Session the Future of the World Social Forum - preparing, conducting, follow up

 
 
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abs Vera: "The Future of the World Social Forum and other anti-systemic movements according to Emmanuel Wallerstein" eng; El Futuro del Foro Social Mundial y otros movimientos antisistémicos según Immanuel Wallerstein (es)
by Vera Vratuša - Saturday, 27 March 2021, 5:53 PM
 
Powerpoint presentation The Future of the WSF according to Wallerstein ppt.ppt

(please see below the English version of this abstract, its version in Spanish)

This paper reconstructs the answer of Emmanuel Wallerstein (1930-2019), sociologist, political economist and historian, theoretician of the world system of capitalist economy, empirical researcher of complex social problems like wars, education, health…,  as well as the spiritus movens of political activism in the realm of class fight for alternative and better human society, (dis)armament, ecology…, in short, Gramscian and Wright Millsian public intellectual, on the future of anti-systemic movements in general, and of the World Social Forum in particular.

The main method used to achieve as much as possible exhaustive reconstruction of Wallerstein’s answer to the title question concerning the Future of the World Social Forum, presents the qualitative analysis of 500 Wallerstein’s commentaries which he planned and wrote twice monthly from Commentary No. 1, Oct. 1, 1998 to Commentary No.500,  some three months before his death.

This paper is written in tribute to Emmanuel Wallerstein. Its main aim will be fulfilled if it induces like – thinking people to carry on to best of our ability immense theoretical, empirical and activist heritage Emmanuel Wallerstein bestowed us.    

Key Wards E.Wallerstein, World Social Forum, world system of capitalist economy, anti systemic movements

Vera Vratuša-Žunjić

Belgrade University, Faculty of Philosophy, Dpt. of Sociology

Este artículo reconstruye la respuesta de Immanuel Wallerstein (1930-2019), sociólogo, economista político e historiador, teórico del sistema mundial de economía capitalista, investigador empírico de complejos problemas sociales públicos como guerras, educación, salud ..., así como El espírituS movens del activismo político en el ámbito de la lucha de clases por una sociedad humana alternativa y poscapitalista, (des) armamento, ecología ..., en resumen, un  intelectual relacionado com Gramsci y Wright Mills, sobre el futuro de los movimientos antisistémicos en general, y del Foro Social Mundial en particular.

El método principal utilizado para lograr, en la medida de lo posible, una reconstrucción exhaustiva de la respuesta de Wallerstein a la pregunta del título sobre el futuro del Foro Social Mundial, presenta el análisis cualitativo de 500 comentarios de Wallerstein que planeó y escribió dos veces al mes desde el Comentario No. 1, Oct 1, 1998 al Comentario No.500, 1 de julio de 2019, cuando decidió que sería el último comentario, unos tres meses antes de su muerte.

Este artículo está escrito en homenaje a Immanuel Wallerstein. Su objetivo principal se cumplirá si induce a personas con ideas afines a continuar y desarrollar lo mejor que podamos nuestra inmensa herencia científica, empírica y activista social que Emmanuel Wallerstein nos otorgó, como unas especies de armas de investigación teórica y metodológica en la batalla por el mundo no capitalista, más justo, emancipado, democrático, inclusivo, igualitario, autogestionado y ecológicamente sostenible.

Grupo: Participación RC10, Democracia Organizacional y Autogestión, RC26 Sociotecnia, Práctica Sociológica

Selección de sesión: El futuro del Foro Social Mundial

Palabras clave:

Movimientos antisistémicos, Immanuel Wallerstein, Foro Social Mundial y Sistema Mundial de Economía Anticapitalista

Vera, Sociología, Universidad de Belgrado,

 
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Picture of Erik Lindhult
Re: abs Vera: "The Future of the World Social Forum and other anti-systemic movements according to Emmanuel Wallerstein" eng; El Futuro del Foro Social Mundial y otros movimientos antisistémicos según Immanuel Wallerstein (es)
by Erik Lindhult - Tuesday, 26 January 2021, 11:52 AM
 

Dear Vera,

I understand Wallerstein has been active in the discussion of WSF for many years. Your abstract does not say anything about the content of Wallersteinan answer to the question about the future of WSF, so the comment from my side is: looking forward to hear what Wallerstein can contribute!

Just a comment on one word in the title: WSF as an "anti-systemic movement". First, in what degree and in what sense can WSF be understood as a movement? Secondly, in what sense is it anti-systemic? How define the system that WSF is and antidote to? A first answer might be "the capitalist system", but maybe the answer is something more or other than that? And what is the implication of being anti-systemic? E.g. of being a workable and progressing movement? 

 

(Edited by Vera Vratuša - original submission Sunday, 15 March 2020, 7:02 PM)

 
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Picture of Vera Vratuša
Re: abs Vera: "The Future of the World Social Forum and other anti-systemic movements according to Emmanuel Wallerstein" eng; El Futuro del Foro Social Mundial y otros movimientos antisistémicos según Immanuel Wallerstein (es)
by Vera Vratuša - Sunday, 25 October 2020, 7:12 PM
 

Dear Erik,

I was so consumed by writing one text for several months and an illness in between, that I have not seen your comment until this very moment, when I decided to remind all session participants on the existence of this forum. 

I am grateful on your most pertinent question. I wrote my abstract when I knew practically nothing about the World Social Forum and the debate whether it should be understood strictly as the space for discussion of various social movements, or it could be understood as well as a social movement of movements in its own right. I worded the abstract without   real content and implications of Wollerstein's    view of the WSF knowing that I still have to learn a lot before finalizing the paper.

Wollerstein is one of the authors who contributed to understanding of the modern world as the dynamic system of global capitalist economy, with its inner contradictions leading to  cyclical crises and wars.  In this sense, anti systemic movements are also anti-capitalist movements. Reading Wollerstein's comments I have got the impression that WSF is imagined as an alternative to World Economic Forum, whose actors quite seriously plans how to continue to exploit and oppress  99% of the world. 

Russian revolution and its aftermath seam to scare many people of thinking in anti capitalist terms. True revolutionary situations when the mass of exploited do not want to live in the same way any more, and when ruling classes are not able to rule as they are doing, to  this day have been very rare, but they arise from time to time. In order to make a step forward in human history towards more just and equitable world order there must be some kind of preparation and organization.

Former socialist, Robert Michels, however, cleverly concluded that the organization leads to oligarchy. Is it the reason enough to do nothing until capitalist accumulation of capital for the sake of accumulation  destroys the planet?

 

 
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