The Riddle of Organization: Power and Insurgency in Times of War


From the emergence of early socialism and trade unions to the most recent anti-racist, feminist and queer struggles, from the Bolshevik revolution to the recent experiences of left-wing governments, the “question of organization” has been a key concern of Marxist theory and praxis in its many strands. If, in his own time, Marx emphasized the shift from the “weapons of critique” to the “critique of weapons,” Mario Tronti notably argued that “organization” is an essential “weapon” the oppressed can mobilize to transform the world.

However, the nature, form, and strategy of such a “weapon” have been far from self-evident, sparking intense debates that remain central to critical theorists and activists today. Over the last decades, the question of organization has become a riddle. Should a revolutionary organization operate with the discipline and efficiency of a military vanguard, or should it, like an artistic vanguard, prefigure the future life of freedom and equality? Should it be guided by professionals or led by the masses themselves? Should it aim to seize central power through insurrection or gradually build hegemony within the state’s main apparatuses? Should it be hierarchical or democratic, centralized or reticular, vertical or horizontal?

The “question of organization” is particularly compelling today, as capital responds to its multiple crises by weaponizing war, genocide, and ecological disasters. Addressing both theoretical contributions and practical experiences of organizing, this seminar will explore the “question of organization” in its historical and contemporary dimensions. By engaging with classic debates, artistic contributions, and recent analyses of social movements, it seeks to illuminate different forms of organizing that remain vital in today’s struggles for liberation. We do not have solutions to offer, but we remain convinced that the problem of organization is one of the crucial issues we have to address today. Reading will include works by classical Marxist thinkers as well as Rodrigo Nunes, Kristin Ross, and others.
Core Readings:

György Lukács

History and Class Consciousness: Studies in Marxist Dialectics

Rodrigo Nunes

Neither Vertical nor Horizontal: A Theory of Political Organization








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READING MARX: THE 18TH BRUMAIRE; THE CIVIL WAR IN FRANCE; CRITIQUE OF THE GOTHA PROGRAM◇

THE RIDDLE OF ORGANIZATION: POWER AND INSURGENCY IN TIMES OF WAR

AUTOMATED CAPITALISM: NETWORKS, MACHINES, MATERIALISM←

MARXIST FILM PROGRAM



FACULTY FOR 2025:


Peter Bratsis, City University of New York
Isabelle Darmon, University of Edinburgh
Carlos Frade, University of Salford
Jackqueline Frost, University of London Institute in Paris
Bruno Gulli, City University of New York
Athina Karatzogianni, University of Leicester
Josh Kolbo, Pratt Institute
Kiarina Kordela, Macalester College
Kristin Lawler, University of Mount Saint Vincent
Sandro Mezzadra, University of Bologna
Rodrigo Nunes, University of Essex
Michael Pelias, Long Island University, Brooklyn
Matteo Polleri, University of Paris, Nanterre
Panayotis Sotiris, Hellenic Open University


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