By Art & Anarchy, April 12, 2024
Despite well-documented evidence of its origin, numerous fanciful speculations persist, including within anarchist circles and many libertarian historiographies that explore the symbol’s origin. It’s essential to clarify that we are concerned with the history of an anarchist symbol rather than a specific design. While representations of the letter A enclosed within a circle have certainly existed for centuries, they held no connection to anarchism.
Here are a few true and false statements about the circled A.
→ The circled A has always part of anarchism: False
The connection between the circled A symbol and anarchism is so deeply ingrained that for a significant period, it was believed they were inherently linked and had ancient origins. The lack of information surrounding its inception fostered a sense of mystery, perpetuating this misconception.
