At the height of the Bush/Cheney war regime in 2005 we launched a series of Continental Drift seminars to see how the drive for global economic integration was leading toward a systemic crisis. These meetings brought together artists and activists along with cultural critics and social theorists in an attempt to "feel out" the ways that the political order of the world was shifting beneath our feet. Since then we have witnessed the global banking crisis, the indisputable rise of East Asian economic power and the dramatic melting of the Arctic ice in the summer of 2008. Sudden events come to punctuate long-term trends in a surreal collapse of geographical scales; the time of everyday life seems out of joint with the time of the world. Is it possible to map out the social and ecological consequences of recent tectonic shifts, and to help set a political agenda for left-leaning activism over the upcoming decades?
This weekend seminar in Baltimore forms part of a new program entitled Four Pathways Through Chaos, which seeks to draw practical conclusions from a survey of the various phases of American hegemony since WWII. This time we will focus on the constitution of the neoliberal period since the early 1980s, the emergence of the real-time global financial system that necessarily accompanied it, and the gradual intensification of new economic, political and ecological contradictions that now seem certain to tear apart the neoliberal order, not in one day or with one event but instead in a series of crises and increasingly chaotic conditions that is likely to continue for the next ten or twenty years. By examining the dialectical shifts in four key categories --- Productive Processes, Social Integration, Global Protocols and Agents of Change --- we can begin to understand the specific components of the current order and the conflicts and struggles that gave them their present forms. From that standpoint it is much more realistic to ask why the basic categories of social existence are now gradually morphing into something else, through the struggles and conflicts that are unfolding right now in the world. The point is to grasp our own potentials to participate in long-term systemic change.
Practical Details
The seminar will take place on August 7th and 8th, starting at 11 AM each day, and lasting until around 5 or 6, at which point we'll enjoy some food and maybe some films together. Each day will feature a variety of major presentations framing the discussion, as well as shorter contributions bringing specific perspectives and concerns to the table. If you're planning on attending, and have something you'd like to contribute, let us know what you have in mind!
We'll be meeting at the Baltimore Free School, located at 1323 N. Calvert St., which is a new space for radical free education initiated by Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse. The space is really simple to get to if you're coming from out of town to participate --- it's about 1 block from both the main train station and the Bolt Bus stop. The seminar is free, but kicking in for food and to help support the Free School is appreciated.
If you plan to attend, or have questions about the seminar, please drop us an email at john@redemmas.org. We'll also be maintaining a space for online discussion and resource sharing before and after the seminar at we.riseup.net/fault_lines_subduction_zones .
Preseminar: Cybernetics Capitalism Control
And if you are already in or just really love Baltimore, consider coming to the "preseminar", a one-day session exploring the recently translated text by Tiqqun, "The Cybernetic Hypothesis," and exploring many of the technopolitical issues that'll be explored in a wider context in the August event. Cybernetics Capitalism Control is also taking place at the Baltimore Free School, on Saturday, July 24th. More info at ccc.redemmas.org
Four Pathways through Chaos
This seminar is taking place as a part of Brian Holmes' evolving Four Pathways Through Chaos project.Read the original proposal here.
Peruse some materials from previous seminars: