Colin Ward not only "believed that anarchist principles could be discerned in everyday human realities and impulses" (Obituaries, 23 February)—he was also a remarkable identifier and chronicler of them. Back in 1994, having allayed the dean of the faculty's concerns that "Britain's most famous anarchist" would incite the students to riot, I arranged for Colin to spend a period as a guest lecturer at the University of Humberside.
On the night before one of his lectures, we were sat in a pub where an Irish jam session was taking place. As the 20 or more randomly assembled and un-led group of musicians successfully made the transition from one jaunty tune to another, Colin turned to me and noted: "That's anarchism."
I've used the example ever since when needing to challenge the widespread tendency to confuse "anarchy" with "chaos."
Dr. Stuart Wilks-Heeg
School of Sociology and Social Policy
University of Liverpool
Today's Guardian letters.
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