Youth School 2005

Programme and reading material

20 – 31 August 2005

 

  1. Sat 20/8                 Introduction ()
  2. Sun 21/8               What is Marxism/historical materialism (Jean)

2.0    Outline

2.1    A few fragments from Hegel on the importance of method

2.2    Excerpt from Karl Marx, Preface to A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy (1859) – in Marx and Engels Selected Works, Moscow: Progress Publishers, 1969

2.3    Excerpt from Engels to C. Schmidt (October 27, 1890) - in Marx and Engels Selected Works, Moscow: Progress Publishers, 1970

2.4    Excerpt from Friedrich Engels, 'The part played by labour in the transition from ape to man' – in Engels, Dialectics of Nature, Moscow: Foreign Languages Publishing House, 1954

2.5    François Iselin, 'Another world is not possible without another mode of production' (IVP no.334, Oct. 2001): within the Ecology debate article

2.6    Excerpt from Fréderique Vinteuil, 'Marxism and feminism' (translated from Critique Communiste, spécial Marx, 1983)

2.7    Excerpts from Michel Foucault, 'On power' (1976) — translated from Foucault, Dits et écrits 1954-1988, Paris: Gallimard, 1994

2.8    Francisco Louça, 'Tides of change: culture in historical perspective' (IVP no. 322, June 2000)

  1. Mon 22/8               Europe, the united front, political alliances and recomposition (Thomas)

3.0    Outline / PowerPoint presentation

3.1    Leon Trotsky, 'The United States of Europe' (translated from Pravda, 30 June 1923)

3.2    Excerpts from François Vercammen, 'Pseudo-debates, capitalist offensive' (IVP no. 333, July 2001)

3.3    Leon Trotsky, 'On the united front' (2 March 1922):

3.4    Excerpts from 14th FI World Congress, 'The political situation in imperialist Europe' (1995) (IVP special issue, spring 1996)

3.5    Excerpt from FI 15th World Congress, 'Role and tasks of the Fourth International' (2003) (IVP no. 351/2, summer 2003)

3.6    François Vercammen, 'Europe: preparing for battle' (IVP no. 356, Feb. 2004)

3.7    FI International Committee, 'The present moment of the movement in Europe' (IVP no. 357, Mar. 2004)

  1. Tues 23/8              Africa, permanent revolution (Jean)

4.0    Outline

4.1    Excerpt from Leon Trotsky, The History of the Russian Revolution, London: Sphere Books, 1967

4.2    Excerpt from Trotsky, Transitional Program for Socialist Revolution (1938)

4.3    Excerpt from Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth, New York: Grove Press, 1963

4.4    Excerpt from Amilcar Cabral, Unity and Struggle, New York: Monthly Review, 1979

4.5    Leon Trotsky, 'On the South African theses' (20 April1935) — from Writings of Leon Trotsky, 1934-35 (New York: Pathfinder) titled Remarks on the Draft Theses of The Workers Party of South Africa

4.6    'The African National Congress' and 'A view from the National Forum' (IVP, 30 Sept. 1985)

4.7    Jean Nanga, 'The marginalization of sub-Saharan Africa' (IVP no. 355, Dec. 2003)

4.8    Sub-Saharan Africa: Some Historical Reference Points

 

5.       Wed 24/8              Latin America from Chile to the Zapatistas to Brazil, strategies for taking power (Willem)

5.0    Outline

5.1    Excerpt from FI 7th World Congress (1963), Dynamics of World Revolution Today, New York: Pathfinder, 1974

5.2    Excerpt from Roman, 'Report on armed struggle in Latin America' (FI 10th World Congress) (Intercontinental Press, 23 Dec. 1974)

5.3    Excerpt from FI 13th World Congress, 'Strategic challenge for the Latin American revolutionary left' (International Marxist Review no. 11/12, summer 1991)

5.4    Marcos, 'The fourth world war has started', and Daniel Bensaïd, 'Neoliberalism's broken mirror' (IVP no. 299, April 1998)

5.5    Francisco Louça, Daniel Bensaïd and Michael Löwy, 'Letter to Democracia Socialista' (2005)

5.6    Sébastien, 'Draft text on Venezuela' (2005)

5.7    Excerpt from FI 15th World Congress (2003), “A New World Situation: Latin America and IC, 'Resolution on Venezuela" (2005)”

5.8    Time Chart of Latin America

 

  1. Thurs 25/8           The Middle East, the national question, Islam and our attitude to religion (Peter)

6.0    Outline / PowerPoint presentation

6.1    Excerpt from V.I. Lenin, 'The discussion on self-determination summed up' (1916) — in Lenin, Collected Works vol. 22, Moscow: Progress Publishers, 1964

6.2    Excerpt from Marx and Engels, 'Manifesto of the communist party' (1847) — in Marx and Engels. Collected Works vol. 6, New York: International Publishers, 1976

6.3    Excerpts from Michael Löwy, Fatherland or Mother Earth?, Amsterdam: IIRE, 1998

6.4    Excerpts from Gilbert Achcar, Eastern Cauldron, New York: Monthly Review, 2004

6.5    'Religion is the most rigid of all ideologies' (IVP no. 158, 6 Mar. 1989)

6.6    Time Chart of the Middle East

 

7.       Fri 26/8 Free Day

 
  1. Sat 27/8 Extending Marxism 1: Marxism's missed appointment with the environmental question: (Alain)

8.0    Outline

8.1    Excerpt from Ernest Mandel, Long Waves of Capitalist Development (1995)

8.2    FI 15th World Congress, Ecology and Socialism, (2003) And review readings 2.3, 2.4 and 2.5 (above)

 

  1. Sun 28/ 8 Extending Marxism 2, women's movement, global justice movement, party and movement: (Eva)

9.0    Outline / PowerPoint presentation

9.1    Excerpt from FI 11th World Congress, 'Socialist revolution and the struggle for women's liberation' (1979)

9.2    Stéphanie Treillet, 'Women's oppression in globalisation' (translated from Critique Communiste, 21 Sept. 2003)

9.3    Trupti Shah & Bina Srinivasan, 'India: the effect of capitalist development on gender violence'; Carol McAllister, 'Malaysia: tradition, change and everyday resistance'; and Carmen Valadez Perez, 'Mexico: NAFTA versus human rights', all from Penny Duggan et al. eds., Women's Lives ion the New Global Economy, Amsterdam: IIRE, 1995

9.4    Penny Duggan, 'Now you can participate as a whole person' (IVP no. 275, Mar. 1996)

9.5    World March of Women, 'World Social Forum: Violence against women: the “other world” must act' (2001)

9.6    Michael Löwy, 'Towards a New International?' (IVP no. 348, March 2003)

9.7    Pierre Rousset, 'The World Social Forum: A new framework for solidarities', in Bandung 2005

  1. Mon 29/8 Extending Marxism 3: Sexual liberation (Paul)

10.0 Outline

10.1 Carole S. Vance, 'Pleasure and danger: toward a politics of sexuality' (1984) — from Vance ed., Pleasure and Danger (London: Pandora Press, 1989)

10.2 John D'Emilio, 'Capitalism and gay identity' (1979) — from Ann Snitow et al. eds., Powers of Desire, New York: Monthly Review, 1983

10.3 FI 15th World Congress, 'On lesbian/gay liberation' (2003) (IVP no. 351/2, summer 2003) — points 1-13 to read for report, the rest as reference

 

  1. Tues 30/8 From the world party of socialist revolution to an international organisation struggling for socialist revolution (Penny)

11.0 Outline

11.1 Excerpts from Daniel Bensaïd, The Formative Years of the Fourth International (1933-1938), Amsterdam: IIRE

11.2 Excerpt from Ernest Mandel, The Leninist Theory of Organization, London, 1972

11.3 Excerpt from Jo Freeman, 'The tyranny of structurelessness' (Ms. Magazine, 1973)

11.4 Excerpt from the ICS (FI Indian section) 'Code of Conduct'

11.5 Excerpt from FI 12th World Congress, 'Dictatorship of the proletariat and socialist democracy' (IVP, 1985)

11.6 Excerpt from FI 15th World Congress, 'Role and tasks of the Fourth International' (IVP no. 351/2, summer 2003):

11.7 Section 1 of Statutes of the Fourth International (1974) and Preamble to Statutes of the Fourth International (2003)

11.8 Excerpt from FI IEC, 'Building revolutionary youth organisations in the imperialist countries' (May 1982)

11.9 Excerpts from Gabriel, 'Report on the balance sheet and problems of building our youth organisations in Europe' (March 1988)

Reference texts

11.10                      FI 14th World Congress, 'Building the International today' (IVP, spring 1996)

11.11                      Penny Duggan, The Feminist Challenge to Traditional Political Organizing, IIRE Working Paper, Jan. 1997

11.12                      Time Chart of World Events and Revolutionary Movements

  1. Wed 31/8 Evaluation, cleaning and departures