Prefigurativism describes the practice of building, in the present, the social forms one hopes to see in the future. The term comes from political theory and activist traditions, especially within anarchism and feminism, and refers to movements that refuse to wait for distant revolutions or reforms. Instead, they enact desired values now, in the structures of their organizing, their communities, and their daily lives.
Prefigurative politics insists that means and ends cannot be separated. A movement that aims for justice but reproduces hierarchy or exploitation in its methods undermines its own goals. Conversely, practices like horizontal assemblies, mutual aid networks, cooperative economies, or consensus decision-making embody the futures they seek. The action is not only strategic but symbolic, showing that another way of living is already possible.
Prefigurativism redefines politics as a choreography of futures in the present tense. The concept has shaped countercultural experiments, intentional communities, and contemporary social movements, offering a compass for those who wish to live otherwise without waiting for permission.
Image from The Open Encyclopedia of Anthropology.
