• 6. Building Autonomy

Self-governance, Self-sufficiency and Self-defense

In the face of a collapsing world, many are asking: What kind of societal system do we want to live in? How can we create a free and self-determined life? What are the characteristics of a societal system in which we can build an alternative model of life beyond the capitalist system of neo-colonial exploitation, nationalist, racist and patriarchal structures?

It is questions like these that preoccupy anti-systemic movements around the world. In the face of multiple crises, we are faced with the urgent challenge of finding answers to these questions. At least since the collapse of real socialism, the capitalist world order has been trying to convince us that there is no alternative to the here and now. Capitalist modernity likes to describe itself as the “end of history”. At the same time, as a result of the oppression of women by capitalist modernity and the dominant male mentality, social problems and the ecological crisis have made daily life unbearable. The “end of history” threatens to become a dystopia unless we build an alternative system. In this sense, what are possible alternative social systems that can be built?

Approaches to alternative models of society that break with the principles of the global capitalist system are emerging all over the world. Democratic, grassroots, ecological and women’s movements around the world are grappling with the crises of our time and trying to formulate answers. In many places, local self-governing structures are emerging, such as neighbourhood organisations for the defence of society. These answers cannot be completely the same everywhere, but the question arises as to how we can effectively organize society. To overcome the hegemonic system, we need to join forces, our local organizing experiences and our knowledge of the right methods. We must rise to the challenge of building a broad network of movements and autonomies that give people hope and involve them in the task of reshaping their lives beyond power and state.

In our workshop we will focus on the subject of construction of autonomous self-governing structures. How can we enable the self-sufficiency of society in the autonomous spaces we create? How can we effectively defend these autonomies against external attacks? How can we overcome the contradictions and challenges we face in our own movements? What forms of organization, initiatives and methods can we use to build a system from the bottom up? In order to answer these questions, we will bring together the experiences of the various movements, present concrete concepts and develop common perspectives.

While reactionary movements in Europe and around the world focus on strengthening the nation-state, on demarcation and nationalism, we want to develop an internationalist perspective in which the autonomy of societies beyond statehood and capitalism is possible. Let us bring together our ideas and experiences to find answers to the pressing questions of our time!