Ecosocialist School 2017

Module 1. Concepts in Marxism

Saturday 18 November, 16.00 Introduction to the school

Sunday 19 November
1 The historical materialist method
- Place of marxism in history
- Historical Materialism
- Marxist critique of political economy
Alex Merlo

Monday 20 November
2 Class: objective definitions, shifting contours, subjective expressions
- Class as a concept
- Historical changes in labor relations since the end of the 19th cc
- Working class today, precarity
Maral Jefroudi

Tuesday 21 November
3 Feminism, Marxism and intersectionality
- Aspects of women’s oppression, the capitalist mode of reproduction and sexual division of labour
- Social reproduction theory
- Feminist struggle and its links with Marxism

Wednesday 22 November
4 LGBTIQ liberation struggles
- Marxist view of LGBTIQ oppression
– heteronormativity, gender identity, racism and imperialism

Thursday 23 November
5 Relationship human society/nature, productivism
- Technology & productivism
- The notion of progress
- Ecosocialist answers
Marijke Colle

Friday 24 November
6 Long waves and crises
- The marxist analysis of crisis, rate of profit
- The theory of long waves
- The neoliberal answer to the crisis since the 1980's

Saturday 25 November
Free day

Module 2. Deepening globalisation and its contradictions

Sunday 26 November
7 Imperialism, from the highest stage of capitalism to globalization
- The classic theory of imperialism
- Permanent revolution versus stageism and campism
- Imperialisms today
Peter Drucker

Monday 27 November
8 China's global role: challenging the US
- The rise of China as a global power
- The changing character of China
- China on the world stage
Pierre Rousset

Tuesday 28 November
9 Neo-Colonialism, imperialism and struggles in Africa
- Economic point of view
- The political genesis of the Continent
- Overview of the social and political situation

Wednesday 29 November
10 [[A balance sheet of the progressive cycle in Latin-America] - Experiences with different kinds of 'progressive governments' (Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Bolivia)
- The so-called 'pink tide' and the start of a new cycle?
- Popular power and the state Sebastien Brulez

Thursday 30 November
11 The Middle East today
- Socio-economic roots of the Arab uprising and dynamics of the process
- Reactionary counter-offensives and the role of the Left
- Syria and imperialist interventions
Joseph Daher

Friday 1 December
12 EU imperialism
- History of the EU as a project for the formation of an European bourgeoisie
- The contradictions in the EU leading to the current political and economic crisis
- Greece and Brexit

Saturday 2 December
Free day

Module 3. Strategic questions in changing the world

Sunday 3 December
13 Climate change and social transformation
- Linking climate change and social struggles
- Sustainability and democracy
- Transitional demands
Manuel Garí Ramos

Monday 4 December
14 14- Fundamentalism/ Religion and Politics
- Marxist view of religion
- Global rise of religious identities as a world-wide phenomenon
- Far right, religious fundamentalism

Tuesday 5 December
15 The anti-racist struggle
- Historical roots of racism in colonialism and imperialism
- Institutional racism and racist ideologies today
- Migration and migrant solidarity

Wednesday 6 December
16 The feminist challenge in changing society, feminizing our perspectives and our movements
- The role of the women's movement
- Centrality of women's oppression in liberation struggles
- Feminist policies in revolutionary parties
Penny Duggan

Thursday 7 December
17 Road to power: a transitional approach
- The centrality of self-emancipation
- The role of the capitalist state and bourgeois democracy
- A transitional approach today
Catherine Samary

Friday 8 December
18 The strategic importance of internationalism and the role of an international
- Historical aspects of the Four internationals
- World capitalism and internationalism
- The FI today

Saturday 9 December Evaluation, cleaning

• 9.30-10.10: Lecture. Part 1

• 10.10-10.20: Break

• 10.20-11.00: Lecture. Part 2

• 11.00-11.10: Break

• 11.10-11:50: Lecture. Part 3

• 11.50-12.00: Break

• 12.00-12.30: Questions and answers

• 12.30-15.00: Lunch and time for individual reading

• 15.00-16.30: Discussion in language groups

• 16.30-17.10: Final discussion, starting with reports from the group. Part 1

• 17.10-17.20 Break

• 17.20-17.50 Final discussion. Part 2

• 17.50-18.00: Break

• 18.00-18.30: country report or final discussion