bolo'bolo

bolo'bolo is a 1983 book by P.M., a pseudonym of Hans Widmer, known for describing a utopia.

bolo'bolo
AuthorP.M.
Publication date
1983

Synopsis

bolo'bolo is presented as a dictionary of invented words that describe a global social order. A "bolo" is an intentional community formed of about 500 "ibus", or individual egos. The intentional community is described through its lifestyle ("nima"), hospitality ("sila"), and agrarian self-sufficiency ("kodu"), among other traits. Multiple intentional communities together form a socioeconomic network known as "bolo'bolo". The communities trade with gifts, barter, and possibly markets.[1]

It opens with futuristic fiction connecting the history of civilization to its dissolution. The story begins with Paleolithic nomadism that progresses to land cultivation and settlement followed by hierarchy and domination through industralization and work. He describes an expanding "Work-and-War Machine" or "Planetary Work-Machine" that destroy environments and animal populations and ameliorate war as a suitable deliverance. He describes the Machine as decentrally orchestrated by corporations, international finance, cops, soldiers, and bureaucrats, who each independently increase their control over others, making resistance impossible and utopias likely to replicate societal conditions. He concludes to create an alternative reality through subversion and construction ("substruction").[2]

The book's loose structure and short length leaves the reader to interpret how its details fit together, rather than offering explicit answers. For example, it does not say what apparatus the intentional communities or individuals use to self-govern. bolo'bolo's approach is anti-capitalist and anti-state, and is written to be practiced. One section includes steps to foment a global revolution.[1]

Publication history

Hans Widmer wrote bolo'bolo under the pseudonym P.M.[2] It was first published in 1983 in Switzerland.[1] The book received multiple translations.[1]

Legacy

bolo'bolo developed a cult following among European anarchists.[3]

References
  1. Seyferth, Peter (2009). "Anarchism and Utopia". In Amster, Randall; DeLeon, Abraham; Fernandez, Luis; Nocera II, Anthony J.; Shannon, Deric (eds.). Contemporary Anarchist Studies: An Introductory Anthology of Anarchy in the Academy. New York: Routledge. p. 287. ISBN 978-0-415-47402-3.
  2. Kinna, Ruth (2020). "Transitory Utopias (Chapter 4)". The Government of No One: The Theory and Practice of Anarchism. Pelican Books. ISBN 978-0-14-198466-7. Published in 1983, Hans Widmer's anti-capitalist utopia, bolo'bolo ...
  3. Bassanelli, Michela; Salvadeo, Pierluigi (August 3, 2022). Towards a Sustainable Post Pandemic Society. LetteraVentidue Edizioni. ISBN 978-88-6242-781-4. bolo'bolo ... which has become a real cult among European anarchists

Further reading
  • AGA/hel (January 1989). "Rev. of Bolo'Bolo". Schwarzer Faden (in German) (30): 61–62.
  • Brisotto, Carla; Oliveira, Fabiano Lemes de, eds. (2022). Re-Imagining Resilient Productive Landscapes: Perspectives from Planning History. Springer Nature. ISBN 978-3-030-90445-6.
  • Cohn, Jesse (2015). Underground Passages: Anarchist Resistance Culture, 1848–2011. AK Press. ISBN 978-1-84935-201-7.
  • D'Idler, Martin (November 2007). "»bolo'bolo« (1983) von P. M." (PDF). UTOPIE kreativ (205): 1066–1071. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  • Schmid, Susanne; Eberle, Dietmar; Hugentobler, Margrit, eds. (2019). A History of Collective Living: Models of Shared Living. Birkhäuser. ISBN 978-3-0356-1868-6.
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