The Workers and Punks’ University

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Delavsko punkerska univerza (DPU)

Metelkova 6, SI-1000 Ljubljana

http://www.delavske-studije.si/en/archive

info@delavske-studije.si

Phone386 (0) 1 234 7731

Organised byInstitute of Labour Studies

The Workers and Punks’ University (Delavsko-punkerska univerza (DPU)) is an educational project run by the Institute of Labour Studies that provides opportunities for active education (lectures, discussion groups, reading seminars) on pertinent political topics tacitly ignored by most of the established academia. Since its establishment in 1998, its running slogan has been Nasvidenje v naslednji revoluciji! ("See you in the next revolution!"). The WPU started in 1998 as a programme affiliated with the Peace Institute - Institute for Contemporary Social and Political Studies and the Metelkova mesto Autonomous Cultural Zone.

In 2012 the members of the Workers and Punks’ University founded the Institute for Labour Studies (ILS).

DPU as an alternative university

In its socially-reproductive function the university is closely related with the existing social hierarchy; the university favours typifying and utilitarian knowledge and grooms the future work force by virtue of its examination regimes. Thursdays' public lectures – about 20 per year – are held at Klub Gromka in Metelkova mesto Autonomous Cultural Zone. As an "invisible college", this university seeks to provide an alternative to the established production of knowledge, not merely on the level of content but also in terms of its organisational structure. Consequently, the students themselves organise and lead it. In collaboration with Retrovizor, DPU launched a film seminar called Filmski krožek in the season 2007/2008; its themes encompass film comedy, the new Hollywood, the American "black" film, Partisan film, etc.

Some of the previous lecture-cycles include topics such as Revolution, Neo-Conservativism, The New Right, The Left, Utopistics, May '68: reVISION, Post-Fordism, Totalitarism, Stupidity, School as Economy's Ideological Apparatus, The Class Struggle after the Class Struggle, Financialization and The Double Crisis of European Integration.

Reading seminars

The reading seminars organised by DPU – some six per year – afford insights into topics such as Psychoanalysis, Theory of Art, Hegel and Philosophy, Asian Production Mode, and Transformations in Art. Together with the Museum of Modern Art DPU organised six lectures on the function of art in society. Twice to date DPU has also organised Prvomajska šola ("DPU 1 May School") on Marxism and the critique of apolitical economy with lectures and guests from Slovenia.

Institute for Labour Studies

In 2014 the Institute for Labour Studies took over the activities of the Workers' Punk University: lectures, reading seminars, May Day School and other events. The need for an upgrade into an institute grew out of the numerous activities that surpassed the non-formal framework.

See also

• Peace Institute - Institute for Contemporary Social and Political Studies
• Retrovizor
• Klub Gromka

External links

• Workers' Punk University on Wikipedia
• Workers' Punk University archival website
• DPU on Radio Student
• AV archive in MSUM - Audio-visual material (lectures and round tables), books and bulletins, 1997-2015
• Archive up to 2013 - Mirovni inštitut