Paper short abstract:

The paper is based on militant research that analyses alternative praxis and theories emerging “from below” in the global periphery of capitalism, in Latin America and South Asia. We will explore the Empire’s ideology of unthinkable, present but denial diversity of the existing dignified societies.

Paper long abstract:

This paper presents militant research on alternative theories and praxis emerging at the end of 20th and beginning of 21st century in global south, in Latin America and South Asia. Hitherto overlooked and scientifically unarticulated dimensions of social and cultural capital are analysed through theoretical praxis and examples of struggles introduced by alternative communities and other rebellious collectivities, peasant movements, trade unions, networks, radical pedagogues, students, publishers, institutes, new media and universities in Chhattisgarh (India), Madya Pradesh (India), El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras and Venezuela.

All analysed alternative communities and other rebellious collectivities recuperate dignity and solidarity from their pre-colonial/pre-imperial tradition and re-establish self-management beyond any form of capitalist relations. The power (potencia) of social and cultural capital to change the everyday life, production of non-capitalistic social relations and social self-government of the oppressed societies are demonstrated by the multitude and the quality of the new political, autonomous praxis and experiments of historical movements and their revolutionary heritage.

This paper is the first serious attempt to articulate those dimensions of social and cultural capital that lead to social change and new articulations of sociality. The paper "Rethinking the unthinkable" provokes the weakness and incapacity of contemporary academic approaches to analyse present existing potentials and social realities of innovative political praxis in our societies.