The beginning of the new year seems an appropriate time to reflect upon the progress, and potential, of what must surely rank as one of the most astonishing and encouraging developments of 2011: the emergence and rapid spread of the Occupy movement. Most participants in, and observers of, the Occupy movement in the US agree that its 'first phase' – the seizure and occupation of public space for use as a base for political action, experimentation, discussion and organisation – is either over or approaching its end. What ought to come next is a matter of pressing concern.
Erik Olin Wright is Vilas Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin. He is current president of the American Sociological Association and the author of many books, including Envisioning Real Utopias (selected chapters of which can be read here).
In this interview, he discusses the Occupy movement's character and achievements thus far, and the directions it might pursue going forward.
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