米欧系研究者と非米欧系研究者の深刻なすれ違いは克服できるのか : ハヴァナ国際会議「力一ル・マルクスの業績と21世紀への挑戦」に参加して(海外学界動向)

抄録

This report introduces about the International Conference, "The Works of Karl Marx and the Challenges of the 21^<st> Century" held at Havana, Cuba on May 4-8,2004. This was a considerably big conference with 450 participants, 130 speakers and panelists from more than 40 countries of all over the world. Conference was continued for five days with plenary sessions and workshops. The main topics of the conference were on "Imperialism in the 21^<st> century", "Neo-Fascism", "Class struggles", "Social movements" and "Revolution". All these terms were related to the works of Karl Marx or Marxian key concepts. This conference tried to re-examine these terms at the time of the early years of 21^<st> century and investigate into the ways to revolutionize the world as well as each society opposing imperialism and neo-fascist movements. One of the most impressing problems in this conference appeared on the different understandings of key concepts for Marxian theories. The differences were not only in the key terms of "democracy", "socialism", "communism" and "proletarian dictatorship", but also in the direction toward revolution/reformation. For example, speakers/panelists from developed countries insisted that such reformations as to promote democracy and more affluent welfare society are now required, and emphasized that this is the very way to succeed the works of Karl Marx. On the contrary, speakers/panelists from developing countries insisted that such reformations itself as the peoples in the developed countries expecting are reducing the working and living conditions of the peoples in the developing countries. Then they emphasized that such reformations/revolutions even by force, if it is necessary, as to change the situation of the state for developed countries are essential. While everybody joined the conference recognized the great contributions of Karl Marx, no effective ways for the 21^<st> century seemed to be found. Moreover, speakers/panelists among the developing countries seemed not to have much interest in situations in other developing countries to one another. For example, Latin American activists have prides of their movements against US Imperialism, and therefore they have lesser interests to the movements in the Middle East. On the other hand, the activists in the Middle East have not much interest in what is happening in Latin American countries. They seemed not to have much ability to understand each other. This might be one of the big conditions US imperialism can control contemporary globalized world relatively easily. Two participants from Japan, Iida Yumiko and Setooka Hiroshi, made presentations that caused not a few responses. The responses of attendants came from developed countries were quite different compared with that of attendants came from developing countries. No people presented the conference seemed to know the desirable way to overcome the gap of understandings between the developed and developing countries.