Title: Entering a New Intellectual Era
Publisher: The Internationalist Community of Rojava
Release date: 2024
The Internationalist Community of Rojava has published a new brochure titled Entering a new intellectual era.
In their introduction, the Internationalist Community of Rojava writes that societies - writes the introduction - practiced a form of democratic self- government based on clans and tribes until the end of the Neolithic era. It is observed, starting from the clan, that these societies lived under self-government for millions of years. The natural society during the period extending from the 6th to the 4th millennia BCE, known as the 'Neolithic era,' represents the pinnacle of this long historical period. At this zenith, Neolithic society formed and developed its own structures and became a self-governing society.
The introduction adds that the intellectual duty is the phenomenon of developing mentality and systematic thinking at the level of democratic society. The power of thought and action falls within the scope of intellectual duty.
The introduction continues: The positive and negative shaping of mentalities is open due to their flexibility. Power centers that recognize this have primarily attacked the phenomenon of mentality and imposed their own mentalities as dominant. The secret of their success lies here. Therefore, democratic civilization units must first and foremost engage in a mental activity. Bringing together all scattered and unorganized units requires intellectual activity, which is the most prioritized duty.
The brochure writes that we must acknowledge that our current era is marked by systemic crises and that these crises, caused by an intellectual crisis, can only be resolved through a new intellectual revolution. The democratic, ecological, and women’s liberationist paradigm proposed by Kurdish thinker Abdullah Öcalan (Rêber Apo), which encompasses an intellectual revolution, has also paved the way for a new historical-societal paradigm. Respect for history necessitates defining the developed democratic civilization mentality as an intellectual revolution if we follow the dialectical development language of historical society. It is necessary to state that with the developed organized system model, a new intellectual era has been born, although it is not fully understood at the desired level.
In summary, the brochure says, the democratic confederal system is where the anti-system units of democratic civilization can best express themselves. 'Democratic confederalism is the Democratic Nation organization of a stateless society.' It is essential for approximately ninety percent of society, the units of democratic civilization, to achieve and participate in confederal organization. This is the fundamental sphere. If a class-based, statist society is so well-organized and possesses enormous means, then the units of democratic civilization must also become organized, attain the mindset of a democratic nation based on principles of pluralism, and organize the democratic confederal system that embodies this, thereby making society a subject. As seen in history, the most powerful entity is the organized people who have transformed themselves into a system.
The democratic nation unit of democratic civilization is a conscious unit organized on the scale of Kurdistan. However, it is not possible for this unit to succeed in constructing itself within the borders of Kurdistan. Limiting itself to local conctruction is contrary to the language of social life. It can only be successful by multiplying itself, regionalizing, and universalizing. Above all, one must possess and adhere to this kind of thinking and mindset. Otherwise, the negative examples experienced in history will be repeated, and people will be condemned to hopelessness and lack of options.[1]