Conference announcement-ADM- ArtofFreedom.pdf
Program_ADM_Conference_ArtfFreedom.pdf
The event At this conference, in the face of the growing crisis of capitalist modernity and its multiple manifestations, we will primarily address paths out and perspectives on solutions. What are the fundamental aspects of the urgent and radical intellectual, moral and political renewal of opposition to the system? Starting from this question, we want to collectively discuss different aspects of resistance against the system at this conference. Besides the necessary theoretical debate, different movements will share their experiences and strategies to think together about strengthening their practice and common struggle.
An international democratic intervention that opposes the system is more necessary than ever in this era of crisis. Social problems are increasingly aggravated. Democratic forces are confronted with the challenge of (re)politicising societies and creating democratic subjects. Politics that are not based on state and power, but on the grassroots diffusion of political power in society, is the art of freedom. This type of social politics creates the possibility for liberation. Democratic and popular forces and those against the hegemonic system must reclaim their history of resistance and further this legacy by creating spaces in which freedom is learned and lived immediately.
We would like to address central questions that are currently facing emancipatory and liberatory politics. How can we connect the idea of democratic socialism with the concrete reality of life today? What is the role of intellectual struggle, historical consciousness, ecology, women’s liberation, class struggle, etc.?
On the other hand, we are still confronted with the politics of the nation state that homogenises societies and which leads a permanent struggle against multi-ethnic, multicultural society. In various places around the world, social movements are resisting capitalist colonialism and peoples and societies repeatedly exert their right to self-determination. Therefore a central theme will be perspectives of self-determination and autonomy in the 21st century. However, emancipatory politics today is not only confronted with the question of a correct theory that provides answers for the intricate reality of practice. What forms of organisation and institutions should the forces of democratic modernity take in building a more peaceful, safe, ecological and just world?
The congress aims to generate a collective space to identify common challenges, to try and create answers, for questions to blossom and for intellectual exchange on the practice and concepts between various movements. Meanwhile we want to bridge gaps between struggles, broaden our common perspectives, and weave together strategic lines of resistance. It is an invitation to lay new bricks in the theoretical and practical construction of strategies for organising and collective resistance. We see it as a critical task to initiate dialogue on the respective strategies of political forces.
We look forward to your participation in this common space of construction to promote dialogue between struggles for freedom. Let us weave common threads of resistance from local experiences and global perspectives and express a strength of unity of diversity and autonomies. We want to amplify voices of popular struggles for freedom and share our experiences of resistance and building of radical alternatives. We want to shout it out together: Another world is not only possible – given the world situation, it is fiercely needed.
The conference has a target date of 17-19 November 2023 and will take place in Switzerland (Arrival already possible in the evening of 16 November, as the conference starts on Friday morning.) Details about the program of the conference and the organisations, movements and individuals who will join us will be announced.
Please pre-register your attendance by emailing to forum(at)democraticmodernity.com with the subject “Conference: The Art of Freedom” and your name, territory and whether you are coming on behalf of an organisation. It is essential to register in advance and receive a confirmation e-mail to participate. The deadline for registration is 30th October 2023.
About ADM As the Academy of Democratic Modernity, we strive to spread the ideas and rich experience of the Kurdistan Freedom Movement and its paradigm of Democratic Modernity. Our publication activities are intended to start discussions with activists, academics and various anti-system groups and social movements in order to move forward in our search for a radical alternative to capitalist modernity and to realise a free life. Through our educational work, we want to create a new understanding of democratic politics, social enlightenment and a new political-moral consciousness. Some dimensions of social issues we address are the sociology of freedom, weaving together lines of resistance, democratic autonomy, women’s liberation, youth autonomy, social ecology, communal economy and art & culture. Through the development of platforms and networks, we want to contribute to the strengthening of the international exchange of experiences and interweave existing struggles, in line with the proposal of World Democratic Confederalism. To overcome capitalist modernity, concrete local and global institutional alternatives are needed. If we succeed in expanding democratic politics in everyday life – through alliances, councils, communes, cooperatives, academies – the huge political potential of society will unfold and be used to solve social problems. In this sense, we see our activities as a contribution to the unfolding of Democratic Modernity and Democratic Socialism. More information in German, Spanish, English and Italian can be found here: https://democraticmodernity.com
