Dario Fo, the Commune, and the Battle for the Palazzina Liberty

2001 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-109
Author(s):  
Tom Behan
Keyword(s):  
Working Class ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Movement ◽  
Senior Lecturer ◽  
Dario Fo ◽  
Secure Control ◽  
Revolutionary Ideology ◽  
The University ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Political Battle

In 1974 Dario Fo and ‘The Commune’ theatre collective were forced to engaged in a political battle to secure control of the ‘Palazzina Liberty’, a nondescript building once a market canteen, set in the middle of a park in a south-eastern suburb of Milan. Here, Tom Behan describes how mass support, derived from a revolutionary ideology, secured The Commune's control over the building for several years. The relationship between this political movement and the political content of the shows performed at the Palazzina is then discussed with reference to Can't Pay? Won't Pay!, Fanfani Kidnapped, and Mum's Marijuana is the Best. Tom Behan, is Senior Lecturer in Italian at the University of Kent at Canterbury. His article began life as part of the research for his Dario Fo: Revolutionary Theatre (Pluto Press, 2000), and forms a companion piece to ‘The Megaphone of the Movement: Dario Fo and the Working Class, 1968–79’, published in The Journal of European Studies, XXX (September 2000).

scholarly journals Social Movements and Institutions

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 14
Author(s):  
Maria Francisca Pinheiro Coelho
Keyword(s):  
Social Movements ◽  
Public Education ◽  
General Question ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Movement ◽  
Constitutional Order ◽  
Constituent Assembly ◽  
Free Public Education ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Movimientos Sociales

 Abstract This study approaches the relationship between social movements and institutions in Brazil concerning three different stages of the process of re-democratization: the political transition; the National Constituent Assembly; and the new Constitutional Order. The general question is: what is the interface, reciprocity or conflict, between social movements and institutions in this context of social change? The paper examines the different roles of social movements and institutions in each specific period: in the pre-democratization moment, the movement for direct elections for president, Diretas-Já, is analyzed; in the National Constituent Assembly, the movement in defense for free public education is examined;  in the new constitutional order, the pro-reform political movement is studied.  The work focuses on the scope of the studies on social movements and democracy.  It belongs to the field of the studies about the representativeness and legitimacy of the demands of social movements in the context of democracy and its challenges. Key words: social movement, institution, reciprocity, conflict, democracy. Social Movements and Institutions                               ResumenEl estudio aborda la relación entre los movimientos sociales e instituciones en Brasil en tres etapas diferentes del proceso de redemocratización en las últimas décadas: la transición política; la Asamblea Nacional Constituyente; y el nuevo orden constitucional. La pregunta general es: ¿cuál es la relación, la reciprocidad o el conflito, entre los movimientos sociales y las instituciones en este contexto de cambio social? El artículo examina los diferentes roles de los movimientos sociales e instituciones en cada período específico: en el momento de la transición política analiza el movimiento de las elecciones directas para presidente, las Diretas-Já; en la Asamblea Nacional Constituyente aborda el movimiento en defensa de la educación pública y gratuita; en el nuevo orden constitucional se estudia el movimiento pro-reforma política. El trabajo se centra en el ámbito de los estudios sobre los movimientos sociales y la democracia. Pertenece al campo de la investigación sobre la representatividad y la legitimidad de las demandas de los movimientos sociales en el contexto de la democracia y sus desafíos.Palabras clave: movimientos sociales, instituciones, reciprocidad, conflicto, democracia. Social Movements and Institutions                               ResumoO estudo aborda a relação entre movimentos sociais e instituições no Brasil em três diferentes fases do processo de democratização nas últimas décadas: a transição política; a Assembleia Nacional Constituinte; e a nova ordem Constitucional. A questão geral é a seguinte: qual a interface, reciprocidade ou conflito entre os movimentos sociais e instituições neste contexto de mudança social? O artigo examina os diferentes papéis dos movimentos sociais e instituições em cada período específico: no momento da transição política analisa o movimento de eleições diretas para presidente, o Diretas-Já; na Assembleia Nacional Constituinte aborda o movimento em defesa da educação pública e gratuita; na nova ordem constitucional focaliza o movimento pela reforma política. O trabalho centra-se no campo dos estudos sobre movimentos sociais e democracia. Pertence ao campo de pesquisa sobre a representatividade e legitimidade das demandas dos movimentos sociais no contexto da democracia e seus desafios.Palavras-chave: movimentos sociais, instituições, reciprocidade, conflito, democracia.

scholarly journals Research and Teaching as Actions Supporting the Specificity of a Territory: Developing a Design and Pedagogic Strategy for the Abandoned Mining Landscapes of Sardinia

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pier Francesco Cherchi ◽  
◽  
Marco Lecis ◽  
Marco Moro ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Joint Venture ◽  
The Political ◽  
Local Institutions ◽  
East Side ◽  
Research And Teaching ◽  
Academic Activities ◽  
Natural Landscapes ◽  
The University ◽  
The Relationship

This paper illustrates a case study of teaching and research applied to the abandoned mining landscapes of the Sulcis area, located in the south-east side of Sardinia, one of the poorest in Europe. Although the region’s critical condition in the present, the area is nevertheless extremely rich in fascination and history. It offers unique natural landscapes, mostly pristine, a variety of archeological sites and, as mentioned, the ruins of the mining installations. All of this makes fore-seeable a concrete possibility of regeneration for the area, based on tourism, one of the island primary resources. The local institutions of Sulcis started a partnership with the University of Cagliari aiming to pursuit not just a practical and economical outcome in the immediate present, more a cultural and deeper rescue with a wider perspective. In the following pages, we present our academic activities in this mark and how we managed to guarantee fruitful superpositions of pedagogy, design, and research in our work within this kind of cooperation.Our focus is, therefore, the relationship between researching and teaching activities and the actions in support of the territory, pursued in a joint venture with the political institution. During these experiences, we defined a strategy to intercross these different layers, bringing the real and concrete dimension into our classroom, sharing our work with the students, and, at the same time, transferring the fruits of the teaching experiences to the territory. The correspondence between these two levels is not free of ambiguity and contradictions, however, we are convinced that it might show very important and fruitful outcomes.

scholarly journals The Limits of Identity – Performativity, Gender and Politics

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
pp. 110-122
Author(s):  
Kerstin Jergus
Keyword(s):  
Social Order ◽  
Speech Acts ◽  
The Political ◽  
Gender And Politics ◽  
Philosophical Perspective ◽  
Gender Policy ◽  
Gender Policies ◽  
Political Dimensions ◽  
The University ◽  
The Relationship

This article explores the limits of identity in the context of gender policy. From a linguistic-philosophical perspective, the first question is how identity is created and under what practical conditions it becomes effective. In light of these considerations on the relationship between identity and social order, matters of recognition and normalization are discussed. These outlines are then related to current gender policies in the university area. The boundaries of identity and the political dimensions of speech acts lead to the question how critical and resistant speech can take shape.

The Red Theatre under the Bed

1987 ◽  
Vol 3 (11) ◽  
pp. 195-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Howard Brenton
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
The Political ◽  
National Theatre ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Dario Fo ◽  
Political Impact ◽  
Theatre Studies ◽  
The University

Howard Brenton began his theatrical career in the late 'sixties as one of the ‘Portable playwrights’, but quickly felt the need to utilize the resources available on larger stages-without compromising the political impact of his plays. Now established as one of the leading playwrights of his generation, Brenton works regularly with the National Theatre, and in the interview which follows the discussion ranges from his feelings about the ‘scandal’ worked up by the production there of The Romans in Britain to how his feelings about Brecht were affected by preparing their version of The Life of Galileo, and also covers his recent collaboration with David Hare, creating a monstrous press baron, in Pravda. Touching on other recent plays such as The Genius and Bloody Poetry, the discussion thus complements an earlier Theatre Quarterly interview with Howard Brenton, included in TQ17 (1975) and reprinted in New Theatre Voices of the Seventies, edited by Simon Trussler (Methuen, 1981). The interviewer, Tony Mitchell, currently teaches in the School of Theatre Studies at the University of New South Wales, and is the author of Dario Fo: People's Court Jester (Methuen. 1984). His Methuen ‘Writer-File’ on Howard Brenton is due for publication in 1988.

scholarly journals Workers-as-consumers: Rethinking the political economy of use-value and the reproduction of capital

2016 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 315-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niamh Mulcahy
Keyword(s):  
Working Class ◽  
Consumer Culture ◽  
Mass Production ◽  
The Political ◽  
Exchange Value ◽  
Use Values ◽  
Continuous Reproduction ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Labour Power ◽  
Means Of Production

The relationship between the working class and consumer culture is undoubtedly contentious and often held as problematic in Marxist critical theory, owing to the exploitative nature of the mass production that facilitates consumption. Consequently, consumption sometimes appears as a distraction from the inequality perpetuated during the accumulation of capital, and thus as a social problem with normative undertones. As I reiterate in this article, however, workers are not simultaneously consumers because they have been inundated with consumer culture and advertising, but because they are separated from the means of production and must resort to exchange to reproduce their labour-power. As a result, they seek commodities as use-values, which is altogether different from a capitalist’s desire to realise exchange-value in the sale of commodities. This article is an attempt at examining the contradictions that arise in working-class interests in consumption, in order to illustrate why the act of consumption does not necessarily engender the continuous reproduction of capital, and thus of exploitation.

Labouring for Kashmir’s azadi: Ongoing violence and resistance in Maisuma, Srinagar

2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-50
Author(s):  
Sarbani Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Working Class ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Central Area ◽  
The Other ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Movement ◽  
The One ◽  
The Right ◽  
The City

While much has been said about the historicity of the Kashmir conflict or about how individuals and communities have resisted occupation and demanded the right to self-determination, much less has been said about nature of everyday life under these conditions. This article offers a glimpse of life in the working-class neighbourhood of Maisuma, located in the central area of the city of Srinagar, and its engagement with the political movement for azadi (freedom). I argue that the predicament of ‘double interminability’ characterises life in Maisuma—the interminable violence by the state on the one hand and simultaneously the constant call of labouring for azadi by the movement on the other, since the terms of peace are unacceptable.

Mapping the Archival Turn in English Studies

2019 ◽  
pp. 92-130
Author(s):  
Jason Maxwell
Keyword(s):  
Social Organization ◽  
Identity Politics ◽  
Literary Theory ◽  
English Studies ◽  
Political Movement ◽  
Rhetorical Studies ◽  
Democratic Practices ◽  
Competing Models ◽  
The University ◽  
The Relationship

The previous chapter’s analysis of the Burke-Jameson debate illuminated two different understandings of political and social organization. This chapter extends that analysis by showing these two models at work within the discipline of English over the last several decades. Indeed, the relationship between these two competing models can be productively examined in contemporary English Studies where literary theory, identity politics, democratic practices, and a decentered social organization all collide. More specifically, the chapter traces the emergence of the “archival turn” within English studies, doing so by examining the broad reception of Foucault’s work within English in both literary and rhetorical studies. The chapter illustrates how much of Foucault’s work was appropriated by a progressive political movement that soon found its own ideas appropriated elsewhere in the university.

Civil Disobedience and the City

2019 ◽  
pp. 263-284
Author(s):  
Robert Rahman Raman
Keyword(s):  
Working Class ◽  
Civil Disobedience ◽  
The Political ◽  
Social Spaces ◽  
Working Population ◽  
National Congress ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The City ◽  
Indian National Congress

This essay examines the interaction between different sections of Bombay’s working population and the Indian National Congress during the first two years of the Civil Disobedience movement. It looks at this engagement primarily through the vernacular archives, and explores the divergent, sometimes conflicting, trends in the articulations of nationalism in the Civil Disobedience movement and the Congress. This essay draws upon Masselos’ work and focuses on the spatial templates of the Civil Disobedience movement. It maps the relationship between the functioning of the local units of the Congress and the political infrastructure of the city’s mill districts. It argues that there was a co-relation between their mobilization practices in the city’s working-class neighborhoods and their attempt to appropriate social spaces.

scholarly journals Challenging Parties and Anti-Fascism in the Name of Democracy: The Fronte dell'Uomo Qualunque and its Impact on Italy's Republic

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
PEPIJN CORDUWENER
Keyword(s):  
Political Ideology ◽  
Democratic Legitimacy ◽  
Political Crisis ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Movement ◽  
Post War ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Second World ◽  
The Way

AbstractThis article studies the political ideology of the Italian political movement Fronte dell'Uomo Qualunque in the light of the problems of party democracy in Italy. The movement existed only for a few years in the aftermath of the Second World War, but the impact of its ideology on post-war Italy was large. The article argues that the party's ideology should be studied beyond the anti-fascist–fascist divide and that it provides a window onto the contestation of party politics in republican Italy. It contextualises the movement in the political transition from fascism to republic and highlights key elements of the Front's ideology. The article then proceeds to demonstrate how the movement distinguished itself from the parties of the Italian resistance and advocated a radical break with the way in which the relationship between the Italian state and citizens had been practiced through subsequent regimes. The way in which the movement aimed to highlight the alleged similarities between the fascist and republican political order, and its own claim to democratic legitimacy, constitute a distinct political tradition which resurfaced in the political crisis of the 1990s.

scholarly journals Introduction: From Concord to Peace

Theoria ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 66 (159) ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Andrew Benjamin ◽  
Francesco Borghesi
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual History ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Walter Benjamin ◽  
The Political ◽  
Human Being ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
The University ◽  
The Relationship

This special issue arose from a workshop on “Peace and Concord from Plato to Lessing”, organised by the editors and which took place at the University of Sydney on 18 and 19 September 2017. Central to the work of both the editors is the relationship between the concepts of ‘concord’, ‘peace’ and ‘dignity’ within a setting created by a concern with the development of a philological anthropology. Their work combines both intellectual history and philosophy, a combination that is reflected in the contents of the special issue of Theoria. The importance of these terms is that they allow for another interpretation of the ethical and the political. Central to both is the location of human being within a larger cultural context. That context demands an approach in which philosophy does not exclude history, and history recognises that it is already informed philosophically. If there is a unifying term, it is ‘culture’. The approach taken within the larger project starts with the centrality of culture as that which demands to be thought. And yet culture is neither tranquil nor unified. As Walter Benjamin argued, there ‘is no document of culture which is not at the same time a document of barbarism’. Allowing for culture’s centrality entails a reconfiguration of both philosophy and intellectual history.

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