Log in

View Full Version : Day of discussion organised by the ICC, June 23, London



Alf
23rd April 2012, 14:25
International Communist Current


Come to a day of discussion


- Main topic: what can we learn from the social movements of 2011?

- Other discussions on art, religion, etc

The ICC invites you to a day of discussion in London on 23 June. The main focus of the day will be a discussion about the significance of the social movements of 2011. What can we learn from the revolts that broke out Tunisia, Egypt, Israel, Greece, Spain, the USA, the UK and many other countries? What were their strengths and weaknesses? How do they relate to the more general struggle of the working class against capitalism?

Over the past year we have published a large number of articles and documents about these movements, which can be found on our website at http://en.internationalism.org. More recently we have published a general statement about them: http://en.internationalism.org/icconline/201203/4766/statement-social-movements-2011. We aim to start the morning’s discussion with a presentation of this text, but we hope to have time to discuss other contributions and analyses of how these movements took shape in different cities and countries.

In the afternoon we are planning to organise shorter discussions around more general topics. At the moment we have one planned on marxism and art, and another on the origins of Islam, but we are open to further suggestions, and to offers from all directions to present other topics. So far all three discussions will be presented by sympathisers of the ICC rather than ICC members.

We hope that these discussions will be of interest to comrades in or around revolutionary political organisations, to people who have been actively involved in the social movements, and to anyone asking questions about the nature and future of present-day society – and about the feasibility of getting rid of it.

If you are interested in attending, let us know in advance if you can, especially if you have any accommodation, transport or other problems that might make it difficult for you to come along.

The venue is upstairs at the Lucas Arms, 245a Grays Inn Road, London WC1X 8QZ. The first session will go from 11-2 and the afternoon sessions from 3-6. Food can be bought in the pub but we are also planning to go to a nearby restaurant after the meeting.

Contact us at [email protected]

Alf
1st June 2012, 16:28
This promises to be very positive given the number of people who have expressed interest in coming to it.

http://en.internationalism.org/icconline/201204/4835/come-day-discussion



At the moment we envisage four main areas of discussion:

- in the morning, lessons of the social movements of 2011, based around our international statement http://en.internationalism.org/icconline/201203/4766/statement-social-movements-2011. But hopefully the discussion will incorporate more detailed experiences from various parts of the world.

- In the afternoon, two shorter discussions: one is a discussion on art. The presenter (Mark Hayes) has sent a brief outline of the areas to be covered. A more detailed text may be available soon.



According to Trotsky, “Art, which is the most complex part of culture, the most sensitive and at the same time the least protected, suffers most from the decline and decay of bourgeois society.”

How does the history of art in the last 100 years confirm this view?

What if anything does the history of modern art have to tell us about capitalism and the need for revolution?

Is revolutionary art still possible today?

- the other is a discussion on Islam. The presenter (jaycee) has posted this outline on libcom:





I'm giving a presentation about Islam.

I thought I would put down some of the topics I will be looking at, feel free to give advice, ask questions and whatever else.

1. why should revolutionaries study Islam?

can it develop our understanding of religion generally?

2. What have revolutionaries said about Islams historical origins?
(I have mainly come across Marxist analysis here, if anyone knows of any Anarchist views I would be grateful to hear about them)

3. Muhammad and the role of the individual in history: Mad, mystic or Machiavellian?

4. What was the Islamic civilization?

how did it relate to Muhammad's ideas and practices and did Islam bring into being a new mode of production?

5. How should Revolutionaries relate to Muslim workers-



- A short session at the end to discuss where to go next...all ideas welcome

Brosa Luxemburg
1st June 2012, 16:35
Looks interesting. I have been thinking about joining the ICC actually. Wish I lived in the UK so I could go to this.

Alf
20th June 2012, 19:14
Two contributions by comrades doing presentations on saturday. KT on our own forum has posted a timeline of the social revolts and workers' struggles of the past decade or so, to show the elements that feed into the movements of 2011. It's a bit long to post on this thread but it can be found here:

http://en.internationalism.org/forum/1056/alf/4943/icc-day-discussion-london-23-june

MH's text on art in the ascendance and decadence of capitalism has been published on our website:

http://en.internationalism.org/icconline/201206/4977/notes-toward-history-art-ascendant-and-decadent-capitalism

Alf
27th June 2012, 20:42
A very good day. It was well attended by our modest standards (over 20 outside the ICC, and three other groups represented: CWO, SPGB and Commune). The discussions were very animated and each one could have gone on a lot longer. We will put together a report including all the presentations and a synthesis of the discussions, and if the recording came out well enough we will publish that as well.

Book O'Dead
27th June 2012, 20:47
Sweet heaven, if only I were in London!


International Communist Current


Come to a day of discussion


- Main topic: what can we learn from the social movements of 2011?

- Other discussions on art, religion, etc

The ICC invites you to a day of discussion in London on 23 June. The main focus of the day will be a discussion about the significance of the social movements of 2011. What can we learn from the revolts that broke out Tunisia, Egypt, Israel, Greece, Spain, the USA, the UK and many other countries? What were their strengths and weaknesses? How do they relate to the more general struggle of the working class against capitalism?

Over the past year we have published a large number of articles and documents about these movements, which can be found on our website at http://en.internationalism.org. More recently we have published a general statement about them: http://en.internationalism.org/icconline/201203/4766/statement-social-movements-2011. We aim to start the morning’s discussion with a presentation of this text, but we hope to have time to discuss other contributions and analyses of how these movements took shape in different cities and countries.

In the afternoon we are planning to organise shorter discussions around more general topics. At the moment we have one planned on marxism and art, and another on the origins of Islam, but we are open to further suggestions, and to offers from all directions to present other topics. So far all three discussions will be presented by sympathisers of the ICC rather than ICC members.

We hope that these discussions will be of interest to comrades in or around revolutionary political organisations, to people who have been actively involved in the social movements, and to anyone asking questions about the nature and future of present-day society – and about the feasibility of getting rid of it.

If you are interested in attending, let us know in advance if you can, especially if you have any accommodation, transport or other problems that might make it difficult for you to come along.

The venue is upstairs at the Lucas Arms, 245a Grays Inn Road, London WC1X 8QZ. The first session will go from 11-2 and the afternoon sessions from 3-6. Food can be bought in the pub but we are also planning to go to a nearby restaurant after the meeting.

Contact us at [email protected]

Vladimir Innit Lenin
29th June 2012, 14:40
Fucked off that I missed this. Really would have liked to have seen ICC, Commune etc.

Alf
18th July 2012, 17:22
jaycee's presentation on marxism and islam. The discussion it stimulated could have gone on a lot longer. Nothing like religion for getting people animated.

http://en.internationalism.org/icconline/201207/5032/marxism-islam

Here is the presentation on the social revolts, by our mate Lurch. Also prompted a good discussion....
http://en.internationalism.org/worldrevolution/201207/5026/what-lessons-can-we-draw-social-movements-2011

The write ups of the three different discussions will be published before too long.