Capitalism and the State: Machete Confrontation at Occupy Philadelphia

Friday, 21 October, 2011 at 5:45pm

Machete Group members Avi Alpert and Gabriel Rockhill in dialogue with Nancy Fraser and Annika Thiem

The Library of Occupy Philadelphia (SE Corner of Encampment)
City Hall, at the Intersection of Market Street and Broad Street, Philadelphia

As a continuation of our Confrontations series on Public Pedagogy in support of the Occupy Together Movement, the Machete Group proposes a collective symposium on “Capitalism and the State.” Based on the confrontation between various texts (see below) and points of view, we propose a public discussion on the transformations of capitalism and the state. We will critically explore the supposed opposition between the state and the “free market,” questioning the credo of economic liberalism. We will also raise questions regarding the history of the relationship between capitalism and state intervention in order to shed light on our current conjuncture and debates on the “new spirit of capitalism.”

Although it is not a requirement for participation, the texts of reference are available for download below. A limited number of hardcopies will also be made available at the Occupy Philadelphia Library.

Download Sebastian Budgen “A New “Spirit of Capitalism”” (52KB)

Download David Harvey, selection from A Brief History of Neoliberalism (808KB)

Download Friedrich Engels & Karl Marx “Manifesto of the Communist Party”(636KB)

Download Karl Polanyi, selection from The Great Transformation (664KB)

For more information: http://machetegroup.wordpress.com/