Affinity group

From Infoshop OpenWiki

An affinity group is a small group of activists (usually from 5-20) who work together on direct action. It is a non-hierarchical group, usually made up of trusted friends and other like-minded people. It is a highly effective method of organization, as many actions may require a number of people working on it in different areas. Use of an affinity group also serves to keep information within the group (rather than, say, the police).

The use of affinity groups dates back to 19th century Spain, where they were called tertulias by Spanish anarchists. They became popular again in the 1970's in the anti-nuclear movement in the United States. Today, the tool is used by many different activists: animal rights, environmental, anti-war, and anti-globalization, to name some examples.

The term "affinity group" was coined by Ben Morea of the Motherfuckers. Hearing the spanish word "aficionado" in a discussion with Herbert Marcuse, Murray Bookchin and Tom Neuman, Marcuseâs stepson (and Motherfucker), Ben Morea equated it with the English language word "affinity" while Neuman applied "group" to the end. They sometimes defined it as a "street gang with analysis". In "The Brown Paper Bag Theory of Affinity Groups", the Motherfuckers defined the affinity group as "the seed/ germ/ essence of organization. It is coming- together out of mutual Need or Desire." and the task of anarchist affinity groups is to "form a new cultural whole in which social control is returned to the people -- a social revolution that will charge the content of everyday life, as well as its structure."

A collection of affinity groups working together is called a cluster.