Youth School 2015

Final programme

Wednesday 19/08 Arrivals, introduction. The Fourth International
- Starting at 4 pm.

• The Fourth International and Socialist Resistance (An article introducing the FI today)

Thursday 20/08
1. Introduction to our critical Marxism
- Marx's materialism: The Theses on Feuerbach. Self-emancipation.
- Introduction to historical materialism: The notions of base and superstructure.
- Introduction to the Marxist critique of political economy: use value, exchange value, surplus value, exploitation.

Friday 21/08
2. Marx and ecology , the global ecological crisis
- Climate crisis, biodiversity crisis, energy crisis and link with the capitalist mode of production.
- The notion of progress put into question, struggle of indigenous peoples, land grabbing etc.
- Our ecosocialist answers

Saturday 22/08
3. The working class today
- What is the working class? The notion of class in Marx and marxism
- The changes in the class composition of the working class during the late 20th Century
- The problem of class conciousness and intersecting identities

Sunday 23/08
4.Imperialism and new emerging powers in the 21st Century - Peter Drucker
- Classic theory on imperialism
- US Imperialism since WW2
- The emergence of new powers - towards a multipolar world?

Monday 24/08
5. Women's liberation and LGTB struggles - Nadia De Mond
- A Marxist-feminist analysis of women’s oppression and exploitation
- Gender, sexuality, intersectionality: the question of oppression in a broader framework
- LGBTQ theories and struggles
Tuesday 25/08 Day off

Wednesday 26/08
6. The global economic crisis - Jean Claude Vessillier
- Historical origin of the crisis: the neoliberal era
- Marxist analysis of the crisis : falling rate of profit, over accumulation, etc.
- Nature and possible outcomes of the current crisis

Thursday 27/08
7. Revolution and repression in the Middle-East
– The structural causes of the Arab revolts
– The reactionary counter-offensive
- The role of the left and the revolutionaries in these movements

Friday 28/08
8. Europe in crisis
- The authoritarian and austerian offensive in Europe
- The state of the European Left (from the Left party to anti-capitalists)
- Southern Europe as the laboratory of the crisis and the focal point of resistance

Saturday 29/08
9. The Fourth International and strategic debates - Alex de Jong
- Our strategic goal
- The role of the revolutionary party
- How can broad parties be a bridge between where we are now and what we want

Sunday 30/08
10. Evaluation and general cleaning

Structure of the day

• 9.00-9.40: Lecture part 1

• 9.40-9.50: Break

• 9.50-10.30: Lecture Part 2

• 10.30-10.40: Break

• 10.40-11:20: Lecture Part 3

• 11.20-11.30: Break

• 11.30-12.00: Questions and answers

• 12.00-15.00: Lunch and time for individual reading

• 15.00-16.30: Discussion in language groups

• 16.30-18.00: Final discussion starting with reports from the group

• 18.00-20.30: Reading time

• 20.30: Evening meal