Written by Yavor Tarinski A vote, even a free vote, may be only – and often is only – a parody of democracy. Democracy is not the right to vote on secondary issues. Real [democracy] lies in being able to decide for oneself on all essential questions in full knowledge of the relevant facts. ~Cornelius […]
Read More On why Referendums aren’t synonymous with Direct Democracy
Written by Janet Biehl Murray Bookchin (1921-2006) understood earlier than almost anyone that an ecological crisis was not only looming but posted a challenge to capitalism and the whole social order. In the 1950s and 1960s, before most people even knew what ecology was, he was proposing fundamental solutions. Being ahead of his time, however, meant that his ideas were either ignored […]
Read More Murray Bookchin: The man who brought radical ecology and assembly democracy into the Left
We present to you the new publication from TRISE, entitled Asking questions with the Zapatistas: Reflections from Greece on our Civilizational Impasse, authored by TRISE members Theodoros Karyotis, Ioanna-Maria Maravelidi, and Yavor Tarinski. Editor: Matthew Little | Cover: Apollon Petropoulos | Design: George Chelebiev Publisher: Transnational Institute of Social Ecology (TRISE) | Year: 2022 […]
Read More “Asking questions with the Zapatistas” (e-book)
Deep Commons Conference 2022 – Call for Abstracts Link to conference webpage: https://www.deepcommons.net/conference This event will take place online from October 27th to 29th – hosted by the Department of Government and Politics, University College Cork, Ireland, in association with La Terre Institute for Community and Ecology, Mississippi, USA. Conference Theme: Cultivating Ecologies of Solidarity […]
Read More Announcing the Call for Papers of the Deep Commons Conference 2022
Written by Yavor Tarinski To take no part in the running of the community’s affairs is to be either a beast or a god! ~Aristotle[1] When exploring social change, one has to examine all aspects of it. Developing strategies and institutions that will help facilitate the coming into being and functioning of a democratic and […]
Read More Re-Embedding Citizenship in Revolutionary Politics
Written by TRISE member Yavor Tarinski. Originally published on Aftoleksi, here. The greatest achievement of these human beings was the creation of cities. Dimitrios Roussopoulos[1] As Hannah Arendt has suggested, “To be political, to live in a polis, meant that everything was decided through words and persuasion and not through force and violence“[2]. […]
Read More Public Assemblies in Early Cities
Written by Nikos Vrantsis. What follows is a review of Yavor Tarinski’s book Short Introduction of the Political Legacy of Castoriadis (Athens: Aftoleksi, 2020). Cornelius Castoriadis is considered one of the crucial voices of the twentieth century. However, the academic community surrounds his work, with the kind of respect reserved for thinkers considered obsolete: […]
Read More Autonomy: The Legacy of Ideal
‘The Disobedient Society‘ is a neat little book (190 pages) by Mat Little, published last year by New Compass Press. In it Mat Little probes the question of obedience in our society; because, despite our ongoing resistance and rallies, we nonetheless show an astonishing basic obedience towards a capitalist economic system that clearly many of […]
Read More Review of ‘The Disobedient Society’
Written by Yavor Tarinski The assumption that what currently exists must necessarily exist is the acid that corrodes all visionary thinking.[1] Murray Bookchin The question of energy is of crucial importance when we discuss the future of our cities. Our contemporary heavily urbanized societies consume huge amounts of energy, which is being derived through environmentally […]
Read More On why nuclear energy is incompatible with direct democracy
Written by Marcin Gerwin 1.Random selection of participants All members of a citizens’ assembly are selected by lot. Ideally, every member of the population eligible to take part in a citizens’ assembly should be able to potentially receive invitation to participate. 2.Demographic representation The composition of a citizens’ assembly should broadly match the demographic […]
Read More Basic Standards for Organizing Citizens’ Assemblies