By Cian Prendiville.
Our world is burning. Climate change, economic recession, political crisis and on top of it all a pandemic. However, from all corners of the world, we see signs of resistance. The recent uprising against racist police violence is a harbinger of things to come.
The new ecosocialist magazine RUPTURE, produced by RISE, aims to not just highlight these issues, but also to provide a space for deeper consideration about what it all means for the Left, and how we should respond. We want to do that in a beautiful, well-designed and readable magazine that sparks interest, enthusiasm and ideas.
We want a rupture not just with capitalism, but with the failed methods of the old Left. A new period demands new strategy, new tactics and new forms of organisation, and hopefully, our quarterly can help provoke discussion and debate on these topics.
In our first edition, the ‘After Covid’ section attempts to address some of the questions flowing from the Coronavirus crisis, its economic and political impact, and what it means for the trade union, environmental and socialist movements. An article from Paul Murphy TD asks if we are witnessing the death of neoliberalism or merely its evolution, while our lead article proposes an outline for how we can rebuild or economy and society through a socialist Green New Deal.
An eco-socialism quarterly
Too often the Left has done little more than name-check the climate crisis and environmental destruction while listing the woes of capitalism. RUPTURE, however, aims to bring the discussion on the environment right into the heart of our analysis and theory.
In our first edition, we have an article from special guest author Michael Löwy on ecosocialism and the idea of ‘de-growth’. We also have a regular column on the science of climate change from Jess Spear, a climate scientist, RISE member and co-editor of the magazine; as well as other articles on the upsurge in gardening during lockdown, its relation to alienation and more.
Disrupting dogma, revitalising theory
The word ‘rupture’ means revolution, a break with capitalism. We are proudly Marxist in outlook. But as Marx said:
“[W]e do not confront the world in a doctrinaire way with a new principle: Here is the truth, kneel down before it! We develop new principles for the world out of the world’s own principles. We do not say to the world: Cease your struggles, they are foolish; we will give you the true slogan of struggle. We merely show the world what it is really fighting for, and consciousness is something that it has to acquire, even if it does not want to.”
In that vein, our section ‘What is to be done in the 21st century’ will attempt to dig deeper into the theoretical and strategic questions facing the Left today. In our first edition we have a number of articles taking an in-depth look at the crises and failures of the far left in recent years, the undemocratic and sect-like practices that lie behind it, and initiating a discussion about possible alternatives.
We also have a long-read section that looks at the particular challenges socialists face now in trying to both rebuild a broad Left and working-class movement, while also developing a strong socialist current within it.
Learning lessons from others
As we say in our blurb, RUPTURE is about admitting we don’t know everything and trying to learn from the experiences and research of others as well as the movements we are involved in. That is why we want to feature the work and ideas of others through guest articles, debates, interviews and book reviews.
In this edition, we have a special article by authors from the Democratic Socialists of America, writing about that organisation and how it functions as a broad multi-tendency left. We also have a special interview with Karen Smith, assistant professor at UCD about her research on the impact of neoliberalism on child policy, as well as a review of British economist Grace Blakeley’s book Stolen.
Help us build a strong, independent, socialist media
The process of producing edition one has been hard, time-consuming and costly, but so far the response has been fantastic.
Our first edition is 120 beautiful pages, with more than 20 articles across four sections. We have tried to ensure the design and quality of the magazine match the ambition of the project, and so far people seem to love it.
But to really make this work, we need sales and subscribers. So if you like what you’ve heard, and want to support this project please head over to rupture.ie and buy a copy for €10 (including shipping within Ireland) or consider taking out an annual subscription for €40.
Cian Prendiville is a member of the Editorial Board of RUPTURE. Follow him on Twitter @cianplk. Follow RUPTURE @RuptureMag_ and RISE @RiseSocialists. Order a copy or subscribe to RUPTURE online here.