Radically Democratic Transformation in Mexico and Kurdistan

This thesis set out to explore how the radically democratic societies of Cherán, Mexico and Mexmûr, Kurdistan and their subjects are transforming each other in a mutually constructive way. It brings the field of radical democracy into the empirical realm of daily life in two case studies. Collecting data from participant exchanges and archives, both thematic and comparative analysis were employed to examine the key hierarchies transformed in each society, limits to prefigurative transformation and the role of the communal subject as a key agent of change. The investigation found that the nature of transformation in radically democratic societies depends largely on the factors stimulating, and the path to, said transformation. Whilst the organic, unplanned nature of Cherán’s continued transformation reflects the initial spontaneous reaction to an event, attempts to transform Mexmûri society are consciously carried out by subjects working towards a vision connected to a wider movement with an emphasis on ideological education.
Radically democratic transformation of society also depends on the priorities of the communal subjects of those societies, as the emerging principal agents of change: whilst Cherán emphasises the ecological transformation, Mexmûri society embraces above all the overturning of the patriarchy. Further, pragmatic limitations shape the prefigurative potential of society in its here and now. The experiences of these two case studies demonstrate the diversity of the nature of pathways to radically democracy, communal subjects’ priorities in transforming society, and the impact of external factors.