Difference between revisions of "'Socialism or Barbarism' today: the centrality of self-emancipation"

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IIRE – ECOSOCIALIST SCHOOL
December 2018
"Socialism or Barbary" to-day : the centrality of self-emancipation.
"Socialism or Barbary" to-day : the centrality of self-emancipation.
"Transitional strategy" and “Permanent revolution” in contemporary capitalism
"Transitional strategy" and “Permanent revolution” in contemporary capitalism
Lessons from the past and from new struggles  
Lessons from the past and from new struggles  
Catherine Samary http://csamary.free.fr
 
Catherine Samary http://csamary.


OUTLINE
OUTLINE


I - Why “socialism or barbary” to-day ? The impact of the “soviet century” - and its end – on capitalist “policies” and institutions, behind economic dimensions, “long waves” and crisis.
I - Why “socialism or barbary” to-day ? The impact of the “soviet century” - and its end – on capitalist “policies” and institutions, behind economic dimensions, “long waves” and crisis.
I will put emphasis on political and geo-stratgical dimensions behind the crisis of the 1970s as crisis of the capitalist world order – and coubter-revolutionary answers
    • Therefore dual strategic crisis of social-democracy (SD) and of communist parties
    • Gramci = the Old world is dyning ; the new (progressive) one is not yet born
    • Rosa Luxemburg : Socialism or barbarism
Key words and names
IMF (International Monetary Fond / FMI) ; WB World Bank BM) ; GATT and GATS (trade and service General Agreements and negociations) – WTO (World Trade Organisation / OMC)
NATO / OTAN
Mehdi Ben Barka 65 ; Malcolm X 65 ; Che Guevara 67)  Martin Luther King 68
-Pinochet Coup against Allende Chile 1973
Margaret Thatcher (There Is No Alternative = TINA) 1980
Yeltsin Putin


II-  Back on “Socialism” and “communism” : what do we mean ? Lessons from the past and present struggles ; updating notions and debates.  
II-  Back on “Socialism” and “communism” : what do we mean ? Lessons from the past and present struggles ; updating notions and debates.  
The notion of “transitional society between capitalism and socialism”
capitalism as “world-system” (“systeme-monde” = Wallerstein concept) : Core and (semi) peripheral countries / Pays du centre et de la (semi) périphérie
Trotsky's thesis on “uneven and combined development” (and Permanent revolution) to Lenin's April's Thesis = what (world and Russian) “socialist revolution”
Debates on plan/market in industry and agriculture (the “law of value” ?) in post capitalist “transition to socialism” (Bukharin / Preobrajensky...)
Tito (Yugoslav revolution) – 1948 Tito/Stalin split. Statism. Paris Commune. Self-management  (autogestion/autogouvernement)
Self managing communities, organised around specific services + self-management planning + political “Chambers” (Councils)
Karl Polanyi 'The Great Transformation' (1944)


III- What “transitional strategy” to-day ? At what level ? What fundamental demands ?
III- What “transitional strategy” to-day ? At what level ? What fundamental demands ?
Notion of transition program or logics. Bridge between reforms and revolution
Global justice movement / Mouvement altermondialiste
WHO World Health Organisation/ OMS/Organisation mondiale de la santé , World Labor Organization / OMT Organisation ondiale du Travail, (UNESCO) UN Organisation for Education, science and culture
Chavez's questions on “Socialism of the XXIst century” - Michael Lebowicz


Reading materials
 
Questions for working groups
 
Do you know (in your own country or elsewhere) significant examples of the following experiences (you can select what you know more about) :
“Municipalism” or “rebel cities” ?
Fights about “commons” (clarify the concept)
workers or popular forms of “self-managment” in factories, services or local (rural and/or urban territories) ?   
Fights against private banks and financial markets, as supported by the CADTM against “illegitimate debt” (at municipal, national or broader level), or against “toxic credits” ?
 
How can those fights be part of a “transitional” dynamic within/against the capitalist system and logics ? What difficulties, risks, contradictions are they (or could they be) confronted to ? How to deal with them ? What involvement and debates about those experiences among radical left currents ?
 
Reading materials:


1) David Harvey on the commons [http://davidharvey.org/media/Harvey_on_the_Commons.pdf]
1) David Harvey on the commons [http://davidharvey.org/media/Harvey_on_the_Commons.pdf]


2) CADTM  Women, debt and Micro-credit . Final Declaration of CADTM African women's seminar, Bamako, 15-19 November 2017
2) CADTM  Women, debt and Micro-credit . Final Declaration of CADTM African women's seminar, Bamako, 15-19 November 2017
[http://www.cadtm.org/Final-declaration-of-the-Bamako]
[http://www.cadtm.org/Final-declaration-of-the-Bamako]


 
3)  
3) Via Campesina [https://viacampesina.org/en] (3) Who are we?  What are we fighting for?  What are we fighting against? Media and Publications)
Via Campesina [https://viacampesina.org/en] (3) Who are we?  What are we fighting for?  What are we fighting against? Media and Publications)


Building alternatives [https://viacampesina.org/en/wto-building-alternatives-la-via-campesina-organise-peoples-summit-wtos-xi-ministerial-conference-argentina]
Building alternatives [https://viacampesina.org/en/wto-building-alternatives-la-via-campesina-organise-peoples-summit-wtos-xi-ministerial-conference-argentina]


UN  Declaration on peasants’ rights [http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/WGPleasants/A-HRC-WG-15-1-2_En.pdf]
UN  Declaration on peasants’ rights [http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/WGPleasants/A-HRC-WG-15-1-2_En.pdf]


4) Michael Lebowitz : The Spectre of Socialism in the XXIst Century : Build it NOW ! [http://links.org.au/files/pdf/Lebowitz_Dossier_3.pdf]
4) Michael Lebowitz : The Spectre of Socialism in the XXIst Century : Build it NOW ! [http://links.org.au/files/pdf/Lebowitz_Dossier_3.pdf]

Latest revision as of 10:02, 5 December 2018

IIRE – ECOSOCIALIST SCHOOL December 2018

"Socialism or Barbary" to-day : the centrality of self-emancipation. "Transitional strategy" and “Permanent revolution” in contemporary capitalism Lessons from the past and from new struggles

Catherine Samary http://csamary.

OUTLINE

I - Why “socialism or barbary” to-day ? The impact of the “soviet century” - and its end – on capitalist “policies” and institutions, behind economic dimensions, “long waves” and crisis.

II- Back on “Socialism” and “communism” : what do we mean ? Lessons from the past and present struggles ; updating notions and debates.

III- What “transitional strategy” to-day ? At what level ? What fundamental demands ?


Questions for working groups

Do you know (in your own country or elsewhere) significant examples of the following experiences (you can select what you know more about) : “Municipalism” or “rebel cities” ? Fights about “commons” (clarify the concept) workers or popular forms of “self-managment” in factories, services or local (rural and/or urban territories) ? Fights against private banks and financial markets, as supported by the CADTM against “illegitimate debt” (at municipal, national or broader level), or against “toxic credits” ?

How can those fights be part of a “transitional” dynamic within/against the capitalist system and logics ? What difficulties, risks, contradictions are they (or could they be) confronted to ? How to deal with them ? What involvement and debates about those experiences among radical left currents ?

Reading materials:

1) David Harvey on the commons [1]

2) CADTM Women, debt and Micro-credit . Final Declaration of CADTM African women's seminar, Bamako, 15-19 November 2017 [2]

3) Via Campesina [3] (3) Who are we? What are we fighting for? What are we fighting against? Media and Publications)

Building alternatives [4]

UN Declaration on peasants’ rights [5]

4) Michael Lebowitz : The Spectre of Socialism in the XXIst Century : Build it NOW ! [6]