AnnuAl RepoRt 2016 Rosa LuxembuRg stiftung tiftung s g- R Rosa-Luxembu AnnuAl report 2016 of the Rosa-LuxembuRg-stiftung 1 contents editoriAl 4proJect FundinG 42 Focus: tHe leFt And clAss 6 tHe scHolArsHip depARTMent 52 New Class Politics 6 Interview on the Current Situation of Critical Research in Turkey 54 Great Struggles, Small Victories—The Foundation’s Work in Europe 9 The Culturalization of the Class Struggle 55 The European ports—Marketplaces of Globalization 10 Developing Strategies to Help Unions Assert their Interests 11 tHe politicAl coMMunicAtion depARTMent 58 The Electoral Success of the AfD is not a Class Issue 11 Rosa at the Book Fair: A Report from the 68th Frankfurt Book Fair 59 The Leipzig Middle Study—Media Coverage 12 Smart Words: A Critical Lexicon of Digitization 60 Project Sponsorship and Publications Linked to the Focus 13 Selected Publications by the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung 61 tHe institute For criticAl sociAl AnAlYsis 14 tHe ArcHiVes And liBrArY 62 Fellowships 15 “Unboxing—Algorithms, Data and Democracy” 16 neWs FroM tHe FoundAtion 64 48 Hours of Peace—Workshops on Peace, Foreign, and Security Policies 17 A Question of Patience: New Building Projects Enter a Critical Phase 64 “Connecting Class”—A joint edition produced by Jacobin and LuXemburg 18 Not safe at all—A Critique of the Idea of Safe Countries of Origin 65 Luxemburg Lectures 19 Life as a Marxist Historian: On the Passing of Kurt Pätzold (1930–2016) 66 The Last Journey: Hans-Jürgen Krysmanski (1935–2016) 66 tHe AcAdeMY For politicAl educAtion 20 A Passionate Architect: In Memoriam of Peter Conradi (1932–2016) 67 Welcome2Stay! 21 Rational, Self-reflective, Critical: In Memory of Michael Glass (1961–2016) 67 A New Educational Format: The “Campus for Transformative Practice” 22 A Century in 54 Hours 23 personnel deVELOPMent 68 tHe FoundAtion’s netWorK 24 tHe FoundAtion’s structure 70 Baden-Württemberg: Celebrating Theodor Bergmann’s 100th Birthday 26 General Assembly 70 Bavaria: Hearing on Nazi Crimes on Crete 26 Members of the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung 71 Berlin: What’s up in Britain? 27 The Foundation’s Executive Board: Political Debates and Decisions on Direction 73 Brandenburg: The Middle East and Europe 27 The Members of the Executive Board 73 Bremen: Political Self-Organization of Refugees 28 The Academic Advisory Board 74 Hamburg: Perspectives for the Kurdish Movement 28 The Members of the Academic Advisory Board 74 Hesse: Lectures on Peace Policy in Kassel 29 In Transition: The Foundation’s Discussion Groups 75 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: History Project on the Eichmann Trial 29 Lower Saxony: Poverty. Power. Forced Displacement. 30 orGAnisAtionAl cHArt 76 North Rhine-Westphalia: “Five Years After the ‘School Consensus’” 30 Rhineland-Palatinate: Gender Relations from Marx to the Present 31 tHe FoundAtion’s BudGet 78 Saarland: “From the Saar to the Ebro River” 31 Saxony: Remembering Bruno Apitz 32 pHOTO credits 84 Saxony-Anhalt: Understanding Brexit 32 Schleswig-Holstein: A Weekend of Politics in Bad Oldesloe 33 Thuringia: One School for All 33 tHe centre For internAtionAl diALOGue And cooperAtionQ 34 Strengthen Struggles for Social and Democratic Rights through an Internationalist Perspective 35 6th Sino–European Forum on Socio-Ecological and Legal Issues in Suzhou 36 News from Our Moscow Office: Undermining Barriers—Overcoming Borders 36 News from Our Andean Office in Quito: The Practical Implementation of Buen vivir 37 Our International Offices 38 3 EDITORIAl tions and traditional political practices with new actors and or- ganizational forms. The strong expressions of solidarity, such as with refugees in Germany and in other European countries, are also reassuring, as is the support offered to people facing Dear readers, repression in Turkey or as shown by the Women’s March in the We too need to admit that we were wrong with some of our United States. We believe that the Foundation must promote predictions for 2016. We did not expect Donald Trump to be and provide these movements with support and do so without elected president of the United States, although we certain- attempting to claim their successes as our own. ly understood the dangers posed by his authoritarian popu- The Foundation also has a further crucial role to play in contrib- list manifesto. We also stressed the considerable weaknesses uting to the development of new forms of connecting concepts of Hillary Clinton’s candidacy. Our ability to do so was largely and political praxis. “New class politics” and “new (or connec- due to the expertise provided by our New York office. Although tive) feminism” are terms that are currently being discussed social analysis and civic education—both of which are stated within this context. They describe attempts to revitalize a tradi- in the long form of our foundation’s name—can certainly fail, Dagmar Enkelmann and Florian Weis tional starting point within socialist politics—namely, the view they have become more important than ever: How else can we that all forms of oppression and exclusion need to be overcome, provide promising solutions to social problems? As Karl Marx whether they are based on economic or social inequalities and argued, it is not enough to interpret the world; the point is to justifiable, and would have only intensified the diffuse rage exploitation, racism or other forms of discrimination. In order change it. Be this as it may, during diffuse times of upheaval currently being directed at “the establishment.” Neverthe- to do so, however, we need to stop covering up contradictions: (such as the current period) attempts to analyze or classify the less, we are seeing signs that it has been possible to put a people can be favored in some areas of life while being serious- existing formation constitute far more than “art for art’s sake.” stop to the rise of antidemocratic forces—at least for now—in ly disadvantaged in others. We also need to avoid criticizing too Indeed, analysis is essential if we are to grasp the true dimen- France, the Netherlands, and most recently in Britain, where strongly people’s right to self-assertion, independence, self-or- sion of the upheavals and crises that we currently face. If we do support for the right-wing UKIP party has collapsed. We cer- ganization, and representation. Instead, we should be focusing not attempt to understand what is happening in today’s society, tainly welcomed the news that neither Norbert Hofer (Austria) on democratic socialist policies that can strengthen the con- it becomes just as challenging to develop serious, democratical- nor Marine Le Pen (France) was able to win their country’s necting aims and forms of feminist, anti-racist, migrant-based, ly led debates about the causes of crises, together with societal respective presidential election, and that Geert Wilder’s one- and socioeconomic “class politics” in opposition to the partic- and global solutions, as it is to come up with adequate left-wing man party failed to become the strongest force in the Neth- ularities of identitarianism. This approach also includes treating responses to nationalism, authoritarianism, and racism. Conse- erlands. Be this as it may, these events do not signal an end people—who feel abandoned by the economic-liberal elite of quently, although social analysis and civic education alone can- to the risk posed by right-wing populist and authoritarian na- globalization and a culturally alien urban Left—with respect and not solve social problems, they can support attempts to do so, tionalist parties, nor have they washed away the fertile soil on giving them a voice. In order to do so, we will have to tap into at least as long as they are not misjudged as quick fixes. Social which these parties nurture their support. Rather, the relief ex- the lively debates driven forward by Owen Jones, Didier Eribon, analysis and civic education, therefore, can adopt classic roles pressed among sections of the media and political class over Oliver Nachtwey, Laurie Penny, and others. such as providing critique, developing analyses, and distribut- the electoral results in Austria, the Netherlands, Germany, and Globalized—increasing illiberal—capitalism is wedged within ing information that can be reexamined and encourage debate. France demonstrates just how appallingly accustomed we a deep crisis and is endangering the foundations of democ- However, while doing so, it must remain clearly delineated from have become to the success of an—albeit heterogeneous— racy and peaceful international development. Although the closed and ultimately authoritarian worldviews such as those anti-democratic Right in Europe. It is also important to re- Foundation always aims to defend democratic institutions, we linked to terms like the “lying press” and “fake news.” The way member that Mark Rutte’s (the Netherlands) and Emmanuel believe that there is still a need for a wider national, European, in which we assess the political direction embodied by Donald Macron’s (France) approaches to social justice promise very and above all internationalist perspective on social justice, as Trump, therefore, is certainly relevant: are we dealing with an little, as neither treats this concept as essential to maintaining well as wide-ranging equality. Next year will mark the 200th authoritarian variant of neoliberalism or perhaps an authoritar- or establishing a stable liberal democracy. anniversary of Karl Marx’s birth and this will certainly provide ian form of right-wing Keynesianism? Perhaps Trump is merely The list of threatening developments does not end there. The a substantial backdrop against which these issues can be representative of the current strain of right-wing populism, a Foundation is also troubled by the situation in Brazil, where broached—not just as part of our work. The same can be said term used to describe many of the political phenomena that a democratically elected left-wing president was forced out of the anniversary of the revolutionary events that occurred in have taken place in recent years? Questions such as these need of office as part of a cold putsch, and the country is now slid- Germany between 1917 and 1919.