Conference reports public activities can be planned using "50 Years:
Enough!" materials and
Theory speakers. And we should always bear in mind that a signature given as the result of a clear presentation of the theme multiplies the potential for further activity.
This campaign should also be about establishing the link
The year of Engels?
between third world debt and
1995 saw the 100th anniversary of the death of social demands in the
Friedrich Engels, the co-founder of Marxism, a leader industrialised countries. For and educator of the international workers' movement example, austerity plans, until his death, twelve years after his great friend Karl made necessary by the
Marx passed away.
convergence criteria of the
Dozens of Marxist scholars came together in Paris
Maastricht Treaty result in from 17-20 October, to confirm the continuing validity of attacks on public service, pay the theoretical contribution of Marx and Engels, and that, despite the recurring fashion for obituaries and freezes, redundancies and autopsies of Marxism which have littered this century, privatisation. In Canada and dialectical materialism is still alive and well.
the USA severe cuts have
This particular event had two particular functions been made in social within the "return of the spectre of Marx. The tirst was programmes. All these to stress the fundamental contribution of Marx's alter measures are versions of the ego, Friedrich Engels, to the development of their same recipes applied in the common theory, and to identify Engels' specific contribution to the theoretical body of classic Marxism.
poorer countries to make sure
Engels that debt payments are contributed a respected.
number of original
Global understanding is an ideas, and made some very important important strand of this corrections to campaign. This is not,
Marxist theory.
fundamentally, a solidarity
Maybe because of campaign. It is about uniting the division of against our common enemies.
labour between him
The role of the IMF in and Marx, maybe because he outlived managing Third World Debt is his companion, and very similar to the role of the witnessed years
Belgian goverment in which were crucial managing the public deficit.
tor humanıty in
The public is receptive to this general, and the kind of argument. They see workers' movement the parallel, and are interested in particular.
in hearing more about our
The letters Engels sent to his many, varied correspondents during the last years of his lite represent proposed solutions.
the first major defence, and illustration, of a
There is lots of work to do. The revolutionary and critical Marxism against dogmatic
"Marxism"
next big challenge is the
', and its deviant social democratic form, which seeks to adapt to the bourgeoisie.
Summit of the G7 (seven
The second role of this seminar demonstrated the richest countries) in Lyon, modern-day relevance of Engels. His works include the
France, in June 1996.
major elements of a Marxist critique of the age of imperialism, and a sentiment, almost a prediction, of the degeneration which was to later attect this theory, and
For more information contact:
the movement which identified with it. It is without a
"WB/IMF/WTO: Enough!", c/o COCAD, 29 doubt the collapse of the Stalinist lead seal which has
Plantinstraat, 1070 Brussels, Belgium. Tel.
provoked this return to the source of Marxism for the
+32.2.523 4023, fax +522 6127 regeneration of our movement.
sist by Salah Jaber
Note
1. Seminars have also been held, or are planned, in Havana, Madrid, Mexico,
Milan, Wuppertal (Germany) and a range of cities in Africa and Asia. The Paris nal Campaign news seminar, Friedrich Engels, savant et révolutionaire, was organised by Georges
Labica's research group at Université de Paris X-Nanterre.
December 1995
in practice European Forum of Left Feminists Organisations ("Solidarity: alliances and networking"),
Strategies towards the European Union and Other Interвко Фоти Артотеро Фешотріс governmental Bodies and their policies, and Women and
Fundamentalism.
I wo hundred Greek women and 6u participants from the rest of Europe gathered in Athens from 3-5 According to Sissy Vovou of the Greek organising committee, "the discussion was rich and November, for the 10th annual conterence of the European Forum of Lett Feminists. Participants interesting... It gives hope for the included activists in the European women's аллікб Фарки Аритрау Ф development of the network at the European movement, anti-racism, and immigrant rights, as level."
The basis weakness of the conference was well as lett teminist academics. Greek participant ncluded virtually all the Athens-based women the absence of decision-making, concerning groups and associations, many former activists, he numerous proposals for networking and some who had not previously been involved political solidarity, and development of in feminist activities. Women from Bosnia (Tuzla initiatives directed towards the various and Sarajevo), Serbia, Albania, Kosovo, FYR of institutions (including the idea of creating a Macedonia and from Cyprus also participated. centre, or a Parliament of Balkan Women'). The conference was open to men, and quite a few This inability to take decisions is obviously participated in some of the sessions. connected to the character of the Forum as a Leontsini and Antigoni Lymberaki's on the first day, drew a large audience. Mary The plenary session on theoretical issues, helc Подолодоці ка Пойосенк Бореку Ма фертитті лор той так - общинти, ка прертовів; prevents participants from creating concrete collaboration. But there is nothing which loose communication network for feminist presentation, "Feminism and Difference", , which 100 Fosss discussed the fragmentation of the social category "women" ion the "post-modern" period, provoked intense argument , so much so that the subsequent discussion was dominated by the expression of conflicting positions. This unfortunately left less space for discussion of the — rather theoretical, but extremely rich — presentation on "Feminism of Equality, feminism of difference" by Bianca Beccali from Italy. Among other things, she showed how the feminist movement has, over the years, developed four distinct uses of the concept of "difference".