December 13th, 2008 | admin
If the election of Barack Obama is to be a “watershed event” enabling discussions about race in the U.S., what kinds of conversations will these be, and how will they effect the political landscape?
Mainstream and conservative commentators are widely speaking of the “post-racial” society, the overcoming of racial exclusion and the progress of U.S. history. In response, sober analyzes detail the ongoing forms of institutional racism. And since the election there have been hundreds of racist incidents reported.
While anti-racists are quickly pointing out the contradiction between the proclaimed “post-racial” society and the ongoing forms of racial inequality and racism, the “post-racial” ideologues are not arguing that racial inequality has disappeared. Rather, they are pushing a line of justification for this inequality. Like neoliberal ideology generally, the “post-racial” ideologues are shifting the responsibility away from structural and institutional causes, and onto the shoulders of those individuals (in this case, blacks) for their situation. “Pull yourself up by your bootstraps.”
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December 12th, 2008 | admin
Rebranding Fascism: National-Anarchists
By Spencer Sunshine | Public Eye, Winter 2008
On September 8, 2007 in Sydney, Australia, the anti globalization movement mobilized once again against neoliberal economic policies, this time to oppose the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) summit. Just as during the protests against the World Trade Organization in Seattle,Washington, in1999, the streets were filled with an array of groups, such as environmentalists, socialists, and human rights advocates. And also just like in Seattle, there was a “Black Bloc”—a group of militant activists, usually left-wing anarchists, who wore masks and dressed all in black.
In Sydney, the Black Bloc assembled and hoisted banners proclaiming “Globalization is Genocide.” But when fellow demonstrators looked closely, they realized these Black Bloc marchers were “National- Anarchists”—local fascists dressed as anarchists who were infiltrating the demonstration. The police had to protect the interlopers from being expelled by irate activists.
Read the article here.
October 29th, 2008 | admin
I am too late in publicizing this conference, so I post this for the purpose of providing names of scholars doing work relevant to this website. “Perplexities: The Holocaust and the Political Memory of the Left” was held at the Simon-Dubnow-Institut for Jewish History and Culture at the Universität Leipzig, Germany.
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October 19th, 2008 | admin
Right-Wing Populism & the Economic Crisis: Watch Out for Scapegoats!
In the face of economic crises there is always a search for scapegoats. Particularly in the case of modern capitalism, there remains a certain level of disbelief that crises are built into the system, i.e., that capitalism generates crises (and always has!).Because many of us would rather believe that capitalism is a rational system that should work on its own, sort of along the lines of a self-aware computer (think Terminator), when there is an economic downturn, whether a mild recession, financial collapse, severe recession or depression, mainstream commentators often attempt to define the problem in terms of errors (or greed) on the part of specific individuals. Thus, in the current crisis it should not surprise us that Senator McCain has focused on WHO, that is, which individuals, are responsible for the meltdown rather than acknowledging that it is the system.
McCain, however, is not the worst of the problem, though he actually assists those who are. The real danger rests with right-wing populism and its adherents. Right-wing populism, an ideological current that promotes the idea that the people (usually defined in racial terms, and in the case of the USA, white people) are being trampled on by nefarious individuals - usually from a minority group - who are seeking to derail the “American Dream.” Such evil people allegedly conspire, often against allegedly good, patriotic working people and business people.
Conspiracy theory faults Jews for Lehman Brothers’ collapse
A new anti-Semitic conspiracy theory has been spreading online over the last few days, claiming that on the eve of Lehman Brothers’ collapse last month, the firm transferred $400 billion to Israel.
Viewpoint: Minorities a convenient scapegoat for U.S. financial woes
In the midst of a severe financial crisis - a meltdown fueled by clueless homebuyers, greedy lenders and money-grubbing financiers - some observers have decided to blame “minorities” for the mess. Though wiser heads have proclaimed the emergency too serious for partisan gamesmanship, some in the conservative commentariat still can’t resist playing the race card.Several days ago, Neil Cavuto, host of Fox News’ Your World, proclaimed, “Loaning to minorities and risky folks is a disaster.”
Will Wall Street crisis spur anti-Semitism?
In the world according to the comedy writers at “Saturday Night Live,” the pyramid of complicity in the current financial crisis runs like this:On the bottom are poor and minority homeowners victimized by predatory lending. Next come condo-flipping yuppies out for a quick buck. They’re followed by rapacious bankers who cashed out before the economy crumbled. And on top are billionaire financiers who pocketed the government bailout and quickly moved it offshore.
In the SNL imagination, the top two categories seemingly are populated by Jews.
October 13th, 2008 | admin
To the Editor,
“Spain and the World”.
Dear Comrade,
I was interested in the article, ‘Palestine and Socialist Policy’, by our good friend Reginald Reynolds in ‘Spain and the World’ of July 29th. There is much in it with which I fully agree, but a great deal more which seems to me contradictory for a Socialist and a near-anarchist. Before I point out these inconsistencies, I wish to say that our friend’s article lends itself to the impression that he is a rabid anti-Semite. In point of truth, I have been asked by several people how it happens that ‘Spain and the World’ printed such an anti-Semitic article. Their surprise was even greater that Reginald Reynolds should be guilty of such tendency. Knowing the writer I felt quite safe in assuring my Jewish friends that Reginald Reynolds has not a particle of anti-Semitic feeling in him, although it is quite true that his article unfortunately gives such an impression.
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August 15th, 2008 | admin
The following is an analysis of Nazi anti-zionism. It looks at the transformation of antisemitic propaganda in the late 1940s, and observes the transition to an explicit language of anti-zionism. The multiple reasons for this shift are discussed, as well as the consequences. The analysis provides important historical material for thinking about the relationship between antisemitism and anti-zionism. It is from Michael Berkowitz’s book, The Crime of My Very Existence: Nazism and the Myth of Jewish Criminality, from the chapter “Re-Presenting Zionism as the Apex of Global Conspiracy.”
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The 43 Group was a British anti-fascist group set up by Jewish ex-servicemen after World War II. They did this when, upon returning to London, they encountered British fascist organisations such as the Jeffrey Hamm’s “British League of Ex-Servicemen” and later Oswald Mosley’s reformed British Union of Fascists, or BUF. The activities of these fascist groups included anti-semitic speeches in public places, inciting racial hatred, and from the rank-and-file fascists, violent attacks on London Jews and Jewish property. Group members broke up far-right meetings, infiltrated fascist groups, and attacked the fascists in the streets. (wikipedia)
A video is available here.
From The University of Chicago Press:
In 1978, as the protests against the Shah of Iran reached their zenith, philosopher Michel Foucault was working as a special correspondent for Corriere della Sera and le Nouvel Observateur. During his little-known stint as a journalist, Foucault traveled to Iran, met with leaders like Ayatollah Khomeini, and wrote a series of articles on the revolution. Foucault and the Iranian Revolution is the first book-length analysis of these essays on Iran, the majority of which have never before appeared in English. Accompanying the analysis are annotated translations of the Iran writings in their entirety and the at times blistering responses from such contemporaneous critics as Middle East scholar Maxime Rodinson as well as comments on the revolution by feminist philosopher Simone de Beauvoir.
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I was told about this project by an acquaintance at a party and was quick to brush it aside as a ridiculous fantasy. When I looked into it, I came to appreciate it as a ridiculous fantasy and to find it positively provocative.
Medinat Weimar is a “movement for a Jewish State in Thuringia. Deutschland.”
From their 13 Principles:
2 > Medinat Weimar is a solution to overcome the present crises and heal Jewish trauma, German guilt, East Mediterranean conflicts, East German troubles and many other problems in the world.
Maybe they’re overshooting this a little bit, but OK, it’s worth a read. Don’t get discouraged yet.
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Here are some links to articles about the connections between the Secessionist group, Second Vermont Republic, and racist and neo-confederate groups.
The recently published “Vermont Secessionists Meet with Racist League of the South,” is the latest article on the topic. The issue was made public last year, in
“Second Vermont Republic/Vermont Commons Tied to White Supremacists.”
After learning about these links, the Green Mountain Collective, a Left group which had worked together with the SVR, wrote a statement “Concerning the Alleged Racism of the Second Vermont Republic Organization”.