Sep/Oct 2021: New book "If Not Us, Who?", article pandemic & class struggle an more

Newsletter: 

http://www.azzellini.net  -  facebook: Dario Azzellini

Sep/Oct 2021, Dario Azzellini's newsletter in English   - approx. 4 times a year

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0. Before: Pandemic, new book and more

1. New Books (English, German): 

Azzellini, Dario (ed.). 2021. If Not Us, Who? Workers against authoritarianism, fascism and dictatorship. Hamburg: VSA.

2. Academic articles: Book chapters and journal articles (English, Spanish)

3. Videos/Audios

4. Interviews and press articles (English)

5. Reviews (English, German)

6. Events (Hernani, Basque Country) 

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0. Before

Dear all!

I hope you all had a great summer (or winter, if you are in the Southern hemisphere)

I am very happy that the English version of the book I edited on workers' struggles was published:

Azzellini, Dario (ed.). If Not Us, Who? Workers against authoritarianism, fascism and dictatorship. Hamburg: VSA. June 2021.

Azzellini, Dario (Hg.). Mehr als Arbeitskampf! Workers weltweit gegen Autoritarismus, Faschismus und Diktatur. VSA: Verlag, April 2021.

The book is the result of a collective effort of more than 30 authors. It offers 30 contemporary and historical examples of workers' struggles against authoritarianism, fascism, and dictatorship, it discusses the present and future of workers' struggle, the new class feminism, and class struggle during the pandemic. The book can be purchased in print and is available as a pdf for free download on the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation websites (see point 1).

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I would also like to recommend my latest article onclass struggle from above and from below during the pandemic. The article discusses also the importance of class and work as categories today and offers a first systematization of the workers
 struggles during the pandemic:

Azzellini, Dario. "Class Struggle from Above and from Below during the covid-19 Pandemic". Journal of Labor and Society. (published online ahead of print 2021). doi: https://doi.org/10.1163/24714607-bja10018

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Together with a team of wonderful coeditors - Ursula Apitzsch, Maurizio Atzeni, Alessandra Mezzadri and Phoebe Moore – I am editing the "Handbook of Research on the Global Political Economy of Work", to be published with Edward Elgar Publishing in 2022. It will contain more than 50 chapters and be the most complete handbook on the subject. Obviously, all from the perspective of different Marxisms, feminist and transnational.

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In addition, I have joined forces, experiences and knowledge with the much appreciated and excellent comrade Marcelo Vieta, to write a book with the title "Commoning Labor and Democracy at Work" that will be published in the Routledge Critical Development Studies series in early 2022.

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Translations

Several translations of my works will be published towards the end of this year:

Argentina: El Colectivo from Buenos Aires will publish an updated translation of "Ours to master and to own"

Turkey: Publisher NotaBene Yayınları from Istanbul publishes also an updated translation of "Ours to master and to own" Denetim Bizde, Mülkiyet Bizde: Paris Komünü'nden Günümüze İşçi Denetimi.

Brazil: Lutas anticapital from São Paulo pulishes a colecction of several of my writings on workers' control, labor as commoning and local self-government.

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Look for me in researchgate.net. You will find many of my writings for download.

Greetings, venceremos, we will win,

Dario

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1. New Books (English, German)

Azzellini, Dario (ed.). 2021. If Not Us, Who? Workers against authoritarianism, fascism and dictatorship. Hamburg: VSA.

In struggles for democratization, workers continue to play a central role: from the new, class-conscious feminism to the mass protests that have erupted in countries such as Chile, Lebanon, and France. How have workers historically fought against fascism, dictatorships, authoritarian regimes, and repressive tendencies in society, and how are they doing so today? And how do they organize themselves within and outside of trade unions?

Featuring contributions from some 30 authors on the new class-conscious feminism and labour struggles during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as stories from France, the USA, Germany, Japan, Chile, Brazil, Colombia, Israel, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, the Philippines, Russia, Argentina, Spain, Indonesia, South Korea, the former East Germany, Tunisia, Egypt, and Bosnia-Herzegovina. 

https://www.vsa-verlag.de/nc/buecher/detail/artikel/if-not-us-who/

http://www.azzellini.net/node/3219

Link to free download the English version: https://www.rosalux.de/en/publication/id/44046/if-not-us-who?cHash=61c6b...

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Dario Azzellini (Hrsg.): Mehr als Arbeitskampf! Workers weltweit gegen Autoritarismus, Faschismus und Diktatur. VSA: Verlag, April 2021

In den Kämpfen um Demokratisierung nehmen Arbeiter*innen noch immer eine zentrale Rolle ein: Vom neuen klassenbewussten Feminismus bis zu den aufflammenden Massenprotesten in Chile, Libanon oder Frankreich. Wie engagieren sich Arbeiter*innen bis heute gegen Faschismus, Diktaturen, autoritäre Regime und repressive Tendenzen in der Gesellschaft – und wie organisieren sie sich in und jenseits von Gewerkschaften?

Mit Beiträgen von knapp 30 Autorinnen und Autoren zum neuen Klassenfeminismus und zu den Arbeitskämpfen während der Covid-19-Pandemie, sowie Geschichten aus Frankreich, USA, Deutschland, Japan, Chile, Brasilien, Kolumbien, Israel, Libanon, Irak, Iran, Philippinen, Russland, Argentinien, Spanien, Großbritannien, Portugal, Südafrika, Indonesien, Südkorea, DDR, Tunesien, Ägypten und Bosnien-Herzegowina.

Eine Veröffentlichung der Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung

http://www.azzellini.net/buecher/mehr-als-arbeitskampf

https://www.vsa-verlag.de/nc/detail/artikel/mehr-als-arbeitskampf/

Kostenloser Download des pdf: https://www.rosalux.de/publikation/id/44046

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2. Book chapters and journal articles (English, Spanish)

Azzellini, Dario. "Class Struggle from Above and from Below during the covid-19 Pandemic". Journal of Labor and Society.(published online ahead of print 2021). doi: https://doi.org/10.1163/24714607-bja10018

Crises under capitalism, as historical analysis proves, tend to entail a transfer of wealth from the poor to the wealthy. Inequalities between poor and wealthy, between people of color and white people, between North and South and between genders are increasing. Most scholars will agree that this is also happening on a global level as a consequence of the handling of the covid-19 pandemic. However, there is a lot of disagreement regarding the evaluation of workers’ resistance. Some observe a global increase in workers’ struggles since the pandemic took hold in March 2020, some deny it, and others, maybe most, pay little attention to workers’ struggles. The differing points of view also go back to diverging positions on the importance of class, labor and workers’ organization. This article outlines the dimensions of the class war from above, provides an initial overview and systematization of the workers’ struggles, discusses the transformative power of workers’ struggles and presents a preliminary evaluation.

http://www.azzellini.net/node/3249

https://brill.com/view/journals/jlso/aop/article-10.1163-24714607-bja100...

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Azzellini, Dario. “Workers’ Control and Self-Management.” Veltmeyer, Henry; Bowles, Paul (Eds.). The Essential Guide to Critical Development Studies. Second edition. London/New York: Routledge. Copyright Year 2022

Workers’ control and workers’ self- management have manifested themselves in all kinds of crisis and historical changes. They proliferated in revolutions and anti-colonial struggles, during political, economic, social, and cultural crises, and as a response to capitalist restructuring. Different forms of and struggles for workers’ control and self-management occurred in capitalist and in declared socialist political systems. In the Global South, workers’ control was especially present in anti-colonial and postcolonial emancipation efforts from the late 1940s to the early 1980s. Over the past two decades there has been a renewed global interest in workplace democracy, cooperativism, and workers’ control. The contemporary crisis has put self-management and the control of the means of production by workers and communities back on the agenda in many different forms. From a growing cooperative movement in many countries, struggles for the collective democratic administration of resources as commons to workplace takeovers through workers (from radical models as in Latin America and beyond to workers’ buy-outs) and the broader societal practices of the Zapatistas in Chiapas, the Communes in Venezuela, and Rojava/Kurdistan. This chapter clarifies some conceptual differences, and looks at the history of workers’ control and workers’ self-management, focusing especially on the Global South. It summarises why larger-scale initiatives in the 20th century failed and looks especially at the Worker Recuperated Companies as a 21st-century phenomenon to analyse the anticapitalist and emancipatory potential of workers’ control.

http://www.azzellini.net/node/3251

https://www.routledge.com/The-Essential-Guide-to-Critical-Development-St...

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Azzellini, Dario. “Venezuela: Revolutionary Bolivarianism Against the Colonial Nation-State.” Cörüt, Ilker; Jongerden, Joost (Eds.). Beyond Nationalism and the Nation-State. Radical Approaches to Nation. London/New York: Routledge (May 2021)

This book centers around one fundamental question: Is it possible to imagine a progressive sense of nation? Rooted in historic and contemporary social struggles, the chapters in this collection examine what a progressive sense of nation might look like, with authors exploring the theory and practice of the nation beyond nationalism.

The book is written against the background of rising authoritarian-nationalist movements globally over the last few decades, where many countries have witnessed the dramatic escalation of ethnic-nationalist parties impacting and changing mainstream politics and normalizing anti-immigration, anti democratic and Islamophobic discourse. This volume discusses viable alternatives for nationalism, which is inherently exclusionary, exploring the possibility of a type of nation-based politics which does not follow principles of nationalism.

http://www.azzellini.net/node/3229

https://www.routledge.com/Beyond-Nationalism-and-the-Nation-State-Radica...

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Azzellini, Dario. 2021. "Communes in Venezuela in times of crisis." In Buen Vivir and the Challenges to Capitalism in Latin America. Edited by Veltmeyer, Henry and Edgar Zayago Lau. London: Routledge. 113-131.

This book explores the battleground between neoliberal capitalist development processes in Latin America and the challenges to these systems that can be found through innovative community-driven buen vivir/vivir bien initiatives. (...) Looking hopefully towards this future of development, this collection offers an essential analysis of the vortex of social change currently consuming Latin America and will be key reading for advanced scholars and researchers in the fields of Development Studies, Latin America Studies, Politics, and Social Change.

http://www.azzellini.net/node/3225

https://www.routledge.com/Buen-Vivir-and-the-Challenges-to-Capitalism-in...

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Azzellini, Dario. “Comuna o nada. Socialismo comunero en Venezuela.” Hopkins, Alicia; Pineda, César Enrique (Eds.). Pensar las autonomías. Experiencias de autogestión, poder popular y autonomía. Mexico D.F.: Bajo tierra Ediciones. 53-80. 2021

En las últimas décadas, en América Latina emergieron movimientos sociopolíticos de sectores, pueblos y clases subalternas que reorientaron su acción organizativa y de movilización con novedosas formas de organización. El centro de su acción colectiva se enfoca no sólo en la protesta social, sino también en lo que podemos describir como procesos de fundación, reconstrucción o reordenamiento de estructuras comunitarias como vía sociopolítica para la sobrevivencia en común; en ocasiones, además, su acción colectiva es expresión radical de autonomía frente a poderes estatales, mercantiles, criminales, caciquiles, entre muchos otros. (...) hemos reunido 16 experiencias de autonomía integral o parcial, de autogobierno, de comunidades rurales y urbanas, que muestran la potencia social de la organización autodirigida, del gobierno de sí mismos y no sobre otros.

http://www.azzellini.net/node/3236

Free pdf download!

http://bajotierraediciones.com/product/pensar-las-autonomias/

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3. Videos/Audios

Nothing new this time. For older videos and audios look at www.azzellini.net

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4. Interviews and press articles (English)

Interview: Dr. Azzellini, "Isolation on Imrali is aimed at silencing the society" / ANF NEWS, 02.04.21

Dr. Dario Azzelini made remarks over the intensification of the isolation on Öcalan and the state of incommunicado with the Kurdish leader for almost a year:

“Öcalan is a prisoner of the Turkish state and he is wanted to be buried alive and silenced in order to show that it is futile to oppose the power. However, we see that Turkey misunderstands the struggle of the Kurdish people seeking their rights. They thought the Kurdish movement would finish off once Öcalan was taken prisoner and jailed. But the opposite happened. Now Turkey does not release Öcalan since it does not want a political solution. Because it is feared that the physical liberation of Öcalan will trigger a political solution.”

English: https://anfenglish.com/features/dr-azzellini-isolation-on-imrali-is-aime...

Spanish: https://anfespanol.com/noticias/dr-azzellini-el-aislamiento-de-imrali-ti...

Geman: https://anfdeutsch.com/hintergrund/azzellini-isolation-auf-imrali-zielt-...

Turkish: https://anfturkce.com/guncel/dr-azzellini-Imrali-daki-tecritle-amac-topl...

Kurmancî: https://anfkurdi.com/rojane/dr-zazellini-armanc-ji-tecrida-li-Imraliye-b...

Kirmanckî: https://anfkirmancki.com/aktuel/dr-azzellini-armance-tecride-Imraliyi-be...

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5. Reviews (English, German)

"Review: If Not Us, Who? Workers Worldwide Against Authoritarianism, Fascism and Dictatorship". transform!europe, 28.07.21, Francine Mestrum

"If not us, who?  – This certainly is one of the most relevant questions to be asked in today’s political and social context. At a time when the COVID-19 crisis causes a lot of thinking and writing about ‘building back better’, the slogan of international organisations to refer to the post-Covid recovery policies, and all the opportunities for change the pandemic offers, as was feared right from the start by those who are active in resistance movements of all kinds, nothing really is turning out for the better. What we now see, after almost one and a half years of crisis, is a more authoritarian and less democratic world, with more and more unsustainable inequalities and a real threat of planetary destruction. On the horizon, a new fascism is looming. (...)  this book by Dario Azzellini is so very welcome. The world has changed a lot these past decades, but there will not be any change for the better if people do not get organised, if they do not resist and propose alternatives, collectively."

https://www.transform-network.net/blog/article/if-not-us-who-workers-wor...

http://www.azzellini.net/node/3219

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"The Class Strikes Back: Self-Organised Workers’ Struggles in the Twenty-First Century", Dario Azzellini and Michael G. Kraft, eds. Chicago: Haymarket Books, 2018. Labor: Studies in Working-Class History, Volume 18, Issue 1, 2021, Nico Pizzolato

"The book will be useful and accessible to activists as well as scholars. It brings together a wide spectrum of case studies focused on direct action, horizontal forms of decision-making, independent unionism, and anticapitalist and antiauthoritarian strug- gles originating from shop-floor grievances. The thirteen chapters span Turkey to Indo- nesia, the United States to Italy, and the United Kingdom to South Africa. Many con- tributors, including Broumas (Greece), Dinler (Turkey), Olaya (Colombia), Wigand (Germany), and Azzellini combine, or have combined at some point, a scholarly role with an activist one. The volume acts as a loudspeaker for workers’ perspective, one that is not often picked up by mainstream media or is downplayed in academic accounts of industrial relations."

http://www.azzellini.net/buecher-von-dario-azzellini/class-strikes-back

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"Lichter in der Dunkelheit. Dario Azzellini (Hrsg.) Mehr als Arbeitskampf! Workers weltweit gegen Autoritarismus, Faschismus und Diktatur". kritisch-lesen.de, 13.07.2021, Moritz Busse

"Ein neuer Sammelband stellt sich dieser Ignoranz für Kämpfe gegen autoritäre und faschistische Tendenzen im globalen Süden entgegen und will dabei die Relevanz von Arbeiter:innen weltweit ins Bewusstsein rücken. Berichte aus 25 Ländern vereint der Band dafür in 29 Beiträgen: Von historischen Ereignissen wie dem bedeutenden Bergarbeiterstreik 1984/85 in Großbritannien gegen die gewerkschaftsfeindliche Politik Thatchers, hin zu aktuellen Kämpfen wie der gewerkschaftlichen Mobilisierung in Indien unter Modi. Der Herausgeber Dario Azzellini macht im Vorwort sein mit dem Sammelband verbundenes Anliegen deutlich: „Der Blick ist darauf gerichtet, wie Arbeiter:innen sich für demokratischen Wandel einsetzen, auch in Situationen der Schwäche.“ (S. 12) (...)

Der Sammelband deckt eine immense Bandbreite globaler Arbeitskämpfe ab. Die Stärke des Buches liegt darin, aufzuzeigen, wie arbeiter:innenfeindlich autoritäre Regime ausgerichtet sind und wie sehr ihre Stabilität einer konformen und gehorsamen Arbeiter:innenschaft bedarf. In den Beiträgen zu Japan, Frankreich oder Deutschland wird allenfalls angedeutet, dass auch liberal-kapitalistische Systeme nicht an einer an demokratischen Praktiken im Arbeitsleben orientierten organisierten Arbeiter:innenschaft interessiert sind.

Dem Sammelband gelingt allerdings, was viele Bücher, die sich an den Verwüstungen von Klassengegensätzen abarbeiten, versäumen: Die Darstellung von Arbeiter:innen nicht ausschließlich als passive Opfer und Ausgebeutete, die es zu repräsentieren gilt, sondern als kämpfende Subjekte, die sich aller Widerstände zum Trotz gegen die Verhältnisse im Kollektiv organisieren und für ihre Rechte und Interessen einstehen. Diese Kämpfe geben Hoffnung. Es sind Lichter in der Dunkelheit."

https://kritisch-lesen.de/rezension/lichter-in-der-dunkelheit

https://www.unsere-zeitung.at/2021/07/18/lichter-in-der-dunkelheit/

http://www.azzellini.net/buecher-von-dario-azzellini/mehr-als-arbeitskampf

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6. Events (Hernani, Basque Country)

Organized by: Peace with Dignity – Bakea Duintasunarekin / Parte Hartuz of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU)

In autumn 2021 (October 13-16), the First International Congress on Communal Democracy will be held in the town of Hernani (Basque Country). The aim of the Congress is to address concrete collective ideas and practices that question and seek to transform current models of democracy.

This Congress is organized by the association Peace with Dignity – Bakea Duintasunarekin linked to social movements and transformative dynamics, and by the research group in Social Sciences Parte Hartuz of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), which combines social and academic research of democratic transformation processes. The Congress seeks to analyze, both from theory and practice, processes and experiences where community, popular power, self-management, self-government, common values ​​and collective participation are the basis for transformation. For this reason, it wants to be a space for reflection, debate and analysis for people and popular movements that work on communal and community social transformation.

https://demokraziakomunala.wordpress.com

Contact: demokrazia.komunala@ni.eus 

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Dario Azzellini

www.azzellini.net                www.workerscontrol.net