Seminar: Theories from the South

We are grateful to announce our first reading circle for this winter term: Introducing theories from the south.

In Introducing theories from the south we will read and discuss texts about capitalism and its articulations with the state, economy, modernity, power, labor, ideology, etc. from a south perspective. What does it mean to think from the south? How does this perspective allow us to read from another perspective the mentioned relationships? Along authors like Comaroff, Dussel, Bolivar Echverría, Zizek, Latour, Harvey and others, we will look for some guidelines to think about possible contributions for theories from the south.

Sessions will take place every two weeks, Saturdays from 19:00 to 21:00 hrs, and will be held in English. Participation and commentaries may be expressed, nevertheless, in Spanish or German. The texts are in English, with one or two exceptions, for which some complementary text will be provided at the right time.

Interest? Please visit our blog!

Coordinates: Arturo Romero, PhD. Candidate Freie Universität Berlin

Dates: 8 sessions to be held from September 2013 to Mai 2014: Saturdays from 19:00 to 21:00 hrs

Place: Room 120, Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung: Franz-Mehring-Platz 1 10243 Berlin. (Attention!: some sessions may be held somewhere else, but it will be promptly communicated, see the attached program).

Objectives

1. This reading circle is part of the activities of political education and theoretical discussion of México vía Berlín. Since the perspective of México vía Berlín is based on the link between Europe and Latin America and the traversal character of capitalism, cases and texts will be preferred, that show also a transnational link. The discussion will include Latin America but also some issues in Africa as key elements for the current mode of capital accumulation….

The selected texts correspond to new and neglected approaches to the understanding of capitalism and relate to those current world issues that: a) are difficult to understand or contradictory regarding mainstream theories and b) show a fundamental and not usually acknowledged feature of capitalism.

The aim of the reading circle is double: a) to make accessible to a broader public these polemical texts about capitalism; and b) to critically discuss them in order to enrich them regarding theories of the south. Both of these objectives are to be achieved in the context of specific and current social, political and political issues. 

2. Parallel to the actual sessions of discussion, the event will lay the ground for further activities: a) a publication with selected contributions from the members of the circle; b) two symposia on the topic to be held at the HU and the FU (in the framework of the Lateinamerikanisches Institut”. During the circle a blog will be opened for all participants, to follow up relevant issues and keep track of the discussions.