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Re: [ox-en] Free Software and social movements in South America




On  March 18, 2007 12:55 PM
Stefan Merten wrote:
* What kind of connection is there between social movements and Free
Software exactly? What is the nature of this connection? How strong is it
really?
Very interesting questions. But I think it would be useful to pose them in a
more general way, trying first to clarify what can be meant by "Free
Software" and by "social movements".

As Michael Bauwens, I think that Free Software is only a part of a more
global reality. A reality which could be specified as the new non market
practices allowed by the ICTs. I don't know whether there is a term to name
that. Michael put the emphasis on P2P, but giving to that term a very
general meaning, as he put-it: "the open/free (input), participatory
(process/governance) and commons-oriented (output) solutions". That reality
can be also seen through other (non contradictory) dimensions, as for
example, different ways of "sharing" without commercial relationships:

sharing efforts: free software;

sharing digital goods: P2P;

sharing material means (computer power): Grid computing, (Stanford Folding,
etc.)

In any case, I think it is more fruitful to take this global new reality to
be analyzed in its links with the "social movements" and not only FLOSS.




About "social movements". The first reality considered by Stefan's is what
he calls the "classical" social movements, in Latin America and in the
more industrialized countries. Michel Bauwens conceives a more global social
movement as he implicitly considers a movement leading to "the new society".

A social movement could be defined as a movement involving a more or less
extended part of the society acting in order to try to have an effect on a
specific aspect (or even on all aspects ) of social life. As such, they may
be more or less conservative or opposed to the reigning social order. Of
course, those we are the most interested in are the second ones.

I will not enter here into questions as: is there a revolutionary class?
Which one? etc. I just want to make two remarks: one on the term
"(classical) social movement" and another on the reality of the "social
movement" linked to FLOSS in Latin America.

It is common to assimilate the working class movement (low wage blue or
white collars) to the official unions. Michael does it when he writes:
"Could it be that the 'classic' social movements, of the labor movement,
have not only been weakened, but are totally integrated in the state, and
have been themselves in power for so long."

Official Unions have indeed since long become "totally integrated in the
state". But that is not the case for the millions of workers who live under
the power of that state. In the countries where unionization is not
compulsory or "officially" recommended, even in some with a long tradition
of social unrest like Spain and France, the unionization rate is below 10%.
More important: during most of the most important and radical workers
fights, the clashes between the rank-and-file movement and the unions
machines are almost systematic.

This question takes all its relevance when you see that the ICT (specially
Internet and mobile phones) played and important role during the social
movements in France, in 2003 (against the pension reforms) and specially in
2006 (against a new low cost contract for young workers), helping the
attempts of people trying to self-organize outside the control of the
unions. The monopole of information and the representation of unions, these
powerful weapons of the unions to keep their control over the movements has
been questioned and some times openly contested. IMHO, this is something
that will develop in the future.

By the way, I just read that beginning March, in Copenhagen, during a week
of fights between the police and youths defending the symbolic Ungdomshuset
(House of youth) sold by the new mayor, Internet and mobile phones played
also a useful role. The police draw the conclusion that it was necessary to
find a way to trouble that kind of communication, specially a network of
Internet sites.







About Latin America: Stefan asks how true is that Free Software has a
"rather strong connection" with "(classical) social movements". AFAIK, what
you can see in Brazil and some other countries like Venezuela is a
"movement" of people defending the need to adopt FLOSS within the economy.
Some parts of the leftist nationalistic parties in power (but non only them)
see in FLOSS a way to save money that otherwise would go to Microsoft (or
other foreign corporations), and a way to stimulate the national informatics
industry. To a certain extent you can call that a sort of "social movement",
since they act for a specific change in society, but it is not a "classical"
social movement, nor a "mass" or very "anti-capitalistic" one. That is why
Kasper Souren can write in his mail commenting Stefan's one: "During my
travels I haven't seen stronger connections [between FS and social
movements] in non-industrialized countries." That is why Rafael Evangelista,
when trying to quote examples of FS presence in Brazil, writes: "The 3st
largest supermarket chain of the country is using (you can see the penguin
in the cashier's computer screen). Some big department stores too. The
largest state owned bank is using in some servers and starting to adopt in
desktops." (1)




Going back to the original question, the connection between social movements
and FS et al, I would, like Michael, see as most important what he calls
"the embedded values, and about prefiguring the new society by present
actions... new values such as sharing and non proprietary relationships".

The most important weakness of all social movements provoked by the inhuman
aspects of capitalism is the conviction that there is nothing beyond
capitalism. You are then condemned to accept the capitalist logic as
"natural" and to accept with fatalism your almost total impotence.

Social practices that may show that humans can organize themselves in a
different way, in a non capitalist way, is thus a vital element to overcome
that deadlock. Helping to develop the visibility of what could be a non
capitalist society is certainly one the most important connections between
FS, et al. and social movements. At a more immediate level, the new ICT and
the "FS spirit" may transform the social movements themselves, the way they
organize, their goals and means, increasing their power and fruitfulness.







"* Why in contrast is there no strong connection between Free Software and
social movements in more industrialized countries?" (SM)

In fact, I think that the "connection" between FS and social movements is,
for the moment, almost inexistent or very week in both, the less and the
more industrialized world. The real development of these connections is
ahead, in the future. Even if the development of the new ICT has been
spectacular in recent decades, it is far from reaching even the majority of
world population. Even in the most "wired" countries, only a small minority
of the low-wage population has an idea of what FS or Wikipedia mean. Things
are changing allover the world, but it will take time before the main
protagonists of important social movements get familiar with all the
possibilities given by the new ICT and the "FS spirit". As this process will
go along, the creativity of the social movements should develop and I don't
think we can even imagine at present all the new possibilities of
"connection" that will arise.

That is not a reason for not working on that question as from now.




* What are the goals of these social movements and how does Free Software
help these? How can Free Software help? (SM)

IMHO, how to "help" (contribute, participate in) social movements is
certainly one of the most important and fruitful questions for Oekonux, as
it is based on the idea that "the principles of the development of Free
Software may be the foundation of a new economy which may be the base for a
new society".

The answers are surely multiple and future developments of reality will be
determinants to find them. It could be a good program of work for the future
of Oekonux.




Raoul Victor

-----------------------------




(1) By itself, the fact that corporations and State machines (which work
also to a certain extent as corporations) save money using Free Software,
allowing them to increase their profits, is not very... subversive. The only
interesting thing is that they introduce some "free practices" and thus
extend them.




_________________________________
Web-Site: http://www.oekonux.org/
Organization: http://www.oekonux.de/projekt/
Contact: projekt oekonux.de



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