Branislav Markuš und Zoran Bulatović im Interview

Im Rahmen der Veranstaltung „Arbeitskämpfe in Serbien: Auf der Suche nach alternativen zur neoliberalen Weltordnung“ sprachen wir mit Branislav Markuš und Zoran Bulatović über ArbeiterInnenwiderstand, ArbeiterInnenkollektive und den Privatisierungsprozess in Serbien.

Branislav Markuš: Seit 21 Jahren chemischer Techniker in der pharmazeutischen Fabrik „Jugoromedija“ in Zrenjanin (Vojvodina), beteiligte sich am dreijährigen erfolgreichen Kampf gegen die Privatisierung des Betriebs (2005-2007). Aktivist im „Koordinationskomitee für den ArbeiterInnenwiderstand in Serbien“ und in der lokalen ArbeiterInnenpartei „Ravnopravnost“ (Gleichheit), die 2008 ins lokale Parlament gewählt wurde.

Zoran Bulatović: Vorsitzender der „Vereinigung der TextilarbeiterInnen von Novi Pazar, Sjenica und Tutin“, war von 1985 – 1993 beim Textilkombinat RASKA beschäftigt. Schnitt sich im Zuge eines Arbeitskampfes 2009 den kleinen Finger ab.

siehe auch: [Veranstaltungsreihe] Arbeitskämpfe in Serbien

Subversive Forum: “The Future of Europe”

Zagreb, May 13-19, 2012

Under the umbrella of Subversive Forum a number of events will take place in May 2012 in the Croatian capital, including an international conference dedicated to the main theme “The Future of Europe”.

The debates within the main theme will be ”The Crisis of Europe” (May 14-15), “The Struggle for the Commons” (May 16) and “Towards the Balkan Social Forum” (May 17-18), the Subversive book fair and, during the introductory week (May 5 – 12), the 5th Subversive Film Festival.

It is no news that the European Union is facing its biggest crisis since it was created. It is at the same time an economic, financial, social and ideological crisis of this project. Across the continent, instead of solidarity we are witnessing a resurgence of national selfishness, the rise of extreme right, intolerance, and racism. The Mediterranean countries who have been hit the hardest by the crisis show us also a possible response to it: the appearance of strong social movements demanding social justice, a different economic model, and direct democracy. Almost everywhere we see the youth on the streets, in Greece, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Romania, but also in the future EU member Croatia.

Through a critical examination of Europe’s current crisis, the Subversive Forum will try to outline realistic possibilities for its transformation and the creation of another political, social and economic project across the Old Continent.

The keynote speakers include Stéphane Hessel, Michael Hardt, Tariq Ali, Gayatri Spivak, Slavoj Žižek, Saskia Sassen, Christian Marazzi, Samir Amin, Bernard Cassen, Ignatio Ramonet, Eric Touissant, Costas Douzinas, Renata Salecl, and more than 100 participants from 20 different European, African and Asian countries.

For one week in May, Zagreb, the town placed almost exactly on the EU’s shifting border, will become both a center of the world’s critical thought and a laboratory of possible political, social and economic alternatives. (c) Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung

For more infos see: www.subversiveforum.com/

Conference and Workshops in Bern (CH): “Wachstumswahnsinn los werden!”, 20./21.1.2012

Michael and Nina attended the conference in Bern on the current economic crisis (http://www.tourdelorraine.ch). The conference focussed on ways of how to get rid of the ideology of economic growth and which alternatives and movements are likely to challenge the current neo-liberal system.

On Saturday (13:00-15:00 & 15:30-17:30) they participated in the workshops of Karl-Heinz Roth, a German social scientist and historian who was active in the 1960s social movements (for more details see: Wikipedia. His current book „Die globale Krise“ (2009) is part of a trilogy on capitalist rule and alternatives.

In his first workshop Roth presented a refreshing view on the current social movements and protests against global capitalism, drawing on examples in France, Greece, the Arab World and the US. He critically discussed the potential and possible pitfalls of these movements. Roth stated that we are likely to engage in a long and strenuous fight, since the current crisis is likely to fade into an extended depression.

The second workshop put the focus on possible alternatives and participatory projects from below. Especially the question of how to overcome capitalist hegemony and the use of violence were discussed controversially.

The organizers of the conference “Crisis and real utopia” gave an interview on the state of the capitalist system and current counter-movements.

More details & stream

17.11.2011 // Johannes Kepler Universität Linz (AT)

Rückblick & Audiomitschnitte

Ziel der Konferenz war es, Alternativen zur gegenwärtigen Wirtschaftsordnung zu diskutieren und anhand ArbeiterInnenselbstverwaltung und neuer sozialer Bewegungen Beispiele für „Geographien der Solidarität“ aufzuzeigen sowie deren Potenzial für ein breiteres konterhegemoniales Projekt auszuloten.

[Folder as pdf]

Nina Bandi und Sebastian Lasinger betonten in ihrer Einführung, dass der Ausgangspunkt zur gegenständlichen Konferenz die Frage nach der „Funktion“ der Krise war. Aktuelle Entwicklungen würden zeigen, dass die derzeitigen politischen EntscheidungsträgerInnen – die oftmals mit Wirtschaftseliten und Kapitaleignern verschränkt sind – den bevorstehenden Kollaps des Finanzsystems dazu nutzten, um eine neoliberale Politik weiter voran zu treiben und die Kosten für die Bankenrettungs- und Konjunkturpakete zu sozialisieren. Diese Entwicklungen deuten auf das Dilemma hin, in dem wir uns politisch befinden: Die Verursacher der Krise führen die gleiche Politik, die zur Krise geführt hat, unter leicht veränderten Vorzeichen weiter – es zeichnet sich kein Richtungswechsel ab.

Die halbstündigen Vorträge des Nachmittagsblocks deckten die folgenden Themenfelder ab: aktuelle soziale Bewegungen gegen den Neoliberalismus, emanzipatorische Bildung und ArbeiterInnenkampf und -proteste.

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Podiumsdiskussion – “Krise und reale Utopien: ein Ausblick”

mit Dario Azzellini (JKU Linz), Karin Fischer (JKU Linz), Jens Kastner (Akademie der Bildenden Künste Wien), Sebastian Lasinger (London School of Economics und JKU Linz), Jürgen Nordmann (Institut für die Gesamtanalyse der Wirtschaft, Linz), Milenko Sreckovic (Freedom Fight Movement Serbien, Belgrad), Moderation Michael G. Kraft (University of Sussex).

Vortrag – Milenko Srečković: De-Industrialisation and Workers’ Struggle in Serbia

Michael, Nina and Sebastian attended the conference “Demokratie! Welche Demokratie? Postdemokratie kritisch hinterfragt“ in Linz. Among the many speakers were the sociologist Bob Jessop and the political scientist Colin Crouch.

A documentation of the conference and links to audio and video files of all presentations can be found on the website of our co-operation partners ICAE (http://www.icae.at).

After the conference Michael gave an interview on democracy, capitalism and social movements on radio FRO (More information and audiostream).

The annual conference of the Studies in Social and Political Thought will concentrate on ‘Forms of Domination and Emancipation’ this year.

Michael of meta-D.O.N. will present a conference paper on the Serbian workers’ struggle with the title: Workers’ Protests in Serbia: A Counter-Hegemonic Project?

More information on the conference can be found here.
For a detailed conference programme please click here.

The Students’ Union of the University of Applied Arts Vienna ist looking for students who are interested in contributing to a research project on “Protest and Standstill“. The project will be carried out between March and July 2011.

For more information see here.

Michael G. Kraft and Sebastian Lasinger will hold two lectures on “Social movements, social conflicts and transformation of society” at the Johannes Kepler University Linz in fall term 2010/11. The lectures are part of the Master in Political Education, which is offered by the Institute of Contemporary History at the JKU Linz.

In their lecture, which aims to introduce students to the basic concepts of social movements, they will also present the work of Meta-D.O.N. on workers’ protests in Serbia.

Friday, 19 November 2010, 09:15 – 18:00,
room: KEP 1
Thursday, 16 December 2010: 12:00 – 20:00,
room: ESH 2
Friday, 17 December 2010: 09:15 – 18:00,
room: KEP 1

Saturday, 20 November 2010: 09:15 – 18:00,
room: K 012D
Friday, 18 February 2011: 09:15 – 18:00,
room: K 012D
Saturday, 19 February 2011. 09:15 – 18:00,
room: K 012D