Conversation 4:00-5:30 pm Reception 5:30-6:30 pm Panels 6:30-8:30 pm With the penetration of global capitalism across sovereign borders, the Mobility in Post Democracy series connects to both disdain and opportunity revealed in the contemporary crisis of democracy. With many dissatisfied with politics as usual, how can we think about organizing beyond the affordances of the current system? This seminar, entitled Prefigurative Politics on the Eve of the U.S. Presidential Elections, looks at prefigurative politics and social movement strategy through historical as well as contemporary examples of communities that realize their own political ideals outside of mainstream society. In the 1960s, social movements began organizing according to the logic of prefigurative politics. Occasionally labeled as utopian, prefigurative movements are practice-oriented and embody the vision of society they aim to realize. Rather than work within existing structures, these movements developed separate languages, norms, and institutions that operate outside the mainstream social, cultural, and political systems. The strategy of prefigurative politics was revived with the anti-globalization movements of the 1990s and has gained in popularity with the visibility of Occupy, Black Lives Matter, and other contemporary movements.
New York City, NY; NYC