Author Description

The history of the twentieth century... makes it clear that a wide range of ideas have proved to be possible. Aside from socialism, fascism and Nazism have also been proved to be possible... Instead of just talking about possibilities, we need to talk about desirability, and necessity.... Politics is not merely the art of the possible; it is the science of the desirable, and of necessity. Dipankar Bhattacharya, General Secretary,CPI(ML) Liberation, India//People in social and political movements especially those involved with the World Social Forum quite commonly say that Another world is possible; a world very different from the one we today know. But what do they mean by this? What other world/s? Do such worlds only exist in some people s imaginations? And even if they are real, how do we get into these other worlds? And anyway, are such other worlds necessarily more open, more just, and more desirable than the one we know? This book, the third in the Are Other World Possible? book series and preferably read along with the other two (Talking New Politics and Interrogating Empires) critically explores three of the more important other worlds that human societies have so far tried building: Socialism, Cyberspace, and the University. The Are Other Worlds Possible? books have come out of a series of seminars organised in late 2003 at the University of Delhi called the Open Space Seminar Series that was conceptualised as preparation for the World Social Forum held in Mumbai, India, in January 2004.