Networked Politics

Networked Politics announces the launching of the “Charter for Innovation, Creativity and Access to Knowledge”.

The Charter is the result of the First International Forum on Free Culture and access to knowledge which took place at Barcelona (October 29 to November 1 2009). Networked Politics was one of the Fcforum organisers together with eXgae and Free Knowledge Institute.

A broad coalition from over 20 countries, of hundreds of thousands of citizens, users, consumers, organizations, artists, hackers, members of the free culture movement, economists, lawyers, teachers, students, researchers, scientists, activists, workers, unemployed, entrepreneurs, creators… were created af the Fcforum and are supporting the Charter.

Citizens of the digital era stanp up to full fill the potential of the digital era  in increasing freedom, justice and rewarding for all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We invite all citizens to make this Charter theirs, spread it and practice it.

We invite all the governments, multinationals and institutions urgently to listen to it, understand it and enforce it.

The Charter is availeble at: http://fcforum.net/

Or Download the Charter at: http://fcforum.net/files/CHARTER_short.pdf

If you would like to endorce the Charter write to lilaroja(at)gmx.net

(English – Català – Castellano)

ENGLISH

First newsletter

INTERNATIONAL FORUM ON FREE CULTURE & KNOWLEDGE

Barcelona, October 29 to November 1^st 2009

Website: http://www.fcforum.net/

Newsletter subscription:

http://openfsm.net/projects/freecultureforum/lists/freecultureforumbcn

There is in motion the celebration of an International Forum on free culture and knowledge from October 29 to November 1^st 2009 at Barcelona.

This is the opportunity to join under the same roof and from a critical perspective, the main organizations and active voices in the free culture and knowledge world; a meeting point to sit down, dance and work together setting common agendas, strategies and address disagreements. In this regard, the Forum is action-oriented. Besides that, there are the conditions to get the visibility to reach a wider public and point out another perspective about knowledge, culture and creativity, different to the one that the entertainment industry and universities insists in showing us.

Why Barcelona

In January 2010, Spanish State will take up the European Presidency of the European Union. Spanish Government has already announced that one of their flagships will be reinforcing the control of the Internet and criminalizing the sharing culture in the digital environment. The consequences of those decisions will be noticed in the rest of the world. Furthermore, within this context, Barcelona is closing agreements with cultural institutions to set new agreements to get a fairer sharing of copyrights. These agreements will be spread to other institutions in Catalonia and Spanish State.

In October 29^th this year Barcelona will hold the Second Edition of the Oxcars Festival, an international event to honor the defense of culture and to show that other creation channels, as good and with as much quality as traditional ones, exist. The last edition was a success with more than 2000 participants. It brought the attention both of an interested public and of media. You can find more information about last year show at http://exgae.net/exgae-multiply-and-share-forth/theoxcars .

In the Spanish State, there are very active organizations, movements and persons related to free culture from different perspectives, offering a very rich sharing space and a source of new proposals from where to launch an international process. In this regard, from several worldwide voices, like during the last World Social Forum (Belem do Para Brazil 2009) is recognized the necessity to create international spaces for networking, coordination and building of a global frame of the free culture and knowledge issue, analyse similarities and develop common agendas; the Free Culture Forum of Barcelona aims to create such space.

What: Combine advocacy and building of infrastructure

The forum’ main objectives are on the one hand building networks to optimize the efforts of the different groups and fixing common demands against content’s industry and government proposals’ in its eagerness to control culture and information and to self-organize to build infrastructure to sustain free culture; and on the other hand reinforcing the self-organization of tools and infrastructure to support free culture.

How

The schedule and methodology of the Forum is organized in 4 days

October 29^th: Celebration of the Oxcars Free Culture Awards Festival.

October 30^th: Panels presentation of key experiences from around the globe and discussion on the key issues.

October 31^th: Working groups around the key issues of the Forum and open space to meetings from participants initiatives

November 1st: Finish placing in common the results and initiatives from the meetings and working groups in order to identify a common future agenda and manifesto.

Key issues

LEGAL PERSPECTIVES AND USERS ACCESS: From a legal point of view, we will try to identify holes and flexibilities in national regulations and International agreements to look for a strategy against the abuses of knowledge and culture policies both in private and contractual relations and against the international public policies. Furthermore, it is necessary to consider users rights before culture. Last years tendency has broken the balance between user and consumer rights and producer and creators which must be reestablished.

EDUCATION AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT: Opposed to the corporative approach to education, there is a new approach based on the idea of sharing and keeping up solidarity. New ways of managing knowledge created by public funded research and innovative research methodologies taking into account social movements as knowledge generators. It is also about taking advantage of the new educational tools and the dissemination of knowledge that the Internet and digital culture have provided. Little by little, new initiatives for use and creation of materials without copyrights and proposals to extend limitations and exceptions to those rights with educational aims are emerging.

FREE SOFTWARE INFRAESTRUCTURE AND KNOWLEDGE SHARING HACKER PHILOSOPHY: Even when the term hackers is usually used by media with negative connotation, around this movement alternative actions have been developed with a clear philosophy of defense of user’s rights from a perspective of a common conscience which promotes freedom of knowledge and social justice. Hackers movement have also build key platforms and tools for a free culture infrastructure. Which new tools and technological infraestructure is relevant for free culture is a relevant issue to face.

ECONOMIES, NEW P2P MODELS AND SUSTAINABLE DISTRIBUTION: In the last few years, more and more voices are questioning the costs for society of cultural and knowledge management models that are based on exclusive rights with too long life span. Favored by the Internet, focus of economy has moved from property to access. Free Culture philosophy, inherited from free software, is the empirical proof that a new ethic and new businesses based on knowledge democratization are possible. Alternative economical form are characterised, amogn other, by the dicrease of importance of the intermediarious and that author becomes producer of her and his works. It is also necessary to face the ambiguities of the new economy of information and knowledge access concerning the concentration of benefits over collectively generated value and collective creation rights.

ORGANIZATIONAL LOGIC AND POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS OF FREE CULTURE: This working line aim to critically reflect on the emerging collective action organizational and democratic features related to free culture experiences (such as the remix culture, prosumerirsm, descentralised organizing and open and participative principles), looking to strains and weaknesses, and to discuss on their political implications and the emerging institutional logic. Furthermore, a critical analysis on the “dark” side of technology and the risk linked to its uses, such as increase of network surveillance, control and censorship.

The Forum infrastructure is provided by Exgae, Networked Politics, Free knowledge Institute and the collaboration of Students For Free Culture and Hangar.

Website: http://fcforum.net/

Newsletter of informations:

http://openfsm.net/projects/freecultureforum/lists/freecultureforumbcn

Organization contact: info@fcforum.net

CATALA

FÒRUM INTERNACIONAL DE LA CULTURA I EL CONEIXEMENT LLIURE: Acció i organització. Barcelona del 29 d’Octubre al 1 de Novembre de 2009.

Web: http://fcforum.net/

Newsletter para rebre informacions del Fòrum de la cultura lliure: http://openfsm.net/projects/freecultureforum/lists/freecultureforumbcn

Del 29 d’Octubre al 1 de Novembre de 2009 se celebrarà a Barcelona el Fòrum internacional de cultura i coneixement lliures. El Fòrum constitueix una oportunitat única per a reunir sota el mateix sostre les principals organitzacions, iniciatives i veus actives en el món de la cultura i el conocimeinto lliures; un punt de trobada on treballar conjuntament, construir agendes i estratègies comunes, així com reflexionar, des d’un punt de vista crític, sobre les diverses visions, perills i contradiccions internes a la cultura lliure. Així mateix el fòrum és una oportunitat per a donar major visibilitat a concepcions alternatives del coneixement, la cultura i la creativitat, diferents a la que insisteixen a imposar la indústria de l’oci i les universitats neoliberalizadas.

Perquè Barcelona

Al gener de 2010, l’Estat Espanyol prendrà la Presidència Europea de la Unió Europea. El Govern Espanyol ha anunciat que un dels seus bucs insígnies serà reforçar el control d’Internet i criminalitzar la cultura de distribució en l’ambient digital. Aquestes decisions tendran conseqüències en la resta del món. A més, dins d’aquest context, institucions culturals a Barcelona estan signant acords sobre l’accés a la cultura que serviran com models per a altres institucions a Catalunya, Estat Espanyol i Europa.

El 29 d’Octubre d’enguany a Barcelona se celebrarà la segona edició del Festival dels Oxcars, un esdeveniment internacional en defensa de la cultura que demostra que existeixen altres canals de creació d’igual qualitat, o major, que els tradicionals. L’edició passada dels Oxcars van ser un èxit, contant amb la participació de més de 2000 participants directament interessat@s i la cobertura dels mitjans de comunicació (La informació sobre els Oxcars de l’any passat està disponible en: http://exgae.net/exgae-multiply-and-share-forth/theoxcars).

Finalment, i importantemente, en l’Estat Espanyol, hi ha organitzacions, moviments molt actius i persones relacionats amb la cultura lliure des de diferents perspectives, que ofereixen un espai molt ric des del qual llançar un procés internacional. En aquest sentit, des de diversos llocs del món, com durant la celebració de l’últim Fòrum Social Mundial en Belem do Per (Brasil Gener de 2009) es reconeix la necessitat de crear espais internacionals per a l’establiment d’una xarxa de coordinació i per a la creació d’un marc global de la cultura i del coneixement lliures des del qual analitzar similituds i diferències entre iniciatives en diferents continents i desenvolupar agendes comunes; el Fòrum de la cultura lliure de Barcelona tracta de crear eixe espai .

Que?

Els objectius principals del Forum són d’una banda construir xarxes per a optimitzar els esforços dels diversos grups i compartir objectius per a impedir que la indústria i els governs imposen la seua política de control i restricció de la cultura i la informació; i per altra banda, organitzar-nos per a construir infraestructura per a la cultura lliure.

Com?

El Fòrum tindrà lloc en tres dias que combinen diverses metododologias:

29 Octubre: Celebració del Festival de la cultura lliure Oxcars

30 Octubre: Panells de presentacions d’experiències claus i inspiradores entorn de 5 eixos de treball.

31 Octubre: Grups de treball (barcamp) al voltant de les qüestions claus.

1 Novembre: Posada en comu dels resultats dels grups de treball. Definició d’una agenda comu i aprovació de manifests per temes.

Eixos

PERSPECTIVES LEGALS I ACCÉS DE L@s USUARI@S: Des d’un punt de vista legal es tracta d’identificar les esquerdes i flexibilitats en les legislacions nacionals i els acords internacionals per a cercar una estratègia enfront dels abusos de les polítiques sobre difusió del coneixement i cultura, a nivell tant de relacions privades i contractuals com davant les normatives i polítiques públiques internacionals. Així mateix, és necessari considerar els drets de usuari@s.

EDUCACIÓ I GESTIO DEL CONEIXEMENT: Enfront d’un enfocament empresarial de l’educació, es planteja una perspectiva basada en la idea de compartir i a mantenir viva la solidaritat. Desenvolupar formes de gestió del coneixement generat a través de la investigació amb fons públics i independents i de metodologias d’investigació més participatives. Des d’una perspectiva que reconeix als moviments socials com generadors de coneixement. Es tracta també d’aprofitar les noves eines educatives i de difusió del coneixement que Internet i la cultura digital han proporcionat. A poc a poc van apareixent iniciatives per a la utilització i creació de materials sobre els quals no existeixen drets d’autor i propostes per a estendre les limitacions i excepcions sobre aqueixos drets amb fins educatives. Així mateix, cada vegada cobra major importància el domini públic com part del nostre patrimoni cultural i intel·lectual. Un accés obert a la cultura i un domini públic ampli, enfront de l’extensió de la durada dels drets d’autor, són la base del desenvolupament dels països i de les societats en general.

ECONOMIES, NOUS MODELS P2P I SOSTENIBILITAT DISTRIBUTIVA: Aquesta secció s’ocupara de dues importants lineas de treball. La primera d’elles se centra en els nous models que sorgeixen de les noves formes d’organització i la segona en les noves propostes d’explotació que han sorgit i en les quals es qüestiona la necessitat dels intermediaris. També per a l’economia, la gestió del coneixement i la cultura són fonamentals. Cada vegada existeixen més veus que es plantegen des del punt de vista econòmic el cost que en termes generals suposen per a la societat i el seu desenvolupament els models d’explotació de la cultura i el coneixement basats en drets exclusius de durada excessiva. Propiciat per Internet el focus de l’economia es desplaça de la propietat a l’accés La filosofia de la cultura lliure, heretada del programari lliure és la demostració empírica que una nova ètica i una nova empresa basada en la democratització del coneixement, i dels mitjans de producció són possibles. Es tendeix a la desaparició dels intermediaris i l’autor es converteix en productor de les seues obres. També les xarxes P2P han suposat una revolució en la forma d’aproximar-se a la creació i intercanvi d’informació i coneixement. De la seua filosofia han sorgit noves formes colaborativas de treball i difusió del coneixement, no jeràrquiques sinó rizomáticas.

PROGRAMARI LLIURE I CONEIXEMENT QUE COMPARTEIXEN LA FILOSOFIA DELS I LES HACKERS: Tot i que el terme hacker és utilitzat generalment per mitjans de masses des d’una connotació negativa, el moviment hacker es basa en una filosofia de defensa de les drets de usuari@ des d’una perspectiva d’una consciència comuna que promou la llibertat de coneixement i de justícia social i que ha construït importantísimas plataformes i eines que són la infraestructura de la cultura lliure. Impulsar la construcció d’infraestructura per a la cultura lliure és clau.

LÒGICA D’ORGANITZACIÓ I IMPLICACIONS POLÍTIQUES DE LA CULTURA LLIURE: Es tracta de reflectir críticament sobre la lògica organitzativa i democràtica de l’acció col·lectiva relacionades amb les experiències de cultura lliure (tals com la cultura de la remezcla, el prosumerirsm, organització descentralised, principis participatius, entre altres) analitzant els seus avantatges i debilitats, aixi com tensions internes. Així mateix, discutir sobre les implicacions polítiques.

La infraestructura per a la celebració del Fòrum està sent proporcionada per Exgae, Networked Politics, Free Knowledge Foundation i la col·laboració de la Xarxa d’estudiantes per la cultura lliure i el Hangar.

Lloc web: http://fcforum.net/

Newsletter per rebre informacions del Fòrum de la cultura lliure: http://openfsm.net/projects/freecultureforum/lists/freecultureforumbcn Contacte de l’organització: info@fcforum.net

CASTELLANO

FORO INTERNACIONAL DE LA CULTURA Y EL CONOCIMIENTO LIBRE:

Acción y organización. Barcelona del 29 de Octubre al 1 de Noviembre de 2009

Sitio web: http://fcforum.net/

Newsletter para recibir informaciones del Foro de la cultura libre: http://openfsm.net/projects/freecultureforum/lists/freecultureforumbcn

Del 29 de Octubre al 1 de Noviembre de 2009 se celebrará en Barcelona el Foro internacional de cultura y conocimiento libres. El Foro constituye una oportunidad única para reunir bajo el mismo techo las principales organizaciones, iniciativas y voces activas en el mundo de la cultura y el conocimeinto libres; un punto de encuentro donde trabajar conjuntamente, construir agendas y estrategias comunes, así como reflexionar, desde un punto de vista crítico, sobre las diversas visiones, peligros y contradicciones internas a la cultura libre. Así mismo el foro es una oportunidad para dar mayor visibilidad a concepciones alternativas del conocimiento, la cultura y la creatividad, diferentes a la que la industria del ocio y las universidades neoliberalizadas insisten en imponer.

Porqué Barcelona

En enero de 2010, el Estado Español tomará la Presidencia Europea de la Unión Europea. El Gobierno Español ha anunciado que uno de sus buques insignias será reforzar el control de Internet y criminalizar la cultura de distribución en el ambiente digital. Estas decisiones tendran consecuencias en el resto del mundo. Además, dentro de este contexto, instituciones culturales con Barcelona estan firmando acuerdos sobre el acceso a la cultura que serviran como modelos para otras instituciones en Cataluña, Estado Español y Europa.

El 29 de Octubre de este año en Barcelona se celebrará la segunda edición del Festival de los Oxcars, un acontecimiento internacional en defensa de la cultura que demuestra que existen otros canales de creación de igual calidad, o mayor, que los tradicionales. La edición pasada de los Oxcars fueron un éxito, contando con la participación de mas de 2000 participantes directamente interesados y la cobertura de los medios de comunicación (La información sobre los Oxcars del año pasado está disponible en: http://exgae.net/exgae-multiply-and-share-forth/theoxcars).

Finalmente, e importantemente, en el Estado Español, hay organizaciones, movimientos muy activos y personas relacionados con la cultura libre desde distintas perspectivas, que ofrecen un espacio muy rico desde el que lanzar un proceso internacional. En este sentido, desde varios lugares del mundo, como durante la celebración del último Foro Social Mundial en Belem do Para (Brasil Enero de 2009) se reconoce la necesitad de crear espacios internacionales para el establecimiento de una red de coordinación y para la creación de un marco global de la cultura y del conocimiento libres desde el que analizar similitudes y diferencias entre iniciativas en diferentes continentes y desarrollar agendas comunes; el Foro de la cultura libre de Barcelona trata de crear tal espacio.

Qué

Los objetivos principales del Forum son por una parte construir redes para optimizar los esfuerzos de los diversos grupos y compartir objetivos para impedir que la industria y los gobiernos impongan su politica de control y restricción de la cultura y la información; y por otra parte, organizarnos para construir infraestructura para la cultura libre.

Cómo

El Forum tendrá lugar en tres dias que combinan diversas metododologias:

29 Octubre: Celebración del Festival de la cultura libre Oxcars

30 Octubre: Paneles de presentaciones de experiencias claves e inspiradoras en torno a 5 ejes de trabajo.

31 Octubre: Grupos de trabajo (barcamp) alrededor de las cuestiones claves.

1 Noviembre: Puesta en comun de los resultados de los grupos de trabajo. Definición de una agenda comun y aprovación de manifiestos por temas.

Ejes

PERSPECTIVAS LEGALES Y ACCESO DE L@s USUARI@S: Desde el punto de vista legal se trata de identificar las grietas y flexibilidades en las legislaciones nacionales y los acuerdos internacionales para buscar una estrategia frente a los abusos de las políticas sobre difusión del conocimiento y cultura, a nivel tanto de relaciones privadas y contractuales como ante las normativas y políticas públicas internacionales. Así mismo, es necesario considerar los derechos de usuari@s.

EDUCACIÓN Y GESTION DEL CONOCIMIENTO: Frente a un enfoque empresarial de la educación, se plantea una perspectiva basada en la idea de compartir y en mantener viva la solidaridad. Se estan desarrollando formas de gestión del conocimiento generado a través de la investigación con fondos públicos e independientes y de metodologias de investigación más participativas. Desde una perspectiva que reconoce a los movimientos sociales como generadores de conocimiento. Se trata también de aprovechar las nuevas herramientas educativas y de difusión del conocimiento que Internet y la cultura digital han proporcionado. Poco a poco van apareciendo iniciativas para la utilización y creación de materiales sobre los que no existen derechos de autor y propuestas para extender las limitaciones y excepciones sobre esos derechos con fines educativos.Así mismo, cada vez cobra mayor importancia el dominio público como parte de nuestro patrimonio cultural e intelectual. Un acceso abierto a la cultura y un dominio público amplio, frente a la extensión de la duración de los derechos de autor, son la base del desarrollo de los países y de las sociedades en general.

ECONOMÍAS, NUEVOS MODELOS P2P Y SOSTENIBILIDAD DISTRIBUTIVA: Esta sección se ocupara de dos importantes lineas de trabajo. La primera de ellas se centra en los nuevos modelos que surgen de las nuevas formas de organización y la segunda en las nuevas propuestas de explotación que han surgido y en las que se cuestiona la necesidad de los intermediarios. También para la economía, la gestión del conocimiento y la cultura son fundamentales. Cada vez existen más voces que se plantean desde el punto de vista económico el coste que en términos generales suponen para la sociedad y su desarrollo los modelos de explotación de la cultura y el conocimiento basados en derechos exclusivos de duración excesiva. Propiciado por Internet el foco de la economía se desplaza de la propiedad al acceso La filosofía de la cultura libre, heredada del software libre es la demostración empírica de que una nueva ética y una nueva empresa basada en la democratización del conocimiento, y de los medios de producción son posibles. Se tiende a la desaparición de los intermediarios y el autor se convierte en productor de sus obras. También las redes P2P han supuesto una revolución en la forma de aproximarse a la creación e intercambio de información y conocimiento. De su filosofía han surgido nuevas formas colaborativas de trabajo y difusión del conocimiento, no jerárquicas sino rizomáticas.

SOFTWARE LIBRE Y CONOCIMIENTO QUE COMPARTEN LA FILOSOFÍA DEL PIRATA INFORMÁTICO: Aun cuando el término hacker es utilizado generalmente por medios de masas desde una connotación negativa, el movimiento hacker se basa en una filosofía de defensa de las derechos de usuari@ desde una perspectiva de una conciencia común que promueve la libertad de conocimiento y de justicia social y que ha construido importantísimas plataformas y herramientas que son la infraestructura de la cultura libre. Impulsar la construcción de infraestructura para la cultura libre es clave.

LÓGICA DE ORGANIZACIÓN E IMPLICACIONES POLÍTICAS DE LA CULTURA LIBRE: Se trata de reflejar críticamente sobre la lógica organizativa y democrática de la acción colectiva relacionadas con las experiencias de cultura libre (tales como la cultura de la remezcla, el prosumerirsm, organización descentralised, principios participativos, entre otros) analizando sus ventajas y debilidades, asi como tensiones internas. Así mismo, discutir sobre las implicaciones políticas.

La infraestructura para la celebración del Foro está siendo proporcionada por Exgae, Networked Politics, Free Knowledge Foundation y la colaboración de la Red de estudiantes por la cultura libre y el Hangar.

Sitio web: http://fcforum.net/

Newsletter para recibir informaciones del Foro de la cultura libre: http://openfsm.net/projects/freecultureforum/lists/freecultureforumbcn

Contacto de la organización: info@fcforum.net

Hello,

Judy Rebick is very excited about her new book Transforming Power: From the Personal to the Political, which is coming out in early March.  Transforming Power is the result of the last two or three years of her travels around the world looking for new approaches to political and social action and her life time of experience as an activist.  She is hoping it will inspire dialogue and action about the new paths to social change we need to transform this planet and create a better world.

You can get a preview of the book at our very cool new web site www.transformingpower.ca.  You can pre-order the book there which will help to create a buzz as she move into the book tour in March and April, you can read her new blog, and you can browse through videos and photos of the people and organizations featured in the book. 

Below is a list of book events.  

March 10^th – Ottawa Launch – Raw Sugar Café

March 12^th – Toronto Launch – Ryerson University

March 25^th – Montreal Launch - Concordia

March 26^th – Halifax Launch – Mount Saint Vincent

April 2^nd – Calgary Launch – Location TBA

April 3^rd – Edmonton Launch – Public Interest Alberta Conference

Vancouver dates to be announced

 Book launch event details (places, times) are available here:

http://www.transformingpower.ca/en/event/2009/02/24/list/

Interface: a journal for and about social movements

Issue one: “movement knowledge”

The first issue of Interface, a multilingual, open access and global e-journal
produced by social movement practitioners and engaged movement
researchers, is now available at www.interfacejournal.net. The special
theme of this issue is “movement knowledge”: what movements know, how
they produce knowledge, what they do with it and how it can make a
difference.

Articles in this issue include:

Laurence Cox, Cristina Flesher Fominaya, Editorial: movement knowledge

Mayo Fuster Morell, Action research: mapping the nexus of research and
political action

Budd Hall, A river of life: learning and environmental social movements

Sandra Maria Gadelha de Carvalho / José Ernandi Mendes, Extensão
universitária: compromisso social, resistência e produção de conhecimentos
(Continuing education: social commitment, resistance and the production of
knowledge)

Ilse Scherer-Warren, Redes para a (re)territorialização de espaços de
conflito: os casos do MST e MTST no Brasil (Networks for the
reterritorialisation of spaces of conflict: the cases of the Brazilian MST and
MTST)

Antonio Pedro Dores, Movimentos sociais existem? (Do social movements
exist?)

Michael Duckett, “Wor diary”: a case of DIY alternative history (action note)

Süreyyya Evren, Alternative publishing experiences in Istanbul (action note)

Caspar Davis, Creative democracy - wisdom councils at work (action note)

Alejandrina Reyes, La sistematizacion de experiencias y la vision emergente
en el hecho educativo (teaching / research note)

David Landy, The mirror stage of movement intellectuals? Jewish criticism
of Israel and its relationship to a developing social movement (review essay)

Fergal Finnegan, Janet Conway, Praxis and politics (book review)

A call for papers for issue two is now open, on the theme of “civil society
versus social movements”. Full details at
http://www.interfacejournal.net/2009/01/call-for-papers-civil-society-vs-social.html

Interface is looking for new participants for its various regional / linguistic
groups. We are particularly keen to find IT collaborators who can help us
make the site more useful and accessible, and translators to support our
multilingual project. Our overall aim is to “learn from each other’s struggles”:
to develop a dialogue between researchers and practitioners, but also
between different social movements, intellectual traditions and national
contexts.

Contact details at:
http://www.interfacejournal.net/2008/03/editorial-contacts.html

Call for Papers Digital Labour: Workers, Authors, Citizens.

Jonathan Burston, Edward Comor, James Compton, Nick Dyer-Witheford,
Alison Hearn, Ajit Pyati, Sandra Smeltzer, Matt Stahl, Sam Trosow

Alternative Media Global Project

Alternative Media Global Project’s Map

This worldmap seeks to graphically display the location of any alternative, radical, citizen, participatory, community (etc.) media project in the world. The purpose of this work is to create an interactive chart of the world of alternative media.
This project is a part of the Alternative Media Global Project (http://www.ourmedianetwork.org/wiki/ ). Contact : amgp@riseup.net

http://maps.google.fr/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=fr&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=112584705072733905782.000455856e71585b474ef&z=2

–

SOCIAL MOVEMENTS CONFERENCE  - CALL FOR PAPERS

abstracts due by Monday 2^nd March 2009

From 1995 to 2008, Manchester Metropolitan University hosted a series of very successful annual international conferences on ‘ALTERNATIVE FUTURES and POPULAR PROTEST’.

We’re very happy to announce that the Fourteenth AF&PP Conference will be held, between Wednesday 15^th April and Friday 17^th April 2009.

The Conference rubric remains as in previous years. The aim is to explore the dynamics of popular movements, along with the ideas which animate their activists and supporters and which contribute to shaping their fate.

Reflecting the inherent cross-disciplinary nature of the issues, previous participants (from over 50 countries) have come from such specialisms as sociology, politics, cultural studies, social psychology, economics,  history and geography.  The Manchester conferences have also been notable for discovering a fruitful and friendly meeting ground between activism and academia.

CALL FOR PAPERS

We invite offers of papers relevant to the conference themes. Papers should address such matters as: 

* contemporary and historical social movements and popular protests

* social movement theory

* utopias and experiments

* ideologies of collective action

* etc.

To offer a paper, please contact either of the conference convenors with  a brief abstract:  

EITHER Colin Barker, Dept. of Sociology  

OR Mike Tyldesley, Dept. of Politics and Philosophy  

Manchester Metropolitan University  

Geoffrey Manton Building, Rosamond Street West  

Manchester M15 6LL, England  

email: c.barker@mmu.ac.uk  

Tel: M. Tyldesley  0161 247 6718   

email: m.tyldesley@mmu.ac.uk  

Fax: 0161 247 6769 (+44 161 247 6769)  

(Wherever possible, please use email, especially as Colin Barker is now a retired gent. Surface mail and faxes should only be addressed to Mike Tyldesley)  

CONFERENCE PAPERS

Those giving papers are asked to supply them in advance, for inclusion on a CD of the complete papers which will be available from the conference opening.

* Preferred method: send the paper to Colin Barker as an email attachment in MS Word. Any separate illustrations etc. should be placed at the end of the paper, in .jpg format.

* if this is impossible, post a copy of the text to Mike Tyldesley on a CD disk in MS Word format

* Final date for receipt of abstracts: Monday 2^nd March 2009

* Final date for receipt of actual papers: Monday 23^rd March 2009

CONFERENCE ARRANGEMENTS AND COSTS

The conference will run from lunch-time Wednesday 15^th April to lunch-time on Friday 17^th April 2009. 

Cost, inclusive of three lunches, teas/coffees and copies of the Proceedings on CD, will be £130 (students and unwaged £80).    

Bed and Breakfast accommodation in student bedrooms can be booked through the conference organizers at nearby University of Manchester accommodation, at £35 per night. It is possible, in principle, to book these rooms on the nights immediately preceding and following the conference. Delegates preferring hotel accommodation should make their own bookings. The most convenient hotel is IBIS, Charles Street, Manchester M1 7DG (tel 0161 272 5000).  

Conference participants will be invited to dine together at two local (and not too expensive) restaurants on the two conference evenings. Payment for dinners should not be made in advance, but directly to the restaurants on the night.  

BOOKING FORM 

ALTERNATIVE FUTURES and POPULAR PROTEST XIV

15th April to 17th April 2009

Name __________________________________  

Address _________________________________  

                   ___________________________________  

__________________ postcode_________  

Tel No.           _____________________________  

Email   _____________________________  

Conference fee                     130.00      ………….  

Student fee   

(post- & under-grad)              80.00      ………….  

Bed and Breakfast    

Wednesday night                    35.00      ………….  

Thursday night                       35.00      ………….

            TOTAL       £ stlg                      ………….  

Cheques should be made payable to “Manchester Metropolitan University”  

Credit or Debit Card payment (Visa and Mastercard only)  

Card Number  ………   ………  ………  ………  

Expiry Date         …… / ……     

Three-digit security code (on back of card)  ….

Please let us know of any dietary or other requirements.  

Please return the Booking Form by email to Colin Barker (c.barker@mmu.ac.uk), or by email, fax or post to Mike Tyldesley (m.tyldesley@mmu.ac.uk; fax +44 161 247 6312; Dept of Philosophy and Politics, Manchester Metropolitan University, Geoffrey Manton Building, Rosamond Street West, Manchester M15 6LL, England)

Our college Jeff Juris just published a new book on the global justice movement!!!!

The book provides an ethnographic account of the cultural practice and politics of transnational networking among anti-corporate globalization activists based in Barcelona with a particular focus on the links between digital technologies, new forms of organization, and emerging political imaginaries. It also explores network organizing, performative protest, and violence during mass direct actions.

For more information, to see images, and/or to order the book, go to:

www.networkingfutures.com

The book can also be ordered from www.dukeupress.edu or www.amazon.com.

Blurb from the Publisher:

Since the first worldwide protests inspired by Peoples’ Global Action (PGA)— including the mobilization against the November 1999 World Trade Organization meetings in Seattle—anti–corporate globalization activists have staged direct action protests against multilateral institutions in cities such as Prague, Barcelona, Genoa, and Cancun. Barcelona is a critical node, as Catalan activists have played key roles in the more radical PGA network and the broader World Social Forum process.

In 2001 and 2002, the anthropologist Jeffrey S. Juris participated in the Barcelona-based Movement for Global Resistance, one of the most influential anti–corporate globalization networks in Europe. Juris took part in hundreds of meetings, gatherings, protests, and online discussions. Those experiences form the basis of Networking Futures, an innovative ethnography of transnational activist networking within the movements against corporate globalization. In an account full of activist voices and on-the-ground detail, he explains how activists are not only responding to growing poverty, inequality, and environmental devastation but also building social laboratories for the production of alternative values, discourses, and practices.

Praise for the Book:

“Networking Futures is one of the very first books to map in detail the multiple networks that are challenging corporate globalization. Taking as a point of departure an exemplary case—the Catalan anti–globalization movements of the past decade—Jeffrey S. Juris moves on to chronicle the collective struggles to construct not only an alternative vision of possible worlds but the means to bring them about. Networking Futures is a compelling portrait of the spirit of innovation that lies behind an array of progressive mobilizations, from anarchist movements and street protests to the World Social Forum. Based on a well-developed notion of collaborative ethnography, it is also a wonderful example of engaged scholarship: a much-needed alternative to academic work as usual.”

-Arturo Escobar, author of Territories of Difference: Place, Movements, Life, Redes

“Jeffrey S. Juris gives us an illuminating model for how to study networks from below using the tools of ethnography. And in the process he reveals the extraordinary power (as well as the challenges) of network organizing for social movements today.”

-Michael Hardt, co-author of Empire and Multitude

“Networking Futures is a terrific, deeply informed ethnographic account of the origins and activities of the anti–corporate globalization movement. Jeffrey S. Juris’s identity is as much that of an activist who happens to be doing first-rate anthropology as vice versa, and there is much for anthropologists to reflect on in the way that this work is set up and narrated through these dual identities.”

-George E. Marcus, co-author of Designs for an Anthropology of the Contemporary

About the Author:

Jeffrey S. Juris is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Arizona State University. He is a co-author of Global Democracy and the World Social Forums and has published numerous articles in both scholarly journals and activist research forums. He also serves on the Editorial Board of Resistance Studies Magazine and has taken part in numerous direct action-oriented groups and networks, including the Movement for Global Resistance in Barcelona. His new fieldwork explores the relationship between grassroots media activism and autonomy in Mexico City.

Review on the Networked Politics discussions in the light of the reflection on the WSF strategy.

Some voices claim that the World Social Forum (WSF) is in crisis, while for many the Social Forum experience is a good resource with which to reflect on the challenges for political organization in the XXI century and also a concrete experience in creating new types of institutions. The WSF has been present directly or indirectly in the Networked P olitics seminars. A collection of the reflections around or relevant to, the WSF produced through the NP process was facilitated by Anastasia Kavada and sent to the debate about the future of the WSF at International Committee meeting in March 2008.

Read it at: Download

I thought it might be useful to present the approach of the P2P Foundation concerning networked politics, through a few of the basic texts on the topic.

- the basic formulation of the emergence of peer production, governance and property formats were published in CTheory.

- In Re-public, there is a more specific formulation of the political aspects of this approach: P2P politics, the state, and the renewal of the emancipatory traditions.

- This companion article discusses through proprietary owned platforms

If all the above sounds to boring, then a good and more lively summary in the form of a conversation is available here at

http://blog.p2pfoundation.net/interview-on-peer-to-peer-politics-with-cosma-orsi/2008/04/10