THEMATIC AXES OF THE POLYCENTRIC VI WORLD SOCIAL FORUM
and II SOCIAL FORUM OF THE AMERICAS
and II SOCIAL FORUM OF THE AMERICAS
Caracas, Venezuela, January, 2006
From The World Social Forum Website
1. Power, politics, and struggles for social emanicipation. New patrons of global power: relations between movements, social organizations, parties and the State. Balance and perspectives of the struggles against neoliberal capitalism on the american continent and in the world. Relations between politics and economy. The role of the State: public and private. Struggles to build democracy. Social practices of resistance: new political cultures and new forms of organization. The World Social Forum: processes and perspectives. Political projects and programatica proposals. Solidarity and the new internationalism. Feminism, struggles against patriarchy and against all forms of domination and violence. Continental coverage and the new challenges for the construction of alternatives. Struggles and political projects of indigenous peoples and nationalities. Youth struggles. Horizones of change and social transformation: other socialisms are possible?
2. Imperial strategies and peoples' resistance. Neoliberalism of war and imperial order. Militarization, criminalization of struggles and poverty, terror, terrorism and the cuture of fear. Policies of military "cooperation": military bases, occupation, and impunity agreements in Latin America and the Caribbean. The war of "civilizations" as a new strategy for imperial expansion. Commercialization of life and its instutions/justice system: "free trade", external debt, international finance institutions, WTO, FTAA and FTAs, multinational corporations. Energy model and geopolitics of energy. The crisis of institutions of the United Nations system and international law. The struggles for human rights and peoples' rights. Sovereignty and struggle against colonialism. North-South relations. South-South relations. New paths towards regional integration and peoples' integration. Development in debate. Resistance, civil disobedience, and struggles for peace.
3. Resources and rights to life: alternatives to the depredatory model of civilization. Capitalism and threats to life: global warming and "natural" catastrophes, loss of biodiversity, desertification. Imperial appropriation and privatization of resources. Struggles for access, redistribution and protection of resources: land, biodiversity, water, seeds, and energy. Indigenous autonomy and territories. energías. Urban crisis and segregation ,social exclusion and violence. The struggles for new relations and urban spaces. Patrons of hegemonic knowledge and construction of knowledges against hegemony. Dialogue of wisdoms. Intellectual property and appropriation of wisdom. Right to health and alternative practices in health. Sexual rights, reproductive rights and decriminalization of abortion.
4. Diversities, identities and cosmovisions in movment, plurality and interculturality. Indigenous nationalities and afro-descent peoples. Racism and the maintenance and reproduction of colonial order. Latinamerican and regional identities. Local identities. Wisdoms, spiritualities and interreligious dialogue. Gender identities and sexual diversity. Youth cultures and identities. Spaces and rights for disabled peoples.
5. Labor, exploitation, and reproduction of life. Job insecurity, exclusion, inequality and poverty in the North and South. Labor and gender inequalities. Labor, unions, and social organizations. Migrations and new forms of exploitation. Child labor. Trade in people. Resistance and new socialibilities in labor. Non-market forms of the reproduction of life: reciprocity, indigenous communities, family agriculture, solidarity-based economy, cooperatives, and self-management. "Invisible" labor and economy of care.
6. Communication, cultures and education: dynamics and democratizing alternatives. Rights to communication to strengthen citizenship and democratic participation. Resistance to commercialization of communication and the concentration of media property. The social agenda in communication and the construction of alternatives. Social appropriation of information technologies and communication, and network resistance (internet and cellular phones). Defense of public communication, culture, and education. The market and cultural industries. Linguistic diversities and critical languages. Contrahegemonic artistic production. Social-cultural movements as peoples' resistance. Right to education and student struggles. Contrahegemonic educational models and experiences of popular education.