Italy

Eight Theses on Militant Historiography

EIGHT THESES ON MILITANT HISTORIOGRAPHY

by Sergio Bologna

Translated by Ed Emery

[Draft translation]

1. The condition of the militant historian.

Panzieri Tronti Theses

Raniero Panzieri.

In his introduction in Aut Aut, Dario Lanzardo says that these 'could be' entitled 'Theses On The Party' but the authors never referred to them that way.

"Panzieri-Tronti Theses" (1962)

1. Deviation between the logic of _Capital_ and analysis of the factory

Enchantment of method and a blockage of research. The terrain of study and of experimentation (hypothesis): no formula can resolve the problem.

1.1. Verification is given by/in struggle
- struggle as anticipation
- hypothesis as provocation (knowledge).

Socialist Uses of Workers Inquiry

Socialist uses of workers’ inquiry*
Raniero Panzieri

The best way to shed light on the question of the ‘political aims of inquiry’ is to go back to a debate in Marxism.

Class and Party

The search for a new strategy for the class struggle in advanced capitalism is the order of the day. The urgency to arrive at a general perspective on this terrain prevails in the movement with the power of great historic necessities.

Struggle Against Labor

The contemporary forms of workers' struggles in the heartlands of advanced capitalism unmistakably reveal, in the rich content of their own spontaneity, the slogan of the struggle against wage labor as the only possible means of striking real blows against capital. The party must be the organization of what already exists within the class, but which the class alone cannot succeed in organizing.

Let A Thousand Hands Reach Out To Pick Up The Gun

Short story depicting armed struggle in Italy in the 1970s by Nanni Balestrini, author of _The Unseen_

LET A THOUSAND HANDS REACH OUT TO PICK UP THE GUN

by Nanni Balestrini

'As many enemies as there are slaves’: Spartacus and the politics of servile rebellion in the late republic

Submitted by Boris Badenov on Jun 8 2010 02:38
Gladiators

A short essay on the politics (real and imagined) of the Three Servile Wars that shook the Roman Empire, with an emphasis on the rebellion led by Spartacus between 73 and 71 B.C.

'As Many Enemies as There Are Slaves’: Spartacus and the Politics of Servile Rebellion in the Late Republic

Unions hint at "general strikes" over austerity measures in Spain and Italy

Submitted by Ed on May 27 2010 01:22

Spain's largest union Comisiones Obreras (CCOO) could call a general strike to protest against planned austerity measures, its head said last week, while Italy's main leftwing union federation yesterday (May 26th) threatened to call a one-day general strike next month in protest of its government's austerity package.

CCOO head Ignacio Fernandez Toxo said he would "probably" invoke a general strike over the Socialist government's "right-wing economic policy, financial speculation and the markets."

Spartacus revolt: inspiration for the proletariat

Submitted by Alf on May 17 2010 20:56

While waiting to hear someone justify what looks at first sight at least like an attempt to sell the Spartacus story as a form of pornography, it's worth drawing attention to why communists from Marx onwards and no doubt before have held the name Spartacus in such high esteem. This is an article published in World Revolution and the ICC's website. It came out not long after the success of Russel Crowe's Gladiator.

Spartacus revolt: inspiration for the proletariat

Workers' protest at La Scala in Milan

Submitted by De on May 4 2010 20:11

The workers of La Scala, Italy's most famous opera house, demonstrated yesterday during the meeting of the theatre's Board of Directors to protest against the last decree on lyric theatre.

Milan, 3rd May 2009 - The workers of La Scala demonstrated their disagreement with the decree on lyric theatres that is due to become law shortly. The decree is meant to introduce new regulations on workers' pensions and turnover and substantially cut the public funds dedicated to theatre and live shows in Italy.