Invitation

Sixth International Arvind Memorial Seminar

Imperialism Today: Understanding
Origins, Dynamics and Mechanisms
2428 November 2017
Lucknow

Organized by:

Arvind Memorial Trust

Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (India)
Registration No. 177/2011

Dear Friends and Comrades,

We are living in a world where the imperialist wars, loot and plunder are destroying the lives
of people, especially in the countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Middle East has remained
at the centre of US imperialist aggression as well as the theatre of intensifying inter-imperialist
rivalry. The working masses of these countries have been going through the horrors of wars for
past many decades. The recent US imperialist intervention in Ukraine as well as in certain Latin
American countries has destroyed the economy and sovereignty of these countries. For the
working people around the world, the US imperialism particularly and Imperialism in general
remains the arch enemy.
However, despite the military aggressiveness, Imperialism in general and especially the US

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Imperialism has become much more fragile than ever. The recent crises have shown its
hollowness quite clearly. The unprecedented financialization, integration of world markets,
globalization of capital, deregulation of labor markets, phenomenal increase in speculative and
unproductive capital has made the entire world capitalist system extremely integrated and prone
to recessions and collapse. The present crisis broke out in a cataclysmic fashion in 2007-08.
However, various Marxist and heterodox economists have effectively argued that imperialism has
remained in recession since the 1970s. It never really recovered after the 1973 crisis. All the
booms after that were either extremely short-lived or were due to speculative bubbles.
Neoliberalism, globalization and financialization only delayed the cataclysmic collapse by
excessive financialization and at the same time made the collapse even more cataclysmic. As a
result, now economists are calling it the Great Recession or the Long Depression.
The outbreak of crisis in 2007-08 was followed by various spontaneous anti-capitalist
movements throughout the world. However, due to the lack of revolutionary subjectivity, these
movements ended either in collapse and dispersal or a mere regime change, rather than a
systemic change. These anti-capitalist movements and increasing working class militancy along
with the increased military interventionism by imperialism and the threat of a major imperialist
war (even if not a world war) proves the prognostications of Lenin correct after a century of
publication of his Imperialism: the highest stage of capitalism. It must be understood that Lenin
is not arguing chronologically, but logically when he is talking about Imperialism as the highest
stage or eve of proletarian revolution. Crude hermeneutics of Lenin have attempted to
misappropriate these statements of Lenin as his unnecessary excursus into the realm of prophecy.
However, if we read Lenins writings on imperialism carefully, the absurdities of these
interpretations become evident.
However, it would be equally dogmatic to argue that there have been no changes in the modus
operandi of world capitalism since 1916. Imperialism has undergone profound changes since the
end of the Second World War and especially since the early-1970s. The crisis of 1973 marked the
end of Fordism, Welfarism and the Golden Era of North-western capitalism. This also marked the
beginning of what later came to be known as neoliberalism and globalization. These policies were
identified with deregulation, financialization, informalization of labor, unhindered flow of capital
across national boundaries and unprecedented financial integration. The collapse of the namesake
socialism of the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc gave impetus to this process. The extent of
financialization that we are witnessing at present is far beyond anything imaginable in 1916. The
integration of world capital markets, the increased dominance of speculative capital, deregulation
of labor and capital markets has been unprecedented. And most importantly, we are living in the
era of imperialism without colonies. The national question has largely been resolved, barring a
few exceptions. The countries of the so-called Third World have undergone the transition into
capitalism, albeit, a peculiar kind of post-colonial relatively backward capitalism. Although we are
still living in the era of imperialism, yet we need to understand the significant changes in the
structure and dynamics of Imperialism in the age of Globalization, which might arguably be called
the highest stage of imperialism. Without understanding these important changes, we would not
be able to develop the Marxist-Leninist theory of imperialism. Nor will we be able to develop the
strategy and general tactics of proletarian revolution in this latest stage of imperialism.
In view of these significant developments, it has become essential not only for the
revolutionary activists but also for serious scholars and academics to theorize these changes and
develop a comprehensive theory of imperialism in the age of globalization from a Leninist
perspective. The Sixth International Arvind Memorial Seminar is going to be held in
Lucknow (India) from 24th November to 28th November 2017 focusing on this very
question of Imperialism in the 21st century, Imperialism in the age of Globalization. We
invite all serious activists, scholars, academics and students to participate in this seminar.

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 The themes for paper presentation are as follows, though not limited to the following:
Critical Reappraisal of Classical Marxist Theories of Imperialism
Critical Evaluation of the Neo-Marxist Theories of Imperialism
Lenins Theory of Imperialism and Imperialism Today
Post-Marxist Theories of Empire and Imperialism
Implications of Present Inter-Imperialist Rivalry
Revisionist, Reformist and Social-Democratic Theories of Imperialism
Present Economic Crisis and Imperialism in the Era of Globalization
Theories of Globalization: A Critical Assessment
Imperialism Today and the Problems of Proletarian Revolution
We hope that this exercise will prove productive not only for revolutionary praxis but also for
developing a comprehensive understanding of the world we are living in, though, the two can
never exist in perfect isolation.

It would be helpful if you intimate us about your arrival plans by October 31st. If you are planning
to present a paper in the seminar, we expect you to send a synopsis by September 30 and the
complete paper by the November 5th. It would help us to plan the sessions and in preparing
copies of the papers.
We cordially invite you to participate in this seminar. Comfortable accommodation and food
will be provided for all the participants. Any particular needs of international participants will be
taken care of. You can contact on any of the phone numbers or email id given below to share or get
any information related to the seminar.

With warm regards,

Meenakshy (Managing Trusty)
Anand Singh (Secretary)
Katyayani, Satyam (members)
Arvind Memorial Trust

The Arvind Memorial Trust is a registered Trust formed in memory of Arvind Singh, a brilliant left
intellectual and political activist. It has till now organized five international seminars. The topic of the
first two seminars held in Delhi (2009) and Gorakhpur (2010) respectively was focused on the
challenges of the working class movement and its new forms and strategies in the era of globalization.
The third seminar held in Lucknow (2011) was focused on the challenges before the democratic and
civil rights movement. In the fourth Seminar held in March 2013 in Chandigarh, an intense debate took
place for five days on the topic The Caste Question and Marxism. The fifth seminar in Allahabad was
on 'Problems of Socialist Transition.' There has been very good participation of intellectuals,
enlightened citizens and political activists active in movements of working class, students, youth and
women and anti-caste struggles and on every occasion constructive debate and discussion have went
past the fixed hours of the seminar. The collections of seminar papers have been published in Hindi
and English and have been influential in keeping the debate alive on these issues.
The Trust also runs the Arvind Institute of Marxist Studies and is in the process of establishing its
full-fledged campus near Lucknow.

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 Program

2428 November 2017

First Session
(10 am to 1 pm)

Second Session
(3 pm to 8 pm)

Lunch Break: 1 pm to 3 pm

Tea Break in the second session: 6 pm

Venue
Seminar Hall, International Research Institute of Buddhist Studies,
(Opposite Reserve Bank of India), Gomti Nagar, Lucknow

Accommodation for guests

Jawahar Lal Nehru Rashtriya Yuva Kendra campus,
Near Roomi Gate, Chowk, Lucknow,

You can contact any of these members of the organizing committee,

or the Lucknow office of the Trust:

Abhinav Sinha - Ph: +91-9560130890, Email: abhinav.hindi@gmail.com

Anand Singh - Ph: +91-9971196111, Email: anand.banaras@gmail.com
Katyayani - Ph: +91-9936650658, Email: katyayani.lko@gmail.com
Satyam - Ph: +91-8853093555, Email: satyamvarma@gmail.com

Address of Lucknow office:

69 A-1, Baba ka Purwa, Paper Mill Road, Nishatgunj, Lucknow - 226006
Email: info@arvindtrust.org, arvindtrust@gmail.com
Website: http://arvindtrust.org

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