Druga opća diskusija / Milan F. Živković, Vladimir Simović / Slabosti ljevice

Objavljeno: 26.07.2019

Organized by / organizacija: Centre for Labour Studies (Centar za radničke studije - CRS, radnickistudiji.org)

Seminar: „Slabosti ljevice“ Baza, Adžijina 11, Zagreb, Croatia, 9.12.2018., 17.15h ,Moderator: Marko Kostanić

Druga opća diskusija seminara „Slabosti ljevice“ održana je drugog dana, nakon što su izlaganja održali Milan F. Živković („Socijaldemokratski paradoks i strategija ljevice“) i Vladimir Simović („Protivrečnosti i perspektive političkog organizovanja levice u Srbiji“).

Weaknesses of the Left:

Calls for a critical reexamination of the predominant strategies of the left as well as its theoretical grounding now seem inescapably the order of the day. It seems imperative to understand and counteract the danger of further social and political marginalization. Not for the first time in its history, the left has to face the fact that it has no monopoly on the articulation of the social and political concerns of (all of) the subaltern. In the wake of decades of aggressive neoliberal promotion of an increasingly “generalized culture of insecurity” (Mario Candeias), new/old competitors for the political articulation of the concerns, interests and predicaments of those faced with the destabilizing impacts of harsh neoliberal policies are gaining ground. If it is true, as many have argued, that this loss of terrain is to a significant extent self-inflicted due a historical trajectory away from class politics towards identity politics of one form or another, this necessitates asking: what are the historical, theoretical and political reasons for this process? And, more importantly, how can it be reversed? If, as it has been proposed from various sides, a “new” class politics needs to be pursued, what form should it take and what would be “new” about it? Critics have warned that the return to the comfort of unreconstructed old formulas is both illusionary and dangerous, as it risks denigrating significant historical gains of decades of feminist, LGBT and anti-racist struggles in favor of a simplistic notion of the “fundamental antagonism”. But if the task is to find modes of an integrative politics that would accommodate the lived experience of a multiplicity of overlapping oppressions, what form should this integrative politics take? A merely additive approach seems naïve, insofar as contradictions within the subaltern classes as well as inter-class antagonisms seem to play a large part in processes of political disarticulation and fragmentation, and thus need to be addressed – both theoretically and politically. In response to many of these questions, a debate on the viability and advisability of the formulation of some form of “left populism” has ensued. Yet the very term “populism” is notoriously slippery and highly ambiguous. Contributions have ranged from offensively promoting it to warnings that this may bring the left close to a self-defeating acceptance of the conceptual confines imposed by the right and, possibly, even unwitting concessions to its agenda setting. These and many related questions will have to be worked through, both theoretically and politically, before the left can hope to historically strengthen its position. The seminar “Weaknesses of the Left” aims at facilitate debate on these crucial issues. Above all, it seeks to introduce local and regional audiences to a broader scope of theoretical and political approaches to these issues than have thus far been circulating in the region, without plastering over existing fault lines, contradictions and impasses. The “hard road to renewal”, to borrow a well-known phrase from Stuart Hall, necessitates open and scrupulous engagement with the full complexities of the current conjuncture, which includes the critical reflection on the deficiencies and weaknesses within our own camp. For the regional left, this entails engagement and communication with complex debates developing beyond its own boundaries. https://www.facebook.com/events/10620... Program Centra za radničke studije financira Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung Southeast Europe. / Programme of Centre for Labour Studies is financed by Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung Southeast Europe.