The next issue of Tipping Points comes at a time when not only are several interconnected crises—ranging from the climate crisis to the spread of authoritarianism to wars and conflicts—coming to a head globally. At the same time, their consequences are being felt more and more directly by an increasing number of people: We’re feeling the impact of rising prices in our daily shopping, in rent, and in electricity bills. Fluctuating energy and commodity prices drive home just how dependent our daily lives are on political decisions and conflicts elsewhere. And Europe’s increasing rearmament and militarization are also making themselves felt through budget cuts and shifts in political priorities.
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If many governments in Europe have their way, budget cuts will not be limited to the cultural, educational, health, and social sectors. At the same time, we are witnessing how civic engagement and political organizing are being hindered rather than encouraged, how open and self-organized spaces are disappearing, and how human rights work is being scaled back or subjected to pressure. At the same time, far-right and authoritarian actors and positions are gaining influence in more and more areas of society. Anti-queer and anti-feminist attitudes are on the rise; migration is being repelled with increasing violence and accompanied by hate propaganda; and control and surveillance continue to expand.
Where can we begin in this situation? Where are the levers we can use to build counterpower or defend spaces, structures, and social achievements? Where are new approaches emerging within emancipatory and critical movements? And which groups and structures are particularly at risk right now and need support based on solidarity?
We’ve decided to take a broader approach with Tipping Points this time—much like the developments we’re facing. The goal is to strengthen our collective resilience. We continue to view the development of alternatives as central—not least because it was a key focus of Tipping Points #12. This time, however, we want to focus more on resistance, defiance, and standing together in solidarity : on how we can support one another when spaces are restricted, rights are under attack, or emancipatory gains are being rolled back. “Resistance Together” is therefore our motto.
“Miteinand’” is not merely an addition here. It describes how we want to understand resistance: not as the task of individuals who are expected to become more resilient on their own, but as something that arises only through relationships, organization, and solidarity. Resistance can mean standing up to an attack. But it can just as easily mean building structures for one another, passing on knowledge, preserving spaces, sharing resources, or supporting people and groups who face greater pressure than others. We therefore want to ask what we can learn from one another, where struggles can be linked, and how many different forms of resistance can give rise to collective action. For perhaps resistance does not begin only when we successfully stand our ground against something. Perhaps it begins the moment we come together.
We’ll be opening registration in the coming weeks—don’t miss any updates—and mark your calendars:“
” November 20–22 at the 4lthangrund Cultural Center in Vienna.