“How to be an anti capitalist for the 21st century?”

On 18 April 2016 at Sciences Po, professor Erik Olin Wright gave a lecture that revolved around the question: “How to be an anti-capitalist for the 21st century?". The American sociologist laid out a strategy for achieving what he calls “real utopias”, non-capitalist alternatives that can be built in the world as it is.

Another world is possible
Wright opened his talk by presenting two different views on anti-capitalism. The first stance considers anti-capitalism to be absurd, since social progress can be attributed to capitalist means of production. From this point of view, we need more capitalism rather than less.
In contrast, the second stance views capitalism as a generator of pervasive harms: poverty is intrinsic to the structure of capitalism. Capitalism (such as movement of capital) is also intrinsically anti-democratic, since it deprives people of participating in processes that affect their lives.

Wright holds this latter view to be true and subsequently asks the following questions: What can we do about it? What kind of strategies can possibly counteract these harms?
The American sociologist argues that another world is possible that would improve the conditions in which most humans could flourish. Anti-capitalism is possible not simply as moral stance, but as a practical stance towards building an alternative for greater human growth.

“Eroding Capitalism” and constructing “real utopias”
While Marxists deemed revolution to be the appropriate strategy towards achieving these goals, Wright advocates for a gradual transformation of the current capitalist system promoted by both civil society and state actors. By implementing emancipatory, anti-capitalist policies such as worker cooperatives, an unconditional basic income, tax-voucher funded journalism as well as peer-to-peer collaborative production such as Wikipedia, Olin sees possibilities for “eroding capitalism” and constructing “real utopias”.

By Andreas Eisl & Lisa Kastner, PhD students at Sciences Po.

Watch the lecture with Erik Olin Wright on Vimeo

Related links
About Erik Olin Wright  
About MaxPo, the Max Planck Sciences Po Centre on coping with instability in market societies
About the Sciences Po Doctoral School