για μια κριτική και ριζοσπαστική ψυχολογία

In September 2008, the Escanda collective along with others will be hosting a five day radical economics gathering. As well as analysing the failures of the current economic system and the means of production and circulation we will learn from the possibilities and experiences of those working in the here and now, despite capitalism, to build autonomous economies from a basis of sustainability, self organisation, solidarity, respect and justice and the struggle for a better world.

The gathering will provide a space for networking and will combine workshops that focus both on the theory of radical economics and the practice; working towards creating and building radical economies within and between our own movements and collectives.

Why?

Within the movement we discuss politics – what is wrong with the system and how we build our own networks, we discuss ecology – climate change and how we develop more ecological ways of doing things, relations – how to avoid hierarchies and power relations amongst ourselves, consumerism, culture, direct action, health, education… but what about economics?

Over the last 5 years the Escanda collective and friends have organised a number of different meetings and seminars. Ranging from gender issues, popular education, renewable energies and social change, to a radical women’s gathering. This year, we want to go to the belly of the beast and provide the space for skill sharing, learning, discussion and debate around economics. For many of us it remains a taboo word, or something we have not quite got our heads around, all of us have critiques, ideas and questions about the global economy and all of us, despite capitalism, are doing things ourselves to provide for and control our lives. In the seminar we hope to combine these different elements to develop our own individual understanding, radicalise and deepen our critiques, explore radical and alternative economies and join up with or form new networks of autonomous production and circulation.

What?

Whilst we have an idea about what we would like to see in the seminar, we are also very interested to hear from other groups and collectives who have been working around these issues in developing the content and programme of the seminar together. We have come up with these questions but we welcome any feedback, ideas and suggestions you might have.

What issues and themes would you like to see represented?

• Can you offer a workshop?
• Can you think of any groups or individuals that would be useful to invite?
• What networks and groups are you involved in and (briefly) what do they do?
• What do you understand by the word ‘economy’?

So far we thought we would like to look at some of the topics below:

• Looking at the mechanics of the market, global economics, money, exchange, value and wage labour. Including looking at all the things we do that are not ‘valued’ such as domestic work or social work.
• A questionnaire and discussions amongst ourselves about ways in which we already manage our needs without money – e.g. in our families, social centres, shared flats and international networks.
• Learning about and examining existing models such as Solidarity Economics, Participatory Economics, the concept of the Commons, Anarcho-syndicalism etc.
• Learning about and examining real examples such as our own communities and social centres, the Zapatistas, Argentina from 2001, Spain during the civil war, etc.
• A networking point for those producing or circulating in non- capitalist ways.
• Working towards establishing our own production and circulation networks between groups and collectives.
• How do these model and examples link into our current real struggles? How do we hold on to what we have wrestled out of the capitalist sphere AND make them part of a bigger revolutionary process of going beyond capitalism altogether?
• Are these radical economies real and sustenible alternatives or they can only exist like parasites of the capitalist system?

Where?

The seminar will be held from the 4th-9th of September 2008 in Escanda. Escanda is a collective in the North of Spain – a space for interaction and cooperation between groups of people, networks and movements. Escanda aims to practice and experiment how to live together, without exchange relations and with horizontal structures.

The common thread is non-hierarchical, anti-capitalist grassroots movements, with an emphasis on the environment. We subscribe to the PGA Hallmarks and work within this framework. As such Escanda organises meetings, seminars, courses, trainings, skill sharing events and provides space for projects on a wide variety of different issues.

Tags: escanda, network, conference, spain