Embodying Alternatives to Capitalism in the 21st Century

The goal of this article is twofold. First, to illustrate how in the last decade a growing number of critical and Marxist thinkers committed to discussing and developing theories of change have started to broaden their focus by including social movements and grassroots initiatives that are “interst...

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Main Author: Lara Monticelli
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Paderborn University: Media Systems and Media Organisation Research Group 2018-05-01
Series:tripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique
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Online Access:https://www.triple-c.at/index.php/tripleC/article/view/1032
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author Lara Monticelli
author_facet Lara Monticelli
author_sort Lara Monticelli
collection DOAJ
description The goal of this article is twofold. First, to illustrate how in the last decade a growing number of critical and Marxist thinkers committed to discussing and developing theories of change have started to broaden their focus by including social movements and grassroots initiatives that are “interstitial”, i.e. initiatives that are developing within capitalism and are striving to prefigure a post-capitalist society in the here and now without engaging in contentious, violent and revolutionary actions and activities. To achieve this, I mainly focus on the work of four authors: Erik Olin Wright, John Holloway, Ana C. Dinerstein, and Luke Martell. The second goal of this article is to understand why these interstitial movements are getting so much attention from critical scholars and to argue that the time is ripe for establishing a theory of (and for) prefigurative social movements. The article closes with some brief reflections on the future of radical thinking that includes an invitation, directed mostly at the young generation of critical and Marxist scholars, to begin a dialogue with theories of change developed within other disciplines, to engage with activists, and to experiment with participatory methods and techniques.
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spelling doaj-art-64301d209b414006b2b9b6c1e8a6d8222025-08-20T03:59:36ZengPaderborn University: Media Systems and Media Organisation Research GrouptripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique1726-670X2018-05-0116210.31269/triplec.v16i2.10321032Embodying Alternatives to Capitalism in the 21st CenturyLara Monticelli The goal of this article is twofold. First, to illustrate how in the last decade a growing number of critical and Marxist thinkers committed to discussing and developing theories of change have started to broaden their focus by including social movements and grassroots initiatives that are “interstitial”, i.e. initiatives that are developing within capitalism and are striving to prefigure a post-capitalist society in the here and now without engaging in contentious, violent and revolutionary actions and activities. To achieve this, I mainly focus on the work of four authors: Erik Olin Wright, John Holloway, Ana C. Dinerstein, and Luke Martell. The second goal of this article is to understand why these interstitial movements are getting so much attention from critical scholars and to argue that the time is ripe for establishing a theory of (and for) prefigurative social movements. The article closes with some brief reflections on the future of radical thinking that includes an invitation, directed mostly at the young generation of critical and Marxist scholars, to begin a dialogue with theories of change developed within other disciplines, to engage with activists, and to experiment with participatory methods and techniques. https://www.triple-c.at/index.php/tripleC/article/view/1032Karl Marxbicentenary200th anniversarycapitalismcrisisutopia
spellingShingle Lara Monticelli
Embodying Alternatives to Capitalism in the 21st Century
tripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique
Karl Marx
bicentenary
200th anniversary
capitalism
crisis
utopia
title Embodying Alternatives to Capitalism in the 21st Century
title_full Embodying Alternatives to Capitalism in the 21st Century
title_fullStr Embodying Alternatives to Capitalism in the 21st Century
title_full_unstemmed Embodying Alternatives to Capitalism in the 21st Century
title_short Embodying Alternatives to Capitalism in the 21st Century
title_sort embodying alternatives to capitalism in the 21st century
topic Karl Marx
bicentenary
200th anniversary
capitalism
crisis
utopia
url https://www.triple-c.at/index.php/tripleC/article/view/1032
work_keys_str_mv AT laramonticelli embodyingalternativestocapitalisminthe21stcentury