Youth School 2016

draft programme

Wednesday 17/08 Arrivals, introduction to the school - [Starting] at 4 pm.

Thursday 18/08 1. Introduction to our critical Marxism - Marx's materialism: The Theses on Feuerbach. Self-emancipation. - Introduction to historical materialism: The notions of base and superstructure. - Introduction to the Marxist critique of political economy: use value, exchange value, surplus value, exploitation.

Friday 19/08 2. Marx and ecology, the global ecological crisis - Climate crisis, biodiversity crisis, energy crisis and link with the capitalist mode of production. - The notion of progress put into question, struggle of indigenous peoples, land grabbing etc. - Our ecosocialist answers

Saturday 20/08 3. The working class today - What is the working class? The notion of class in Marx and marxism - The changes in the class composition of the working class during the late 20th Century - The problem of class consciousness and intersecting identities

Sunday 21/08 4.Imperialism and new emerging powers in the 21st Century - Classic theory on imperialism - US Imperialism since WW2 - The emergence of new powers - towards a multipolar world?

Monday 22/08 5. Women's liberation and LGTB struggles - A Marxist-feminist analysis of women’s oppression and exploitation - Gender, sexuality, intersectionality: the question of oppression in a broader framework - LGBTQ theories and struggles

Tuesday 23/08 Day off

Wednesday 24/08 6. Immigration and anti-racism - What is racism? - The roots of the refugee crisis - Anti-racism today

Thursday 25/08 7. Revolution and repression in the Middle-East – The structural causes of the Arab revolts – The reactionary counter-offensive - The role of the left and the revolutionaries in these movements

Friday 26/08 8. Europe in crisis - The authoritarian and austerian offensive in Europe - The state of the European Left (from the Left party to anti-capitalists) - Southern Europe as the laboratory of the crisis and the focal point of resistance

Saturday 27/08 9. The Fourth International and strategic debates - Our strategic goal - The role of the revolutionary party - How can broad parties be a bridge between where we are now and what we want

Sunday 28/08 10. Evaluation and general cleaning Structure of the day

   9.00-9.40: Lecture part 1

   9.40-9.50: Break

   9.50-10.30: Lecture Part 2

   10.30-10.40: Break

   10.40-11:20: Lecture Part 3

   11.20-11.30: Break

   11.30-12.00: Questions and answers

   12.00-15.00: Lunch and time for individual reading

   15.00-16.30: Discussion in language groups

   16.30-18.00: Final discussion starting with reports from the group

   18.00-20.30: Reading time

   20.30: Evening meal