Gustave Massiah (1938) is an engineer and economist. He is one of the leading figures of the alter globalist movement in France. Invited to the World Forum of Alternatives in Geneva, he answered our questions.
When and how did you come across Emmaus International?
I was lucky enough to meet Abbé Pierre several times and he never failed to impress me. I remember when at the beginning of the 80s, he supported the CICP (International Folk Culture Centre in Paris) which had been lambasted by the press for hosting a support committee for Italian refugees. I also remember very well when in 1993 he provided support to the people evicted from 41 Avenue René Coty in Paris, in an action organised by the DAL (French right to housing association).
As former president of the CRID (Centre for Research and Information for Development) I also worked alongside Emmaus International, which has been a member of this network for a long time.
What does the Emmaus movement mean to you?
I am completely on the same page as the Emmaus movement. I particularly like its action against poverty and exclusion which is driven by people living in poverty and the excluded. I have witnessed solidarity and a group spirit in the communities, and I admire the emphasis on re-building lives through combining work and activities which link survival with the common good.
I also like the fact that Emmaus International maintains a spirit of partnership and builds egalitarian relationships between the Emmaus groups. Finally, it takes a pragmatic view of international solidarity which has allowed it to be a direct stakeholder in essential mobilisations – particularly with regard to migration – which is another significant point in its favour.
What strategies do you think social movements should adopt to have their say in the power balance?
We must link emergency work with the development of alternatives. In the current power balance, emergency work means resisting social, environmental and democratic changes. The dominant logic in the world, replicated in all countries, exacerbates poverty, particularly extreme poverty, inequalities and discrimination. The world has ended up in an unbearable state, where 67 people – 59 men and 8 women – possess the same amount of wealth as half of humanity. To resist, we must become aware of this absolute scandal.
To do this, it is urgent to rethink the cultural hegemony of neoliberalism and to tackle the shameless accumulation of wealth and power.This cultural and ideological resistance is necessary to implement alternatives.There are a great many possible alternatives. On all levels, everywhere: personal, local, national (with other policies) and worldwide. This is what Emmaus shows with its communities and its movements. This is what the anti-globalisation movement seeks, defining its approaches based on what it rejects.
Rejection of structural adjustment and the debt crisis requires another way of organising the world, other localisations. The alternative is a social, environmental, democratic and geopolitical transition. This transition requires long-term commitment; it means re-interpreting the revolution, the brutal shift from capitalism to another system which would replace it. Of course, some upheaval and transformation will be necessary. But it is unlikely that new social relations, going beyond capitalism, will be developed in the current capitalist societies. In the light of this precursor, the alternatives make even more sense.
What can an international dimension bring to the struggles? Can international alliances exert influence and provide added value?
The international dimension of the struggles is essential – it is the extension of local and national struggles to large regions and the world in general. It is crucial because modern society is global and neoliberal globalisation reigns supreme. The struggles are on all levels, but to understand the situation and lead the struggles, the international dimension cannot be neglected.
The international dimension is necessary to understand the world in all its diversity and its human and social wealth. It is also an essential condition to ensure that we can rise to the challenge. There are also issues which cannot be understood and dealt with outside of their global dimension, for example climate and migration. Ideas can only be developed with regard to their global dimension, although action must be taken on all levels.
What strategies do you envisage for involving civil society? Do you think that we are in the era of resurgence of social movements? What do you think about the new generation taking up the baton?
The alliances to be formed depend on the strategies and situations. In the current situation, we could envisage broad alliances of actors who agree on defending individual and collective rights: social and citizen movements, local communities, social and solidarity economy stakeholders, local businesses and public enterprise involved in public services and protecting the public interest. Involving new generations is an essential issue. The transition between generations is more to do with cultural changes than age.
Their involvement combines the individual and collective dimensions in a different way than with previous generations. New forms of radical thinking are arising. What is currently underway? The women’s movement has taken off and is raising questions about millennial social relations. It is meeting with a lot of resistance and violence, but the movement goes on and is only just beginning.The environmental awakening is a philosophical revolution which casts a different light on all proposals for the transformation of society. Digital technology and biotechnologies are revolutionising language and writing and engaging with the human body.
The second phase of decolonisation, that of the liberation of the people, after the independence of the States has revealed its limits, calls into question the relationship between nations and States and brings up the issue of multiple identities. The issue of migration is linked to that of the population of the planet. This is the context in which, over the long-term, we can envisage the resurgence of social movements.
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