Karl+Marx+CXXI+Cuba+Event+May+3+to+6,+2006

3rd International Conference
=The Work of Karl Marx and the challenges of the 21st Century=

Havana May 3 to 6 - Palacio de las Convenciones
At a particularly difficult crossroad in the history of humanity at a time when there is an increase in the aggressive tendencies of neo-fascists spearheaded by North American imperialism, but which are being through concerted resistance by the peoples of all corners of the earth, the Institute of Philosophy, through the programs initiated by its Permanent Workshop, convokes social activists, politicians and political scientists as well as all who are interested to the 3rd International Conference on “Karl Marx and the challenges of the 21st century”. The Institute at this conference calls for the development of new debates and proposals for the construction of a necessary and possible new world.

This conference is dedicated to the 50th Anniversary of the landing of the yacht “Granma” – a historical event which marked the beginning of the last stage of the struggle of the Cuban people for their independence and sovereignty, and also celebrates XIXth Congress of the Central Cuban Workers Federation

This conference is run under the co-auspices of the following institutions: (appearing in alphabetical order ): The National Association of Economists and Accountants (ANEC), The Central Cuban Workers Federation (CTC), The Latin America Popular Memory Research Group (MEPLA), The Juan F. Noyala Centre for Economic & Planning Studies (Ministry of Economics & Planning), Martian Studies Centre (Centro de Estudios Martianos), The Center "Past and Present XXI", The Latin American Council for the Social Sciences (CLACSO), The Council for Social Sciences of the Ministry of Science, Technology & the Environment, The Department of Marxist-Leninism and History at the Ministry of Education, The Department of Marxist-Leninism at the Ministry of Higher Education, The Corporation of Services of Translators and Interpreters (ESTI),; Journal “Dialectics”, Mexico; The "Ñico Lopez” College of the Communist Party of Cuba, The Faculty of Philosophy, Sociology and History of the University of Havana, The Foundation for Social and Political Investigations, Argentina; The Higher Institute of Art of the Ministry of Culture, The Higher Institute for International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Relations,; Te National School “Florestán Fernándes”, Movement of Landless Workers, Brazil, The Seminary for methodological reading of “Capital", Buenos Aires, Argentina; The Cuban Society for Philosophical Investigations, The Economic Society of Friends of the Country, and The Popular University of the 'Madres de la Playa de Mayo' of Argentina.

The main thematic of the conference is “**The Road leading towards revolutionary power in the 21st century: classes, social movements and political parties”** and it will cover among others the following topics:

Commission I: Marxist thought and the challenges of social development in the 21st century.

 * Development and social progress in today’s world: new technologies as tools of domination or emancipation
 * Human emancipation and post-modern thought
 * Individuality and Sociality in the 21st century
 * Knowledge based society and uneven development: benefits and challenges
 * Ecological problems, and sustainable human development
 * Ethics, culture and social progress
 * The Law of Value and Capital in the 21st century
 * Human Capital and human progress
 * Humanism and scientific development in the 21st century
 * Marxism, dialectics, complexity: challenges to contemporary knowledge
 * Under-development in the 21st century seen as a complex social phenomenon – contemporary uneven development

Commission II: Classes, social movements and political parties

 * The relation Capital-Labour within the context of current globalization
 * Division of Work, human development and social classes
 * Working class – labouring class – the proletariat of the 21st century: their role in new social struggles
 * The peasants’ problem in Latin America
 * Social exclusion, social movements, class struggle: unemployment, minorities, and social alienation in contemporary society
 * Militarism, imperialism – power –classes and class struggle
 * Imperialism – empire and regional conflicts
 * State, Nation and globalization
 * State terrorism versus the third world: Latin America, Africa, Palestine and the Middle East
 * Political parties, social movements and social representation
 * Parliamentary and extra-parliamentary routes in contemporary class struggle: today’s unions, social movements, and political parties
 * Classes – culture and class struggle

Commission III: Revolution, change and revolutionary power. The current capitalist system: the problematic of social reform and revolution.

 * How can the current system of globalized capital be transcended?
 * The model of capitalist accumulation and the conditions of globalization: contradictions, perspectives and alternatives
 * Underdevelopment and globalized capital
 * Mass media, art and social emancipation
 * Post-capitalism? Socialism – one alternative or the alternative?
 * Means towards social revolution: local and international
 * Latin America and the Caribbean: integration and new social power to confront capital “ALBA”: a real alternative
 * New multinational powers and the means to revolutionary power
 * Sectarian struggles and revolutionary power for social transformation

Experiences of the 20th century: socialism for the 21st century

 * socialist construction: rupture and continuity: the revolutionary subject and the new social order
 * class struggle and socialist construction: political economy of socialist construction
 * ethics, politics, culture and socialist construction
 * property and socialist construction: the individual and society
 * political vanguard: social articulation: constructing power – social leadership. Social organizations in socialist construction
 * Communist transformation: needs and realities

Conference participants may attend all the activities scheduled to celebrate the International Worker’s Day on of the 1st of May plus other events with Cuban and trade-unionists from other countries which will take place on the 2nd of May and are to be attended by the Cuban Central Trade Union. Activities also include interactive sessions on “Cuba in the 21st century, socialism, politics and economics which will include many distinguished Cuban specialists speaking on these topics. In order to attend these events participants should notify the Organizing Committee prior to the 31st of May 2006.

The conference fees are: for presenters and general participants 125 Cuban (CUC); 50.00 (CUC) for students.


 * Travel and accommodation arrangements** in Cuba including transportation to and from conference sites: contact the conference’s official tour operator Top Caribe Inc. attention Raymundo Gómez, **topcaribe@enet.cu**

Applications to participate in the Conference should be sent to the e-mail addresses of the Organizing Committee. Papers should not exceed 10 double spaced pages (8 x 11) with a maximum of 20,000 characters including spaces) and should be delivered on a diskette or sent via e-mail on Microsoft Word for Windows 95 or higher. All papers that are submitted prior to the event will be posted on the conference’s web site (Cuba Siglo XXI and Portal de Filosofia Cubana (except in those cases where authors specifically request that a paper not be published).

The working languages of the conference are Spanish, English, French and Portuguese.

Panels presenting at the Palacio de Convenciones are scheduled for morning or plenary sessions in the evening. Each presenter will be allotted 15 minutes for their presentation in order to allow ample time for discussion. Plenary sessions are scheduled to cover the main thematic of the conference and will be conducted on the basis of inter-active panels.

All conference papers will be included on a multi-media CD, unless otherwise requested by each author.

For updates on the conference and general activities of the Permanent Workshop please log-on to the following websites: Cuba Siglo XXI (**[|www.nodo50.org/cubasigloXXI/]**) or filosofía cubana (**[|www.filosofia.cu]**) or please e-mail the members of the Organizing Committee whose e-mail addresses appear herein below.

It is our renewed purpose today to continue working towards strengthening solidarity, unity and revolutionary action for a better world together with all those who are willing to collaborate in order to assert and work for the continued existence of humanity itself.


 * The Permanent Workshop - “The work of Kart Marx and the challenges of the 21st century”**


 * Organizing Committee: President, Dra. Concepcion Nieves Ayus, Director of the Institute of Philosophy:** **nieves@filosofia.cu**


 * Academia Coordinator**
 * Dr. Jesús Pastor García Brigos. Email**: **jpastor@infomed.sld.cu**
 * Lic. Nchamah Miller:** **iac@cubaconfmarx21.com**

Members of the Academic Committee for Cuba (in alphabetic order)
Dra. Esther Aguilera Dra. Georgina Alfonso Lic. José Aróstegui Dr. Orlando Cruz Capote Doctora en Ciencias Talía Fung Riverón Dra. Carmen Gómez García Dra. Norma Gálvez Lic. Marta Harnecker Lic. Darío Machado Lic. Luis Marcelo Yera Dra. Olivia Miranda Dr. Ernesto Molina Molina Dra. Isabel Monal Lic. Haydée Montes Dra. Romelia Pino Freyre Dr, Hugo Pons Dr. Rigoberto Pupo Lic. Isabel Rauber Dra. Daysi Rivero Alvisa Dr. Ramón Sánchez Noda Dr. Jorge Luis Santana Dr. Pedro Luis Sotolongo Codina Dr. Luis Suárez Martín Dr. Gilberto Valdés

Internacional Academic Committee
Prof. Dr, Robert Albritton, Canada Ing. Luciano Alzaga, Sweden Prof. Dr. Samir Amin, Senegal Prof. D. Ricardo Antunes, Brasil Prof. Dr. Atilio Borón, Argentina Prof. Dr. Al Campbell, USA Prof. Dr. Ken Cole, England Profesor Dr. Theotonio Dos Santos, Brasil Prof. Dr. Julio Gambiina Profesor, Dr. Pablo González Casanova, Mexico Prof. Dr. Francois Houtart, Belgium Prof. Dra. Lau Kin Chi,Hong Kong Prof. Dr. Nestor Kohan, Argentina Prof. Dr. Georges Labica, France Profesor Emeritus, Dr. Michael Lebowitz, Canadá. Profesor Emeritus, Dr. Istvan Meszáróz, England. Lic. Nchamah Miller, Canada Prof. Dr. Adolfo Sánchez Vázquez, Mexico. Prof. Dr. Gabriel Vargas Lozano, Mexico