The circled A is a symbol so widespread, so widely recognized and
disseminated that it has come to be taken as a traditional symbol of
anarchism, seeming to have existed forever. Some rumours trace its
origin back to the Spanish Revolution: young anarchists are more
accustomed to seeing a circled A than the clearly discernible target
painted on a militiaman's helmet as seen in a photo with Durruti. Some
believe it refers to Proudhon, encapsulating his idea of Anarchy in
Order. In fact, it is a recent phenomenon in libertarian iconography:
the circled A was invented in Paris in 1964 and reinvented in Milan in
1966. Two dates, two birthplaces? Let's take a closer look.
It was in April 1964, on the cover of the Jeunes Libertaires bulletin,
that the Groupe JL de Paris drew the symbol it was proposing "to the
whole anarchist movement" across the different currents, groups, and
organisations. "It stems from two primary motivations. Firstly, it aims
to streamline and expedite the creation of wall inscriptions and
posters, and secondly, to enhance the visibility of the anarchist
movement within society by incorporating a common element shared across
all anarchist expressions in the public sphere. Specifically, our
objective was to minimize the time required for creating wall
inscriptions by avoiding the need for lengthy signatures beneath our
slogans while also selecting a symbol broad enough to be embraced and
utilized by all anarchists. We believe the proposed symbol best fulfils
these criteria. By consistently pairing it with the term "anarchist," it
will trigger associations with anarchism in people's minds".
The 1964 JL proposal had no success, except for some graffiti in the
corridors of the Paris metro - let's not forget that at that time,
leaflets and newspapers were printed either on stencils (a fragile
medium) or in conventional letterpress, so a lead plate showing an A in
a circle would have been necessary. In December of the same year, the
circled A appeared in the title of an article by Tomás[Ibañez]in the
newspaper Action Libertaire. The Jeunes Libertaires network, which in
the early sixties included several groups throughout France, had
weakened: regional bulletins no longer appeared, and the Paris bulletin
was inactive from 1965 to 1967. However, several "JL" would later be at
the forefront of the May '68 movement. End of the first chapter.
Tomás Ibañez in 2024
The proposed symbol is a capital A inscribed in a circle; Tomás Ibañez
(pictured) is the initiator, and René Darras is the designer. Where did
the idea come from? From the simplicity of the design, from the already
widespread anti-nuclear sign of the CND (Campaign for Nuclear
Disarmament), or from other inspirations?
The Alliance Ouvrière Anarchiste (Anarchists Workers Alliance) claims to
have used it in its correspondence from the late 1950s, thus marking its
initials AOA, but it did not appear in its bulletin L'Anarchie until
June 1968.
It wasn't until 1966 that the circled A symbol was used experimentally,
and then, in 1968, it was used regularly by the Gioventù libertaria of
Milan, which maintained fraternal relations with the young Parisians.
These two groups formed the European Liaison Committee of Young
Anarchists (CLJA). It was then that the public life of the symbol began.
The first time we saw it was in Milan, where it was used as the usual
signature on leaflets and posters of young anarchists, sometimes in
association with the anti-nuclear symbol and the apple of the Dutch
Provos. It spread throughout Italy and then worldwide, but hardly any
circled A was seen during the Paris May of 1968, with the first traces
appearing only in 1972-73. During those years, the popularity of the
circled A exploded and was appropriated and imitated by young anarchists
worldwide. It was so successful that if its inventor had patented it,
he'd be a billionaire today...
Why this rapid and striking success? Basically, it was due to the same
reasons for which the JL proposed the symbol: firstly, it's extremely
easy to draw, as simple as a cross or a star, simpler than the swastika
or the sickle and hammer. Secondly, a new, young movement, in full
development, had learned to write on walls and was seeking a
recognizable symbol.
That is how the circled A came to be adopted, without any organisation
or group ever thinking to decree its use and in the absence of any other
international graphic symbol for anarchists (who sometimes used outdated
symbols, like the torch in Italy).
So that's the true story of the circled A, made of conscious will and
spontaneity: a typically libertarian cocktail. Any other story is merely
legend.
Amedeo Bertolo, Marianne Enckell
https://www.afed.cz/text/8160/acko-expanze-do-ulic
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
disseminated that it has come to be taken as a traditional symbol of
anarchism, seeming to have existed forever. Some rumours trace its
origin back to the Spanish Revolution: young anarchists are more
accustomed to seeing a circled A than the clearly discernible target
painted on a militiaman's helmet as seen in a photo with Durruti. Some
believe it refers to Proudhon, encapsulating his idea of Anarchy in
Order. In fact, it is a recent phenomenon in libertarian iconography:
the circled A was invented in Paris in 1964 and reinvented in Milan in
1966. Two dates, two birthplaces? Let's take a closer look.
It was in April 1964, on the cover of the Jeunes Libertaires bulletin,
that the Groupe JL de Paris drew the symbol it was proposing "to the
whole anarchist movement" across the different currents, groups, and
organisations. "It stems from two primary motivations. Firstly, it aims
to streamline and expedite the creation of wall inscriptions and
posters, and secondly, to enhance the visibility of the anarchist
movement within society by incorporating a common element shared across
all anarchist expressions in the public sphere. Specifically, our
objective was to minimize the time required for creating wall
inscriptions by avoiding the need for lengthy signatures beneath our
slogans while also selecting a symbol broad enough to be embraced and
utilized by all anarchists. We believe the proposed symbol best fulfils
these criteria. By consistently pairing it with the term "anarchist," it
will trigger associations with anarchism in people's minds".
The 1964 JL proposal had no success, except for some graffiti in the
corridors of the Paris metro - let's not forget that at that time,
leaflets and newspapers were printed either on stencils (a fragile
medium) or in conventional letterpress, so a lead plate showing an A in
a circle would have been necessary. In December of the same year, the
circled A appeared in the title of an article by Tomás[Ibañez]in the
newspaper Action Libertaire. The Jeunes Libertaires network, which in
the early sixties included several groups throughout France, had
weakened: regional bulletins no longer appeared, and the Paris bulletin
was inactive from 1965 to 1967. However, several "JL" would later be at
the forefront of the May '68 movement. End of the first chapter.
Tomás Ibañez in 2024
The proposed symbol is a capital A inscribed in a circle; Tomás Ibañez
(pictured) is the initiator, and René Darras is the designer. Where did
the idea come from? From the simplicity of the design, from the already
widespread anti-nuclear sign of the CND (Campaign for Nuclear
Disarmament), or from other inspirations?
The Alliance Ouvrière Anarchiste (Anarchists Workers Alliance) claims to
have used it in its correspondence from the late 1950s, thus marking its
initials AOA, but it did not appear in its bulletin L'Anarchie until
June 1968.
It wasn't until 1966 that the circled A symbol was used experimentally,
and then, in 1968, it was used regularly by the Gioventù libertaria of
Milan, which maintained fraternal relations with the young Parisians.
These two groups formed the European Liaison Committee of Young
Anarchists (CLJA). It was then that the public life of the symbol began.
The first time we saw it was in Milan, where it was used as the usual
signature on leaflets and posters of young anarchists, sometimes in
association with the anti-nuclear symbol and the apple of the Dutch
Provos. It spread throughout Italy and then worldwide, but hardly any
circled A was seen during the Paris May of 1968, with the first traces
appearing only in 1972-73. During those years, the popularity of the
circled A exploded and was appropriated and imitated by young anarchists
worldwide. It was so successful that if its inventor had patented it,
he'd be a billionaire today...
Why this rapid and striking success? Basically, it was due to the same
reasons for which the JL proposed the symbol: firstly, it's extremely
easy to draw, as simple as a cross or a star, simpler than the swastika
or the sickle and hammer. Secondly, a new, young movement, in full
development, had learned to write on walls and was seeking a
recognizable symbol.
That is how the circled A came to be adopted, without any organisation
or group ever thinking to decree its use and in the absence of any other
international graphic symbol for anarchists (who sometimes used outdated
symbols, like the torch in Italy).
So that's the true story of the circled A, made of conscious will and
spontaneity: a typically libertarian cocktail. Any other story is merely
legend.
Amedeo Bertolo, Marianne Enckell
https://www.afed.cz/text/8160/acko-expanze-do-ulic
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
Geen opmerkingen:
Een reactie posten