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Economic justice requires more independence, not less
A republican economy should aim at maximising the genuine independence of economic actors. Only then can corruption be tackled at the root.In part this essay is a response to Stuart White’s call in his...
View ArticleThe well of the past: the power of religion in Bangladesh
While secularism can be seen as a point of departure for Bangladeshi nationalism from the 1950s onward, the post-1971 reality is that it is now being imposed without taking into account the...
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The imagined community of Myanmar
Trying to create a Myanmar divided along ethnic or religious lines will only lead to conflict. For the country to survive, the authorities need to create an 'imagined political community'. But as...
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Between colonizer and colonized: the political subjectivity of the settler
'Settler colonialism' has greatly influenced the way we think about colonialism and orientalism. But analysis of the writings of British settlers in the United States reveals that the political...
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The contested spaces of the politics of universalism
A recent Dutch asylum case offers an opportunity to explore how universalism is being renegotiated within the frames of location, culture and citizenship. (Video, 15 mins)This video is part of a series...
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The torture machines: poetic space and the urgency of non-work
In 1977 the autonomist collective A/Traverso were violently arrested by the Italian state. While the majority of their literature was lost or destroyed, fragments remain that provide vital context to...
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Recycling old Soviet chestnuts
However much the regime might try to plot a new political trajectory, its only success is in intensifying a feeling of drift and improvisation. Unforced errors are typical for the end of authoritarian...
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Putin’s war patriotism
There are few new ideas driving the Putin regime forward. If the Kremlin has an ideology, it is a deeply conservative and miltaristic one, with no goals, vision or future. What has been happening since...
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Turning the screws - but will it work?
With Aleksei Navalny on trial and other opposition leaders under threat, Vladimir Putin is relying more on the stick than the carrot to shore up his regime. Kirill Rogov points out the risks of this...
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Full steam backwards
Repressive laws, socialist icons, and the promotion of Eurasian identity amount to a regression to the Soviet past, says Daniil Kotsyubinsky. Russian society has moved on, however, and the Kremlin will...
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Back to no future
With his regime running out of steam, Vladimir Putin is resorting to the rhetoric of the past and traditional values. Marie Mendras sees little future in it. The moment of truth for a nondemocratic...
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Citizenship, knowledge and the limits of humanity
The question of citizenship lies at the heart of the legitimacy of rule and political subjectivity, but its origins are European and orientalist. In a dewesternizing world, how can citizenship be...
View ArticleScottish Independence, Europe and the Crisis of the British State
The Scottish nationalists want to win next years independence vote by saying things will not change while those opposing them paint 'separation' as a disaster yet call for the UK to leave the EU in...
View ArticleA grand bargain is needed, between Israel, Hamas and Egypt
When it comes to Gaza, an approach centered on isolation and deterrence has not led to a real stability, resulting in repeated rounds of violent confrontation between the two partiesWith the dust of...
View ArticleKing Nigel’s speech: recasting 'us' and 'them'
In the UK political debate, boundaries are being blurred between the two hot topics on the political agenda: migration and the EU. This should be a wake-up call for the 2.7 million European immigrants...
View ArticleZimbabwe: women debunking the myth of 'merit'
In preparation for Zimbabwe's forthcoming general election, the use of quotas to increase women’s occupation of political office remains one of the most effective tools for countering the patriarchal...
View ArticleItaly's inconvenient women: in praise of Laura Boldrini and Cecile Kyenge
The treatment of politicians Laura Boldrini and Cecile Kyenge highlight the persistent problem of the abuse women in the public sphere in Italy, and cannot be dismissed by reducing it to a debate about...
View ArticleSyrian rebels’ faults are surfacing
Roger Owen, professor of Middle East history at Harvard University talks about Syrian rebels’ narratives and current US strategies. Interview. Acconcia: Professor Owen, can you explain why Israel...
View ArticleAs Europe is provincialized: a reply to Etienne Balibar
Europe can make sense only insofar as it becomes a space which makes it easier to get rid of the fear that the crisis is disseminating within the social fabric, a space where it is more viable to...
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How to challenge the patriarchal ethics of Muslim legal tradition
One lesson from the 1979 Iranian revolution and the 2011 Arab revolutions is that activists seeking to promote women’s rights, human rights and the transition to democracy must challenge patriarchy...
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