https://www.greenleft.org.au/node/61804
Socialism for the 21st Century conference a success
Saturday, May 21, 2016
By Susan Price, Sydney
Chilean Marxist Marta Harnecker speaks at the Socialism for the 21st
Century conference in Sydney on May 14. Photo: Zeb Parkes
Sydney University campus came alive with political discussion, talks and
workshops for three days during the Socialism for the 21st Century
Conference, held over May 13–15.
The conference had more than 30 sessions and 50 speakers, including
international special guests Marta Harnecker, Michael Lebowitz and Ian
Angus. Local and international activists shared their experiences of
struggle and discussed the necessity of building alternatives to
capitalism today. Up to 400 conference-goers faced the task of choosing
from a range of stimulating sessions on offer.
There were many highlights of the conference, including the world-wide
launch of Ian Angus' new book Facing the Anthropocene — copies of the
book sold out before the talk had finished.
The contribution of First Nations leaders, such as Sam Watson and Ken
Canning and the talks by activists from East Timor, Kanaky, Malaysia,
the Philippines, India and Pakistan, gave the conference a strong anti
racist and anti imperialist focus. Hawzhin Azeez's address to the
conference live from Rojava about the campaign to rebuild the city of
Kobane was particularly moving.
The struggles for sex and gender equality brought activists from the
LGBTIQ and feminist campaigns together for workshops on fighting
misogyny and against homophobia. The participation of anti mining
activists, including farmers Helen Bender and Elena Garcia, reflected
the importance of constructing alliances to challenge the might of the
fossil fuel corporations.
The final conference session on building alternatives drew together many
of the ideas raised in the conference, including the need for tactical
openness in the project to build a mass movement for socialism in
Australia that unites the majority in struggle.
Peter Boyle, who spoke on behalf of Socialist Alliance — one of the
organisations hosting the conference — said the left needed a flexible
and constructive orientation towards the Greens and any other new
significant political projects with a left trajectory. However, there
remained an important role for some form of political organisation that
helped socialists to collectivise activity and experience, and to
educate and train new generations of socialist activists.
Bringing together activists in conferences such as this is definitely
part of advancing such a project.
Audio and video of key conference sessions will be available online
soon. Visit socialismforthe21stcentury.org for updates.
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From GLW issue 1095
Tags: anti imperialist
anti racist
East Timor
Hawzhin Azeez
Ian Angus
India
Kanaky
Ken Canning
Kobane.
Malaysia
Marta Harnecker
Michael Lebowitz
Pakistan
revolution
Rojava
Sam Watson
socialism
Socialism for the 21st Century Conference
Socialist Alliance
Sydney
the Philippines
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