The Great Transition collective is calling on all those interested in building a fairer future to propose activities for the fifth edition of its international conference. The event aims to foster reflection on ways to strengthen the various branches of the left, social movements, and activist groups, both in their practices and in their theoretical analyses. This edition is also being held as part of the first World Social Forum of Intersections, whose theme is detailed at the end of this call.
The world is burning. Forest fires, droughts, and floods are multiplying across the globe. The Israeli state is massacring the Palestinian population with the complicity of Western powers, putting the region at risk. Inequalities are on the rise all over the planet. People are being evicted from their homes, and others are struggling to pay the rent, while landlords are getting richer. Grocery is becoming ever more expensive, while large food retailers are making record profits. Migrants drown crossing the Rio Grande and the Mediterranean, while their brothers and sisters are exploited and underpaid in the fields, warehouses, and hospitals of the Global North.
It’s becoming increasingly urgent to implement radical left solutions: socialize the means of production; create worker and consumer cooperatives; de-asphalt and revitalize our living environments; develop non-market housing; decentralize power; collectively share care work; demilitarize our societies. These measures are the bare minimum to create the conditions of a decent life for all. There is an undeniable need to dismantle capitalism, patriarchy, and colonialism.
Yet the authoritarian right and extreme right are on the rise. They are in power in several countries; they are on the doorstep of power in several others. As they have always done, they divert attention from real problems by attacking scapegoats such as racialized people or LGBTQ+ people. Even if they pursue policies favorable to big business, they sometimes give themselves a “social” image or drape themselves in a supposedly anti-elite discourse, which allows them to win over some sections of the working classes.
The left has enjoyed some recent electoral successes and major mobilizations, but its strongest proposals have failed to gain ground. Left-wing political movements often confine themselves to protecting social gains. How can we regain the offensive? How can we counter both neoliberal and far-right rhetoric? How can we change the balance of power so that left-wing ideas and practices gain a lasting foothold?
The pandemic broke a wave of protest that seemed to be gathering momentum. From Chile to Hong Kong, via Lebanon and Sudan, popular uprisings were shaking up the powers that be. Climate protests were attracting increasing numbers of people. For this fifth edition of the Great Transition, we want to recapture this momentum and reconnect with the creative energy of large-scale mobilizations.
We also want to find ways for the left to reach out to our neighbors, colleagues, and fellow citizens, to root ourselves in our living spaces, to develop bonds of trust with those around us, to create communities. These alliances will be necessary to fight against exploitation and mass expropriation, protect our natural spaces, and build lively, livable neighborhoods and villages together.
Reviving post-capitalist solidarity also means recognizing the wealth of experiences that prefigure the world we’re building. We need to draw inspiration, for example, from indigenous land protection practices, from communities that have successfully implemented real self-management, and from democratic public services that enhance our freedom and autonomy.
The time has come to move beyond criticism, to organize and move forward. We invite you to propose panels, activities, and communications for the Great Transition 2025 on tactics, strategies, reviews of past and recent experiences, and alternative models that enable us to move towards a post-capitalist world.
To submit an activity (250 words maximum) : edito.lagrandetransition.net/en-ca
The deadline is 11:59 PM on November 10, 2024. If you have any questions, please email here: info@thegreattransition.net
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