150 years Karl Marx’s Capital. Reflections for the 21st Century

«Karl Marx’s Capital provides radical thinkers with the insights necessary to demystify the “truths” of the dominant bourgeois theoretical schemes, ideological certainties and policy implications and is thus of great theoretical and political importance. This explains the increasing interest on Marxian analysis among social scientists and political activists in recent years, especially after the outbreak of the global capitalist economic crisis in 2008. I am confident that the International Conference “150 years Karl Marx’s Capital. Reflections for the 21^st Century”, will be an important contribution to contemporary Marxist theory and critical thought.» John Milios, Professor of Political Economy at the National Technical University of Athens, Director of Theseis, a quarterly Marxist Review Karl Marx’s major work, Capital, is broadly recognized as an indispensable point of departure for all those who are interested in deciphering and analyzing in depth the inner workings of the capitalist system and the connections between economic categories and economic and social relations and structures. Consequently, the system of notions and analyses in Marx’s Capital enables the critique of economic and social power relations in all societies where the capitalist mode of production is dominant. It is particularly timely in the midst of the present systemic global economic crisis and is thus of great theoretical and political importance. During the last two decades, new generations of social scientists and political activists have been acquainted with Marxian insights and Marxian research. This is apparent in many European countries both in academia and scholarly publications as well as in left-wing political activism; Greece is an indicative example. The Greek Marxist quarterly Theseis, published since October 1982, and Rosa Luxemburg Foundation – Athens Office, organize a two-day Conference in Athens, on Saturday January 14 and Sunday January 15, 2017 on the actuality of Marx’s theoretical system 150 years after the publication of Volume 1 of Karl Marx’s Capital. Main Speakers: Etienne BALIBAR, Marta HARNECKER, Michael HEINRICH, Spyros LAPATSIORAS and Dimitris SOTIROPOULOS, Michael LEBOWITZ, Soraya LUNARDI and Dimitri DIMOULIS, John MILIOS Venue: AEGLI ZAPPIOU, Garden of Zappio, Athens - Greece The languages of the Conference will be Greek and English with simultaneous interpretation. Conference Schedule: Saturday, 14th January 2017

• 10.30: Welcome Address and Opening Speech, John Milios
• Session 1: 11.00-12.30 Michael HEINRICH (Fachhochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft, Berlin): New readings and new texts: Marx’s Capital after MEGA². Discussant: Dimitris Papafotiou (University of Patras).
• Discussion
• Coffee Break
• Session 2: 12.50-14.20 Spyros LAPATSIORAS (University of Crete; Theseis) and Dimitris SOTIROPOULOS (The Open University UK; Theseis): Marx on money: From an analysis of the value-form to a critical understanding of contemporary capitalism. Discussant: Christos Vallianos (Doctor of Science; Theseis).
• Discussion
• Lunch Break
• Session 3: 17.00-18.30 Michael LEBOWITZ (Simon Fraser University, Vancouver; Centro Internacional Miranda, Caracas):If you don’t understand the Second Product in Capital, you understand nothing. Discussant: George Economakis (University of Patras; Theseis).
• Discussion
• Coffee Break
• Session 4: 18.50-20.20
• Etienne BALIBAR (Columbia University, New York):Marx’s capitalism and ours. Discussant: Panagiotis Sotiris (Doctor of Philosophy)
• Discussion

 Sunday, 15th January 2017

• Session 1: 11.00-12.30 Marta HARNECKER (Memoria Popular Latinoameticana, Havana; Centro Internacional Miranda, Caracas): How to read Capital today. Lessons from Latin America. Discussant: Petros Psarreas (National Technical University of Athens).
• Discussion
• Coffee Break
• Session 2: 12.50-14.20 Soraya LUNARDI (Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho [São Paulo State University]) and Dimitri DIMOULIS (São Paulo Law School of Fundação Getulio Vargas; Theseis):The law of capital. The functions of law in Europe based on the concepts of Das Kapital. Discussant: Michael Skomvoulis (Panteion University).
• Discussion
• Lunch Break
• Session 3: 17.00-18.30 John MILIOS (National Technical University of Athens; Theseis):Capitalism as a social system and its origins. Discussant: Vassilis Droucopoulos (University of Athens; Theseis).
• Discussion
• Coffee Break
• Session 4: 18.50-20.20 Open Discussion