Quick rule of thumb--- the opposite of 'protagonistic democracy' is
not 'antagonistic' but 'representative democracy'./m
At 13:02 11/05/2007, you wrote:
s.artesian wrote:
I honestly do not know what "protagonist democracy" and
"antagonistic democracy" mean. I was, am referring to
classes. The social forces, the old conflict between means and
relations of production that has triggered both the struggle in
Iran and Venezuela, propelled in both cases the working class,
urban and rural poor, forward. <
Protagonistic democracy -- cf. Mike Lebowitz's BUILD IT NOW -- refers
to grassroots and participative democracy such as the Bolivarian
circles. It really isn't the opposite of "antagonistic" democracy
(i.e., democracy within a class system). It also doesn't automatically
abolish antagonistic democracy, but can form the basis for doing so in
the future.
... It seems to me that all this talk about "North-South"
"protagonist-antagonist" is a basic recycling of the old "First
world-third world" argument about the exceptionalism of the
movements, struggles in "third world" countries from the specific,
"traditional" class analysis, evaluation, program etc. inherent in Marxism.<
"North-South" refers to a relationship within the structure and
dynamics of imperialism. "Protagonistic-antagonistic" has nothing to
do with that. "Protagonistic" doesn't link to ideas about the
exceptionalism of struggles in the "third world" as much as the
current exceptionalism of the struggle in Venezuela. It's also been
seen in other places and times, including in the U.S.
...
--
Jim Devine / "Segui il tuo corso, e lascia dir le genti." (Go your
own way and let people talk.) -- Karl, paraphrasing Dante.
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Michael A. Lebowitz
Professor Emeritus
Economics Department
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby, B.C., Canada V5A 1S6
Currently based in Venezuela.
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