How to Build Socialism from Below

episode

Prefigurative Futures Podcast 17 min 2 speakers transcribed

▲ 0

Transcript

jump: speakers · find in transcript

Transcript

Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.

Host 0:00

All right. So you want to look into how to build socialism from below. And you've given us a really interesting mix of stuff to dig into here.

Guest 0:07

Yeah.

Host 0:08

We've got some theory. We've got some real world examples.

Guest 0:12

Yeah. It's a good mix.

Host 0:13

It's like a starter kit.

Guest 0:14

I like that. A starter kit.

Host 0:15

For this whole movement.

Guest 0:16

What I find fascinating is your sources don't just talk about socialism like it's some abstract concept.

Host 0:22

Right.

Guest 0:22

They actually get down into the like the nitty gritty of how people are trying to actually build it.

Host 0:27

Yeah.

Guest 0:28

Which I think is what you're after.

Host 0:29

Exactly.

Guest 0:29

Yeah.

Host 0:30

It's not about just waiting for some big revolution. Right. You know, it's like, what can we do right now? Yeah. Right where we are.

Guest 0:37

Absolutely. And that's where this whole building socialism from below thing comes in. OK. It's about creating change from the ground up through everyday actions and grassroots movements.

Host 0:46

OK, so less about top down control, more about people power.

Guest 0:51

Exactly. And one of the key things your sources highlight is this idea of prefigurative politics.

Host 0:57

OK. Have you heard of this before?

Guest 0:59

I have heard of this. Yes.

Host 1:00

OK. So it's basically the idea that the way we organize and make decisions like within our movements should reflect the kind of society we actually want to create.

Guest 1:11

So if we want a society that's democratic and egalitarian, we need to practice that right now within our movements.

Host 1:19

Precisely. It's about building the world we want to see one step at a time. And it's not just about formal organizations. It's about fostering a culture of mutual aid, cooperation, respect in all aspects of our lives.

Guest 1:34

So this makes me think of one of the things that John Holloway talks about the idea of doing as a form of resistance. Right. He argues that even under capitalism. Yeah. We still have this power to do this capacity to create and produce things outside of you know the market system.

Host 1:53

It's a really interesting concept. Yeah. He's saying that every time we engage in activity purely for the love of it, for the joy of creating something or helping someone. Yeah. We're kind of subtly pushing back against that logic of capitalism.

Guest 2:07

OK. So like when I spend hours baking a cake with my kids just for the fun of it. Yeah. I'm actually engaging in like a mini rebellion.

Host 2:15

In a way, yes.

Guest 2:17

Whoa.

Host 2:17

Because you're not doing it for profit.

Guest 2:19

Right.

Host 2:20

You're not doing it for some external reward. Right. You're doing it for the intrinsic satisfaction of the activity itself.

Guest 2:26

Yeah.

Host 2:27

And that's like a powerful act of defiance. Yeah. In a world that's increasingly dominated by market forces.

Guest 2:35

That's a pretty mind blowing way to look at it.

Host 2:37

It is. Yeah.

Guest 2:38

So if we want to build socialism from below, it's not just about protesting or organizing. It's about reclaiming our power to do and creating these spaces where different values can flourish.

Host 2:49

Exactly. And your sources offer some really good concrete examples of how this is already happening. Things like worker cooperatives, community land trusts.

Guest 2:58

movements like cooperation Jackson.

Host 3:00

Yeah.

Guest 3:01

They're actively building alternative systems right within like the existing framework.

Host 3:07

It's like they're creating these pockets of socialism.

Guest 3:11

Yeah.

Host 3:11

These little glimpses of what a different kind of society could look like.

Guest 3:16

And what's really interesting about these examples is that they're not just about creating like a better economic system. Right. They're about addressing the deeper inequalities and injustices that are like baked into our current society.

Host 3:30

Right. So if we're talking about building socialism from below, it can't just be about economics.

Guest 3:35

Right.

Host 3:36

It has to be about social justice as well.

Guest 3:37

Absolutely. And your sources are really clear about that. This work often involves focusing on the needs and experiences of those who have been most marginalized by the current system.

Host 3:47

So groups like Cooperation Jackson, which specifically focuses on empowering black working class communities. They're saying that building socialism from below needs to start by addressing those systemic inequalities.