarity among workers, students, and marginalized groups. Influential thinkers associated with autonomist currents include Mario Tronti and Toni Negri, among others, who contributed to Marxist and post-Marxist analyses emphasizing the active role of social movements in producing new forms of social relations.

Philosophically and methodologically, autonomists stress prefiguration—creating the social relations of the desired future in the present; they favor horizontal, informal networks, federations, and affinity groups, rather than centralized leadership. They are often associated with critiques of reformist approaches and state-centric strategies, though the spectrum ranges from mutualist and anarchist to certain socialist tendencies.

In later years, scholars have described "post-autonomist" approaches that refine or critique earlier positions, and some activists continue to identify with autonomous practice in various regions worldwide. Criticisms include questions about sustainability, organizational coherence, and the violence associated with some tactics.

See also: Autonomia Operaia; Autonomism; Prefiguration; Post-autonomism; Anarchism.