Sources of left-wing attitudes towards the activism of local groups

Abstract

Some leftist intellectuals distance themselves from local activism and accuse it of neglecting political goals and being insensitive to cultural problems. Their critique of activism is based on patterns drawn from modernization discourse and often reveals classism toward the poorer strata of society. The deprecation of local activism is linked to the shift in traditional leftist discourse and its refocusing on cultural problems. Furthermore, it is associated with the political development of the metropolitan middle class. The radicalization of demands in the cultural sphere to politically win over the middle class means that, from the perspective of local communities, leftist discourse loses its credibility as a force capable of systemic change and poverty reduction. In addition, a leftist critique of local activism often repeats the value-laden models that were used during the systemic transformation of the 1990s and served at the time as an ideological justification for exploitation and middle-class supremacy. All this makes the leftist critique of local activism a de facto class critique, conducted in the interests of the middle class.