Reinventing Revolution in the 21st Century

Reinventing Revolution in the 21st Century

Amal Treacher-Kabesh: Egyptian Revolutions: Continuity/Discontinuity

The revolutionary activity during January 2011 was met with optimism and a heartfelt belief that Egypt would become a society based on social justice. The optimism, however, was short lived as the entrenched socio-political structures of corruption, exploitation and cruelty soon returned with force.  Egypt is a society with a long history of colonisation and this history persists, I argue, in the present leading to perpetual insecurity and inequality. This talk will trace through the double meaning – break and return - in the term ‘revolution’ and I will argue that the previous history of colonisation hinders socio-political movement towards social cohesion and equality.

Nick Stevenson: Has the future a Marxism?

In his presentation, Nick will reflect upon the historical legacy of Marxism as a theory and a practice. He will look at how after the end of the Cold War it seemed to many that Marxism, outside a few revolutionary outposts, was finished. Many leading scholars and intellectuals associated with Marxism either abandoned the idea all together or spoke about post-Marxism. However more recently through the development of the anti-capitalist movement, Marxism has made something of a come-back. Here, Nick will seek to explore whether the death of Marxism has been greatly exaggerated and what it may still have to tell us about post-industrial capitalism. While it is unlikely that Marxism will ever dominate the imaginations of those seeking to oppose capitalism in the 21st century, Nick will seek to explore why it has proved to be so intellectually resilient. Here he will look at some of the successes and failures of those seeking to give Marxism a make-over.