Sergio Tzotzes: Resistance, Change and Alternatives: Tracing a Modern Left Strategy

It is worth highlighting that knowledge transforms our views, ethics, values and opinions about the state of affairs. The running water of the roman aqueducts was once seen as unprecedented progress, while nowadays drinking water which passes through lead pipes hardly seems a good idea at least to those knowledgeable enough and capable of acting upon their knowledge. Yet, this progress does not signify that More

Workshop Organizers: Why is the Left so Weak?

Let us quote from our starting working paper: “The central challenge is and will be to work on strategies against competition, for organizing solidarity. Here we have to recognize that we were and are not successful regardless all Social Forum Processes, many conferences, workshops and so many activities. It means, we have to ask about the reasons of our failures.“ The point was critisised. More

Etienne Balibar: The Rise and Fall of the European Union: Temporalities and Teleologies

Historians and philosophers have been discussing the extent to which specific ideologies regarding the understanding of time and space are involved in the writing of history, as a consequence of the “central” place that Europe had attributed itself in Modern history. The idea of “Europe” itself, whether perceived from inside or outside, is by definition ideological or it is a teleological “discourse”, which performs epistemological and political functions at the same time. Whether we consider ourselves More

Patrick Bond: South Africa’s Multiple Resource Curses, the Metalworkers’ Break and Community Uprisings

The title of the following post may surprise. Why should a text from South Africa be put on this blog? The explanation is the asked by us questions: Why is the left in the EU, in Europe so weak? How could we become stronger? Bonds article helps us to discuss this issue productively. It starts from the opposite question: why could a left-emancipatory force become strong? The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa finished the tolereance of neoliberal development and split away  from the ANC. More

Laura Horn, Angela Wigger: Uneven Development and Political Resistance against EU Austerity Politics

In response to the current crisis, European Union (EU) institutions and Eurozone governments have adopted a range of regulatory and treaty-based measures to ensure fiscal discipline through limiting the capacity of Eurozone governments running budget deficits and accumulating sovereign debt. In addition, almost all Eurozone governments have taken measures to deregulate labour laws, such as easing employee dismissals, reducing minimum wages, More