Abstract
This article overviews the following three articles in the journal, which arise from the 2008 conference Other Worlds 2: After the Neo-Con Men. The article responds to an issue raised across the papers regarding social movement knowledge and theory: what is the tension between analysis produced inside the academy and that which arises from within movements. And how can theory can be developed in a way that both takes into account the viewpoint and needs of the historical players whose activity is shaping the future (social movement actors) and the wider social forces that give rise to and shape the struggles those players are involved in. It is argued that the new movements around globalisation and global justice have reasserted 'activism' as a key component of social movement analysis, challenging academics to engage with social movements in a more direct way and to ensure their output is relevant to that audience. It is argued that the concept of the ‘organic intellectuals’, outlined by Italian Marxist philosopher Antonio Gramsci, has particular utility.
Highlights
This article overviews the following three papers, which arise from the 2008 conference Other Worlds 2: After the Neo-Con Men
That night I must have spoken to a dozen activists about the attacks, including what they might mean for both US-Middle East relations and the global justice movement
Theorising and conceptualising movement activism is bread and butter for many social movement activists, who constantly need to assess and reassess their activity in light of the wider economic and political context. This theorising is either within movements themselves or within left political organisations, or in a more public way carried on through blogs, magazines (Left Turn: Notes from the Global Intafada and CounterPunch) and political commentary facilities within electronic infrastructure such as Indymedia
Summary
This article overviews the following three papers, which arise from the 2008 conference Other Worlds 2: After the Neo-Con Men. In Australia there are a few publications that seek to straddle these worlds – the journal Overland being one such example – and a number of academics have sought to publish works regarding social movements that are accessible and jump the language barrier.
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