James Connolly Soviet Day School Saturday 3rd September

James Connolly Soviet will be holding a day school at Connolly Books, Temple Bar, Dublin, on Saturday the 3rd of September 2011. The school will begin at 11am sharp and end at 4pm, and consist of four sessions, with four speakers, comprising of a talk followed by an open discussion on each topic.

The program for the day is as follows

11 - 12pm

The Proclamation of the Irish Republic 1867 as a Signifier of Class Struggle

This session will consider the concepts of meaning and signification, drawing on the linguistic theory of Ferdinand de Saussure, and will investigate what it actually means to proclaim the existence of a nation state. We will try to give a more secure philosophical ground to the traditional Irish Republican allegiance to the de jure 32 County Irish Republic, and argue that, far from being "irredentist," "idealist" or even simply "delusional," such allegiance is the very foundation of a practical, materialist, class struggle in Ireland.

12 - 1pm

What a Workers Republic could look like! Direct Democracy, Consensus and Soviet Dual Power

So-called "Representational Democracy" is anything but democratic and represents only one class. We will explore the alternative, that of Direct Democracy, where members of the collective do not surrender their individual autonomy and responsibility, and how they can organize on a truly democratic basis at local, regional and national level. We will also look at the consensus model of decision making as an alternative to majority voting and the importance of extending democratic principles where it really matters, within the mode of production. And most importantly we will explore not just how this model could or should look in the future, but how these principles can be applied today as a means of revolution.

1 - 2pm Lunch

2 - 3pm

The Celebration of Diversity in the Collective

This session will examine how the monastic model of community celebrates diversity in the collective. In doing so, it reflects the evolution in human consciousness away from the neurosis of mythic tribalism and the paranoia of 'enlightened' individualism. This paper will draw on the philosophy of Ewert Cousins.

3 - 4pm

Liberation Theology and Living Labour

Liberation theology emerged in Latin America in the 1960s, it offered an interpretation of the Gospel that used Marxist theory to explain the causes of immanent poverty in a critical fashion. This session will focus on the work of Enrique Dussel and his reconstruction of Marx's concept of living labour in Christian terms.

4pm Foirceann na Scoile

The day school is free of charge and open to all who have a genuine interest in the work of building a world fit for human beings to live in. Places are limited, so we would ask that people book in advance by calling or texting 087 2125068 to avoid disappointment.

James Connolly Soviet would like to thank the Communist Party of Ireland for facilitating this day school.