Political theory Situationist International

1 political theory

1.1 major works
1.2 relationship marxism
1.3 relationship anarchism
1.4 relationship established left

political theory


major works

twelve issues of main french edition of journal internationale situationniste published, each issue edited different individual or group, including: guy debord, mohamed dahoiu, giuseppe pinot-gallizio, maurice wyckaert, constant nieuwenhuys, asger jorn, helmut sturm, attila kotanyi, jørgen nash, uwe lausen, raoul vaneigem, michèle bernstein, jeppesen victor martin, jan stijbosch, alexander trocchi, théo frey, mustapha khayati, donald nicholson-smith, rené riesel, , rené viénet.

classic situationist texts include: on poverty of student life, society of spectacle guy debord, , revolution of everyday life raoul vaneigem.

the first english-language collection of si writings, although poorly , freely translated, leaving 20th century edited christopher gray. situationist international anthology edited , translated ken knabb, collected numerous si documents had never been seen in english.

relationship marxism

rooted firmly in marxist tradition, situationist international criticized trotskyism, marxism–leninism, stalinism , maoism position believed further left , more marxist. situationists possessed strong anti-authoritarian current, commonly deriding centralized bureaucracies of china , soviet union in same breath capitalism.

debord s work society of spectacle (1967) established situationist analysis marxist critical theory. society of spectacle recognized main , influential situationist essay.

the concept of revolution created situationist international anti-capitalist, marxist, young hegelian, , beginning in 50s, remarkably differently established left, anti-stalinist , against repressive regimes.

debord starts 1967 work revisited version of first sentence marx began critique of classical political economy, das kapital. in later essay, debord argue work important social critique since marx s work. drawing marx, argued under capitalist society wealth degraded immense accumulation of commodities, debord argues in advanced capitalism, life reduced immense accumulation of spectacles, triumph of mere appearance once directly lived has become mere representation . spectacle, according debord core feature of advanced capitalist societies, has glaring superficial manifestation in advertising-mass media-marketing complex.

elaborating on marx s argument under capitalism our lives , our environment continually depleted, debord adds spectacle system capitalism tries hide such depletion. debord added that, further impoverishment in quality of life, our psychic functions altered, degradation of mind , degradation of knowledge. in spectacular society, knowledge not used anymore question, analyze, or resolve contradictions, assuage reality. such argument on spectacle mask of degrading reality has been elaborated many situationist artists, producing détournements of advertising instead of shiny life crude reality represented.

situationist theorists advocated methods of operation included democratic workers councils , workers self-management, interested in empowering individual, in contrast perceived corrupt bureaucratic states of eastern bloc. anti-authoritarian interpretation of marxist theory can identified broader council communist , libertarian marxist movements, more broadly termed left communism.

the last issue (1972) of situationist international journal, featured editorial analyzing events of may 1968. editorial, written guy debord, titled beginning of era, detournement reference of nachalo (the beginning), russian marxist monthly magazine.

according greil marcus, found similarities between situationists , yippies.

former situationists clark , nicholson-smith (british section), argued portion of moderate left established left , , left opinion-makers , addressed contemptuously si hopelessly young-hegelian .

relationship anarchism

the situationist international differentiated both anarchists , marxists. in spite of this, have been associated anarchism. debord did critical assessment of anarchists in 1967 society of spectacle. in final, 12th issue of journal, situationists rejected spontaneism , mystics of nonorganization, labeling them form of sub-anarchism :

the people excluded debate are... in name of sub-anarchist spontaneism proclaim opposition form of organization, , reproduce defects , confusion of old movement—mystics of nonorganization, workers discouraged having been mixed trotskyist sects long, students imprisoned in impoverishment incapable of escaping bolshevik organizational schemas. situationists partisans of organization—the existence of situationist organization testifies that. announce agreement our theses while crediting si vague spontaneism don t know how read.

according situationist ken knabb, debord pointed out flaws , merits of both marxism , anarchism. argued split between marxism , anarchism crippled both sides. anarchists rightly criticized authoritarian , narrowly economistic tendencies in marxism, did in undialectical, moralistic, ahistorical manner... , leaving marx , few of more radical marxists virtual monopoly on coherent dialectical analysis—until situationists brought libertarian , dialectical aspects again.

relationship established left

the si poses challenge model of political action of portion of left, established left , left opinion-makers . first challenging aspect fueling role si had in upheavals of political , social movements of 1960s, upheavals still @ stake , many foresee recurring in 21st century. second challenging aspect, comparison between situationist marxist theory of society of spectacle, still topical 30 years later, , current status of theories supported leftist establishments in same period, althusserianism, maoism, workerism, freudo-marxism , others.

the response challenge has been attempt silence , misinterpret, turn si safely art movement, , thereby minimize role in political , social movements of sixties .

the core aspect of revolutionary perspectives, , political theory, of situationist international, has been neglected commentators, either limited apolitical reading of situationist avant-garde art works, or dismissed situationist political theory. examples of simon sadler s situationist city, , accounts on si published new left review.

the concept of revolution created situationist international anti-capitalist, marxist, young hegelian, , beginning in 1950s, remarkably differently established left, anti-stalinist , against repressive regimes. si called in may 1968 formation of workers councils, , has argued aligned council communism.

there no separation between artistic , political perspectives. instance, asger jorn never believed in conception of situationist ideas exclusively artistic , separated political involvement. @ root , @ core of situationist international project, sharing revolutionary intentions debord.