A discussion of the first Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992, which proved an absolute failure in terms of attempts to halt environmental destruction. I wrote this for a short-lived anarchist paper called Revolt, published in Johannesburg in 1992 (it appeared in issue #2; there wasn't, in fact, an issue #1!). There … Continue reading [ANALYSIS]: Lucien van der Walt, 1992, “South Africa: Looking back at the Rio Summit farce”
Category: Anarchism/ syndicalism
Materials on anarchist and syndicalist history, ideas, critiques and strategy
[ANALYSIS]: Lucien van der Walt, 2001, “80th anniversary of Kronstadt Uprising: 18 March 1921/ 18 March 2001”
A-Infos News Service, 18 March 200180 years ago, the workers' movement and rebellion at Kronstadt, near Petrograd in Russia, was bloodily suppressed by the state-capitalist regime of VI Lenin and Leon Trotsky. The article below, produced for the old Workers Solidarity (South Africa) in 1996, outlines the story. Further online references and links, including an … Continue reading [ANALYSIS]: Lucien van der Walt, 2001, “80th anniversary of Kronstadt Uprising: 18 March 1921/ 18 March 2001”
[ANALYSIS]: Lucien van der Walt, 1998, “The Collectives in Revolutionary Spain”
SOURCE: From an unpublished paper on "How an anarchist economy could work", written in 1997, presented in 1998 (and hopefully to be revised one day and published). Mirrored here and in Greek here. Originally section on "Revolutionary Spain and Anarcho-syndicalism, 1936-7" in the essay How an anarchist economy could work written by "Lucien. W." <029walt@cosmos.wits.ac.za> … Continue reading [ANALYSIS]: Lucien van der Walt, 1998, “The Collectives in Revolutionary Spain”
[ANALYSIS]: Lucien van der Walt, 2001, “Towards a History of Anarchist Anti-imperialism: ‘In This Struggle, Only The Workers And Peasants Will Go All The Way To The End'”
First published in the Against War and Terrorism compilation (2001); besides numerous reprints in English, it has also been translated into French - here and Greek - here. PDF version from Against War and Terrorism is online here PDF version from The Peak is online here PDF version from The NorthEastern Anarchist: a magazine of class struggle theory … Continue reading [ANALYSIS]: Lucien van der Walt, 2001, “Towards a History of Anarchist Anti-imperialism: ‘In This Struggle, Only The Workers And Peasants Will Go All The Way To The End'”
[DISCUSSION]: Lucien van der Walt, 1997, “Against Corporatism: the Limits and Pitfalls of Corporatism for South African Trade Unions”
van der Walt, Lucien, (1997), "Against Corporatism: the limits and pitfalls of corporatism for South African trade unions", version presented at African Studies Association of South Africa Third Biennial International Conference PDF is online here ABSTRACT: This paper reflects upon the experience of corporatism in South African and other contexts. It argues that the prospects for the establishment … Continue reading [DISCUSSION]: Lucien van der Walt, 1997, “Against Corporatism: the Limits and Pitfalls of Corporatism for South African Trade Unions”
[ANALYSIS]: Lucien van der Walt, 2000, “GEAR versus Social Security”
Lucien van der Walt, Lucien, 2000, "GEAR versus Social Security," South African Labour Bulletin, volume 24, number 5 Get the PDF here
[REVIEW ESSAY]: Lucien van der Walt, 2001, “‘Fix It or Nix It?’ The anti-globalisation movement – review of J. Brecher, T. Costello and B. Smith, 2000, ‘Globalisation from Below: the power of solidarity'”
van der Walt, Lucien, (2001), "'Fix It or Nix It? The anti-globalisation movement [Review of J. Brecher, T. Costello and B. Smith, 2000, Globalisation from Below: the power of solidarity]," South African Labour Bulletin, volume 25, number 5 PDF online here
[ANALYSIS]: Lucien van der Walt, 2007, “Afrique du Sud: Résister à l’université bourgeoise” [Anarkismo]
This was written in support of protests around privatisation at the University of the Witwatersrand in October 2007, in which I was involved, gave several speeches and faced some consequences . This version is from http://www.anarkismo.net/article/7706. A version was also published by Le Combat Syndicaliste (CNT-Vignolles), a copy of which I only located many years, … Continue reading [ANALYSIS]: Lucien van der Walt, 2007, “Afrique du Sud: Résister à l’université bourgeoise” [Anarkismo]
[DISCUSSION]: Lucien van der Walt, revised 1999 paper, ” The Soviet Mirage”
Revised version of paper prepared by Lucien van der Walt for Lesedi Socialist Study Group, Wits University, 8 October 1999 The “Russian question” – the debate on the nature of the Soviet Union – goes straight to the heart of the challenges facing socialists on the eve of the twenty-first century. The “Russian question” raises … Continue reading [DISCUSSION]: Lucien van der Walt, revised 1999 paper, ” The Soviet Mirage”
[SPEECH]: Lucien van der Walt, 1997, “Rosa Luxemburg’s Legacy: Libertarian, revolutionary, socialist,” First International Workers Film Festival (Johannesburg)
Rosa Luxemburg’s legacy Lucien van der Walt Discussion for First International Workers Film Festival, Ster-Moribo, Johannesburg, 19 September 1997 Comrades, that was a very interesting film. Not just because of what it teaches us about the history of the revolutionary workers movement, and the struggle for socialism and freedom. But also, because it helps us … Continue reading [SPEECH]: Lucien van der Walt, 1997, “Rosa Luxemburg’s Legacy: Libertarian, revolutionary, socialist,” First International Workers Film Festival (Johannesburg)
[ANALYSIS]: Lucien van der Walt, 2009, “The South African Elections, Neo-Liberalism and Working Class Strategy”
Previously published at anarkismo.net, 23 April 2009 The renewed Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) support for the ruling nationalist African National Congress (ANC) has seen the unions dedicate organisers over the last few weeks to ensuring an “overwhelming” ANC victory in the national elections on the 22 April 2009. How valid is such … Continue reading [ANALYSIS]: Lucien van der Walt, 2009, “The South African Elections, Neo-Liberalism and Working Class Strategy”
[ANALYSIS]: Lucien van der Walt, 2008, “The 2010 World Cup, the Neo-liberal Agenda and the Class Struggle in South Africa”
Lucien van der Walt, 2008, "The 2010 World Cup, the Neo-liberal Agenda and the Class Struggle in South Africa" Zabalaza: A Journal of Southern African Revolutionary Anarchism, number 8, pp. 8-9. Get the PDF here The 2010 World Cup is part and parcel of the neo-liberal restructuring of SA capitalism. It is also, however, a major … Continue reading [ANALYSIS]: Lucien van der Walt, 2008, “The 2010 World Cup, the Neo-liberal Agenda and the Class Struggle in South Africa”
[ARTICLE]: Lucien van der Walt, 2008, “ASGISA: a working class critique”
Previous published in Zabalaza: a journal of southern African revolutionary anarchism #8, February 2008 Get the PDF here The announcement of the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative – South Africa (Asgisa) in 2006 has been met with some enthusiasm in left and labour circles. There is, however, very little to be excited about. The SA … Continue reading [ARTICLE]: Lucien van der Walt, 2008, “ASGISA: a working class critique”
[ANALYSIS]: Lucien van der Walt, 2005, “BEE-llionnaires in Mbeki-stan: BEE debate shows nature of post-apartheid SA, and limits of ‘left’ critique”
Lucien van der Walt, 2005, "BEE-llionnaires in Mbeki-stan: BEE debate shows nature of post- apartheid SA, and limits of 'left' critique," Zabalaza: a journal of southern African revolutionary anarchism, number 7. Get the PDF here Recent debates in the press around the issue of “Black Economic Empowerment,” or BEE, bring key features of the post-apartheid … Continue reading [ANALYSIS]: Lucien van der Walt, 2005, “BEE-llionnaires in Mbeki-stan: BEE debate shows nature of post-apartheid SA, and limits of ‘left’ critique”
[TALK]: Lucien van der Walt, 2005, “Rethinking welfare, building the working class movement”
Presented at the NALEDI OPEN FORUM, 10th -11th November 2005 Venue : Parktonian Hotel, Cnr. Rissik and De Korte Street, Braamfontein Social Policy and Development section PDF available here [FIXED BROKEN LINK]. Rejecting technocratic modes of policy intervention by labour's experts, this paper argues for a model of “policy-from-below”, based in mass campaigns that … Continue reading [TALK]: Lucien van der Walt, 2005, “Rethinking welfare, building the working class movement”
