Knowledge and the Impasse in Left Politics: Potentials and Problems in Social Movement Practice

In: Studies in political economy: SPE ; a socialist review, Heft 62, S. 43-70

Abstract

The role of the Metro (Toronto) Network for Social Justice (MNSJ) within movement politics remains ambiguous, in part because the MNSJ has been unable to engage in productive debates regarding organization, vision, & strategy. The question of knowledge remains central to the future of the MNSJ & any other political movements that hope to challenge neoliberalism. This article focuses on the "economic & political literacy" (EPL) component of the MNSJ, the area in which the MNSJ's work leads to debates about the politics of knowledge. The following claims are argued: that social movements give rise to new knowledge; that processes & sites are fundamental aspects of the knowledge being produced; that knowledge production in social movements will create conflict; & that this conflict is directly related to the larger problems that exist within the political Left. These arguments lead to a distinct set of conclusions. First, a new political era is emerging. Second, the knowledge necessary to fully usher in this new era has yet to be discovered. Third, the time has come to cast off the politics of the past. It is asserted that new knowledge, obtained through faith, will herald a bright future. K. A. Larsen