The ‘Nicos Poulantzas’ Institute

Origins, Aims and Principles

The ‘Nicos Poulantzas’ Institute succeeded the respective ‘Nicos Poulantzas’ Society, which was founded in the autumn of 1997 on the initiative of the Greek political party Synaspismos (Coalition of the Left, of Movements and Ecology). The Institute is currently expanding its organisation across Greece through the formation of branches, and is open to all the men and women who wish to contribute towards the achievement of its goals.

Its formation aims at fostering the values of the Left, systematically developing an awareness of contemporary social, ecological, political and cultural issues, and exploring the emerging changes within society. The Institute’s fundamental functional principles include the commitment to the ideals of socialism with democracy and freedom, independence from the expedience of any current political or party conjuncture, democratic functioning and the maintenance of the public character of all of its activities. The members of the Institute belong to the broader Left.

The Name

The Institute is named after the late Greek political philosopher Nicos Poulantzas. This choice signals the Institute’s embrace of the traditional values of the radical left thought. With his academic work and his committed participation to the left movement, Nicos Poulantzas rose as a prominent figure of an organic left intellectual. His work, animated by the principles of democratic socialism and the ideas of Marxism, is integrally linked to the endeavour of the Left to overcome dogmatic rigidity, fight against any form of authoritative rule and contribute to a multi-faceted social liberation.

Activities and collaborations

Nicos Poulantzas asks: “How shall we conceive of a radical transformation of the state, relating the widening and deepening of the institutions of representative democracy and the freedoms (all freedoms without discrimination or hierarchy), to the development of forms of direct democracy on the basis and the dissemination of self-managed entities?” The Institute seeks to contribute with all its forces to the tackling of this question, as well as of all other relevant questions that relate to the past, the present and the future of the Left.

In order to serve this purpose, the Institute is active in all the areas in which the development of critical reason is necessary and possible. Today, these activities are imprinted by the appearance of various social movements around the world and the respective new forms of internationalism. Such movements fight the neoliberal, capitalist globalisation and resist the re-appearance of nationalist, racist and fundamentalist ideologies.

Having assigned great emphasis on its collaboration with foundations and societies based abroad that have a similar orientation, the Institute is one of the founding members of "Transform!" European Network for Alternative Thinking and Political Dialogue. The entities-members of “Transform!” coordinate their scientific activities, organise events, make publications and work together in order to promote the ideas and the goals of the democratic socialist Left in Europe and the world.

The Institute serves its purposes by organising conferences, seminar, discussions, thematic study groups and publications. It also seeks to support research works and disseminate their findings, if their area of study is directly related to its purposes.

In order to plan and organise its activities, the Institute is open to collaborations with other organisations, be it of a similar nature or not, and is willing to support similar initiatives that unfold within the broader Left.