Up We Rise

In 2007-8 the counter-globalisation movement, which had by then reached an impasse, was definitely killed off by the financial crisis that quickly spilled over into a full-scale economic meltdown. The crisis also spelled the end of the neoliberal deal: credit was crunched, cheap commodities were replaced by rising prices of food, transport and energy, and hope and aspiration gave way to a widespread sense that "there is no future". The Free Association explore the contours of this...
More Description

In 2007-8 the counter-globalisation movement, which had by then reached an impasse, was definitely killed off by the financial crisis that quickly spilled over into a full-scale economic meltdown. The crisis also spelled the end of the neoliberal deal: credit was crunched, cheap commodities were replaced by rising prices of food, transport and energy, and hope and aspiration gave way to a widespread sense that "there is no future". The Free Association explore the contours of this new political-economic landscape. Tracing the development of new subjectivities produced under neoliberalism, they examine the way we are beginning to see the emergence of new class compositions, new political subjects and new antagonisms -- all tied to waves of militancy that have erupted across the planet over the past few years. They argue that this social movement has thrown up new questions of political organization and struggle, concerning the limits of "weak ties" and networks, the necessity of durability and momentum, and the need to put our own needs and desires -- decoupled from those of capital -- at the heart of our activity.