RE: [xmca] News from Brazil

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Sure, we agree comrade... we must "perejivaet` revolutsiu"... > Date: Sat, 22 Jun 2013 18:58:58 -0300 > From: andremr@if.usp.br > To: xmca@weber.ucsd.edu > Subject: [xmca] News from Brazil > > Dear Achilles, > > I am glad to see a Brazilian impression. Although Brazilian research > community in ISCAR is one of the biggest, we are "shy" to discuss in this > forum. I would like to see more comment from Brazilians, but I know the > costs of sustaining long discussions in a language that I am not completely > familiar with. Thus, I'd like to clarify some points that help us to push > the discussion further. > > Firstly, I brought this topic (about protests in Brazil) for two reasons > that were hidden in my first message. Obviously I have personal interests > in this situation since it affects directly my daily life and I not > satisfied with metaphysical (formal) discourses that circulates in mass > media (including internet) and in the academic context. Moreover, I think > that "mass movement" along with collective behavior are study objects for > cultural psychology and also for activity theory. No one wold deny that > activity theory has relevant contributions for this scenario and at same > time it can provide powerful insights to enrich theory. Ultimately, I > advocate that activity theorists should take a look within mass movement. Of > course I am aware that I am not the first one to underline it. It also > concerns the concept of project elaborated by Andy, activity as unity of > analysis and some topic that have been discussed in parallel (maybe!?!?!). > > The expression "historical reality" I used is dubious, indeed. On the one > hand, it can lead toward what you labeled as "enthusiastic" (unique moment > in history, perhaps!?!?!). I agree that is completely possible to have such > reading. I confess I am enthusiastic. However I am not "idealist" at all. I > “know” what I am facing and I am trying to “know” better. On the other > hand, (this is what I had in mind when I wrote it down) a possible reading > is the historical development of reality, flux above all. I sought to > emphasize the historical feature of reality. But it seems to be a minor > issue, isn't it? > > My claim is that we must avoid simple and mechanical readings of the > situation. Unfortunately, from my limited perspective I do not see > significant advance in your comment. In times which even the "shampoo is > revolutionary", the categorical thought helps relatively little. Formal > definitions/categories such as "revolution", "insurgence", "number of big > popular manifestations" etc grasp only the abstract features of what is > happening in Brazil (and around the world). It just becomes meaningless if > we do not put it in a broader analytical framework. What I learned from/in > the very first page of Caio Prado Jr S study (Dialectic of knowledge) is that > a metaphysical interpretation of the dialectics is (still and always will > be) a metaphysical interpretation of the dialectics. > > I believe that the great minds that inspire me (Marx, Vygotsky, Gramsci > and many others)... they were NOT men far beyond their time. Rather, they > were men withIN their time... very sensitive to the issues of their time. For > this reason I not able to (indeed I am not allowed to) underestimate mass > movements that brought to the streets more than one million people at the > same time crossing the country over every single capital and many small > cities. I agree with you that there is no "real revolutionary claims". However, > this is only the surface and as you have already said: "Appearance do not > coincides with essence". > > Best Regards, > > André Rodrigues > > > ----- Mensagem encaminhada de achilles_delari@hotmail.com ----- > Data: Thu, 20 Jun 2013 17:27:06 +0000 > De: "Achilles Delari Junior" <achilles_delari@hotmail.com> > > Responder-Para: "eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity" <xmca@weber.ucsd.edu> > Assunto: RE: [xmca] News from Brazil > Para: "xmca@weber.ucsd.edu" <xmca@weber.ucsd.edu> > > Following Brazilian Scholar Caio Prado Junior, revolution in its deep > concept is not the same than "insurgence", but the radical changing in the > "production's mode". Here in Brazil, there is no kind of "revolution", > neither actual radical "insurgence". There is only a number of big popular > manifestations around the main cities of the country without any real > revolutionary claims, in Prado Jr's concept. Unfortunately, of course. Then > you, around the world, don't need stay so happy nor enthusiastic with our > revolutionary historical destiny, for the moment. "Appearance do not > coincides with essence", its all we already know, from Vygotsky and him > from Marx. Best wishes. > > "The powerful play goes on, and you can contribute a verse" (W. Whitman). > > Achilles > > > Date: Thu, 20 Jun 2013 13:07:42 -0300 > > From: andremr@if.usp.br > > To: xmca@weber.ucsd.edu > > Subject: [xmca] News from Brazil > > > > > > Dear friends from xmca list, sorry for the cross-posting > > > > > > I believe by now all of you might be overwhelmed with news from Brazil. I > > think the international press translated well what is happening down here. > > For me the discussion about Ilyenkov's ideas and dialectical materialism is > > particularly valuable. > > It is quite curious to see the national news and Brazilian analysts trying > > to explain (and predict) what is going on. Brazilian people is well known > > for be a football lover and by its pacific, domesticated, cordial (although > > not so polite) behaviour. For Brazilian analysts and politicians the > > protests were an unbelievable nightmare. They simply could not accept that > > ?20 cents? in the public transport fares could bring people to streets. > > They were unable to understand how a country that is walking toward the > > centre of capitalism system and is going to hold the next football World > > Cup and Olympic games can complain. > > For me the main lesson we (Brazilians) have learnt is that who makes the > > History is, above all, the humankind and not any alienated force coming > > from elsewhere. I think this idea is still very new, fragile and immature > > even in the protesters' soul. For this reason today (the day after) is far > > more important than the day of protest itself ? in my view evidently. Today > > is the moment that people try to understand its own power and how to use it > > to promote changes. Many Brazilians on the streets see a clear connection > > with the inspiring moments of #Occupy (in USA and Europe) and mainly with > > the mass movements in the Middle East. Although I agree that this > > connection exist we are quite distant to reach radial issues (for now). I > > mean, no one in Brazil expects any radical change within the capitalism or > > in the government. > > It is also curious that president Dilma Rousseff, a former Marxist fighter, > > is implementing the most ambitious Neoliberal program in the country. We > > are privatizing airports, ports, highways and every piece of infrastructure > > that we still have. The conservative opposition that saw in Lula and Dilma > > a "red danger" do not know exactly what to do since they are against the > > government but in favour of the Neoliberal program. Well, I believe we all > > read this page before (for instance, Labor Party in Great Britain ? > > perhaps!). > > The powerful synthesis of Ilyenkov help me to set my own agenda: > > > > ?When Marx and Engels worked out the concept of the proletariat as the most > > revolutionary class of bourgeois society, as the grave-digger of > > capitalism, it was in principle impossible to obtain this concept by > > considering an abstractly general trait inherent in each separate > > proletarian and each particular stratum of the proletariat. A formal > > abstraction which could be made in the mid-19th century by comparing all > > individual representatives of the proletariat, by the kind of abstracting > > recommended by non-dialectical logic, would have characterised the > > proletariat as the most oppressed passively suffering poverty-ridden class > > capable, at best, only of a desperate hungry rebellion? (Ilyenkov ? The > > dialectics of the Abstract & the Concrete in Marx?s Capital). > > > > The quote above is emblematic considering all the political analysts in the > > field of formal logic that simply cannot grasp what is going on (in the > > world). This morning on radio, sociologists and economists treat this > > moment only in terms of president popularity as if they were selling lemon > > ice cream on the beach... ("do you like the present or not?" "do you > > support the violent protests or not?"). For me, it is a clear sign that we > > need "much more theory" to understand and intervene (intervene and > > understand) in this historical reality. > > > > I finish this humble comment quoting Lenin from the postscript of State and > > Revolution. ?It is more pleasant and useful to go through the "experience > > of revolution" than to write about it?. So see you on the Brazilian > > streets. > > > > Warm regards, > > > > André Rodrigues > > PhD. Student at University of São Paulo > > __________________________________________ > > _____ > > xmca mailing list > > xmca@weber.ucsd.edu > > http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca > > > ______________________________ > ____________ > _____ > xmca mailing list > xmca@weber.ucsd.edu > http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca > > > ----- Final da mensagem encaminhada ----- > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------- > This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program. > > > -- > André Machado Rodrigues > University of São Paulo > __________________________________________ > _____ > xmca mailing list > xmca@weber.ucsd.edu > http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca __________________________________________ _____ xmca mailing list xmca@weber.ucsd.edu http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca