Rosa Luxemburg Foundation: "Political economy of right populism"

While the political and scholarly mainstream, when referring to Brexit and to Trump, is
discussing about a possible "end of globalisation" or about an "anti-modern backlash against
globalisation", a new kind of blackmail is brought to bear upon working people, upon poor
people, upon people in precarious living conditions, as well as upon the political left wing and
upon the ecologists (again, especially upon the ecological left wing): They are asked to accept
new neoliberal "reforms" – i.e. (further) social cuts, repressions, the reduction of democratic
rights, the on-going ignorance opposed to ecological demands and reinforced "security
measures" – because they were an unavoidable alternative to the politics of "right populism".

The new "White Book" of the European Commission in occasion of the 60th of the Rome
treaties (see our policy paper http://www.rosalux.de/publication/43047/no-celebrations-on-
25-march.html) constitutes another example of this approach. It reflects a special type of right
wing populism, while the main neoliberal agents continue to categorize growing right wing
extremism as a less harmful "right wing populism". In so doing, they fight against any kind of
critique of neoliberalism and its austerity policy, especially against a critique which can show
that their ideology, culture and policy are to be understood as being based upon a specific type
of the capitalist mode of production.

This situation constitutes, in actual fact, a harsh criticism of the left wing forces, for their lack
of understanding of present historical reality and their incapacity of launching pertinent and
therefore effective counter-initiatives. At the same time it constitutes a new challenge for them,
to work on even more serious and pertinent analyses, as well as on political initiatives and
strategies for effectively changing the very structure of society, and to push through firststeps
for starting a deep socio-economical and ecological transformation.

As this is the basis of our thinking, we at the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation want to
contribute to this work and therefore we do ask the simple, but effective question of "How and
why has it been possible that the complex of
deregulation/liberalisation/privatisation/financialisation/freetrade policy and "investment
protection"/"security" policies has emerged and developed in our societies, constitutung a
major block to all attemps of deeper transformation? Who are the social forces behind this?
Why should we especially focus on the capitalist oligarchies? Who are the so called "right wing
populists" in terms of contemporary capitalist societies – and why and how are they searching
for possibilities to improve their positions within the present system of competition? Why are
they successful, what is their economic policy and how they do influence the development of
societal relations, especially in the sphere of material societal reproduction? What does all this
mean for the political working conditions of the left wing forces?

Whoever is interested in an active participation in a workshop on these issues in Berlin, on

November 8/9 (travel and accommodation costs will be covered by the RLF), is asked to send
us an abstract (of up to 500 words) expressing their main working findings and theses on the
questions we have asked, as well as on their own scientific and political interest in this kind of
workshop.

We shall accept abstracts until April 20th, and then decide about the workshop programme
and on specific invitations to participate until the beginning of May.

Please send your abstracts to and/or contact Judith Dellheim: judith.dellheim@rosalux.org