The Crisis of Everything Everywhere – Day 1
Comments Off on The Crisis of Everything Everywhere – Day 1THE CRISIS OF EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE
or WELCOME TO THE NEW PARADIGM
A midwinter retreat, a modular molecular seminar with Everyone
Day 1
Background & Overview
On the first day, we will attempt to situate ourselves collectively into the context we find ourselves in both globally and historically.
We will attempt with the help of Marianne and Brandon to introduce some questions and bases for the struggles which have unfolded globally, focusing most of their attention to Egypt, Spain,and Greece. Each of these three areas will be connected to in the subsequent days of the retreat, with interviews and reports on the present context.
We will also attempt to open up to the historical links which connect our own time to prior epochs of total or economic crises. What can we learn from these prior moments of social and political upheaval? What kind of movements were produced to respond to the crises and what were the results of those struggles.
1-4PM
A Global Revolution?
— The evolution of the Occupy Movements draw their inspiration from and connect strongly to a global context. What do we need to understand about some of these precedents and can this knowledge build stronger solidarities between struggles taking place in very different parts of the world?
Marianne Maeckelbergh and Brandon Jourdan have been travelling, researching, and making short films about responses to the economic crisis, occupy and current uprisings across the United States, Europe and in Egypt. They will be presenting their films on Spain, Greece and Egypt with a short update on actions taken over the past few months in these countries. There have been large-scale housing occupations and demonstrations in Spain, massive and continuous strikes, occupations, riots, and self-reduction campaigns in Greece, and an ongoing revolution in Egypt. The films will be followed by a discussion about lessons learned from abroad, similarities and differences between the many locations and ideas for action within the United States.
5-9PM
Three Crises: 30s-70s-Today.
–Do we still care what happens to the means of production?
–How does autonomy relate to hegemony?
–Is there one best way to dismantle imperialism?
–What really got under the Establishment’s skin?
–Should radicals think about unwanted consequences?
Financial collapse, economic depression, political turmoil, breakdown of international relations, riots in the street. At least once every forty or fifty years, society actually changes. The idea of this session is to open up a few of the major questions that emerged in last fall’s history seminar at Mess Hall in Chicago. Brian Holmes will attempt to introduce each of the questions and open up to reflections and responses after each articulation.
About
Welcome to the New Paradigm or The Crisis of Everything Everywhere is the name for a small scale / molecular / modular / horizontally organized effort to think, speak about, and speculate upon our present.
It will unfold over a period of 9 days, between January 7th and 15th. It will involve various groups and individuals who have explored or been directly involved in the movement of the squares, encampments and occupations of 2011.
It will involve artists, thinkers, writers, activists, occupiers, poets, programmers, workers, revolutionaries, students, debtors, laborers and laborless of all kinds into a focused yet open-ended conversation, collective research and analysis of our contemporary social-political movements / struggles.
Given the fact we are in New York, we will make a special effort to address and consider how those movements have impacted the political and cultural landscape of this city, region and country. And by connecting to other histories and places, to begin to build up an image of what kinds of struggles and challenges may lay ahead in the coming weeks, months, even years.