Raphael Arar
@rarar.com
Head of Design @ One Project
Mentor @ NEW INC
Visiting Faculty @ Calarts
Executive Board @ Leonardo / ISAST
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rarar.com
oneproject.org
leonardo.info
Mentor @ NEW INC
Visiting Faculty @ Calarts
Executive Board @ Leonardo / ISAST
---
rarar.com
oneproject.org
leonardo.info
Pinned
Raphael Arar
@rarar.com
· Oct 10
While Trump & Big Tech privatize money creation through stablecoins, we designed an alternative with Yanis. Give that power to the people instead: digital central bank accounts funding a trust fund for everyone without new taxes or debt. See how monetarycommons.com
Reposted by Raphael Arar
Out today: a major new essay by former Artforum editor David Velasco, fired over a pro-Palestine open letter, surveying 2 years of turmoil in the art world, which was "practically designed to celebrate and aestheticize every rebellion" -- except Gaza. www.equator.org/articles/how...
How Gaza Broke the Art World • EQUATOR
The former editor of Artforum, fired in the wake of 7 October, reckons with two years of division, fear and silence
www.equator.org
December 22, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Out today: a major new essay by former Artforum editor David Velasco, fired over a pro-Palestine open letter, surveying 2 years of turmoil in the art world, which was "practically designed to celebrate and aestheticize every rebellion" -- except Gaza. www.equator.org/articles/how...
Reposted by Raphael Arar
In the new TMK, I'm joined yet again by @abenanav.bsky.social to discuss his concrete models for an alternative world beyond capitalism—ones that are not overly rigid as blueprints, but also not insubstantial as visions. soundcloud.com/thismachinek...
439. Do Socialists Dream of Electric Institutions, Part 2 (ft. Aaron Benanav)
We’re joined yet again by Aaron Benanav to chat about his essays Beyond Capitalism. In this episode we discuss what it means to lay out concrete models for an alternative world—ones that are not overs
soundcloud.com
January 7, 2026 at 12:32 AM
In the new TMK, I'm joined yet again by @abenanav.bsky.social to discuss his concrete models for an alternative world beyond capitalism—ones that are not overly rigid as blueprints, but also not insubstantial as visions. soundcloud.com/thismachinek...
Reposted by Raphael Arar
A Washington Post article suggests that, beyond a certain threshold, larger homes don't make people happier. Instead, well-being is correlated with affordable housing in walkable neighborhoods where they feel socially connected.
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
![Excerpt reads: "Prioritize your neighborhood
Neighborhoods drive our happiness (or unhappiness) more than we think.
When Lina Martinez, director of POLIS, the Center for Wellbeing Studies at Universidad Icesi in Colombia, studied the happiness of households in the city of Cali, she couldn’t find much difference between poorer and richer areas. “Their happiness is pretty much the same,” she said. But that changed when she isolated neighborhood conditions, such as access to transit, health care and parks. “The conditions of the neighborhood affect happiness,” she said. “I can’t link that to the space where [people] live.”
That aligns with findings from a 2023 study of the Vancouver metro area: Researchers found no significant differences in well-being between people living in single detached homes, duplexes, townhouses, laneway houses and apartment buildings (basement units smaller than 300 square feet were the only negative exception). What did people say they missed most in their neighborhood? Affordability, proximity to family and friends, and a sense of community. Home design was eighth on the list."](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ks3gpa6ftoyaq7hmf6c4qx4c/bafkreicapfknasylzk2lqzaxxeb5mchgnru75obggn45dusda6j5zogvuu@jpeg)
January 7, 2026 at 4:29 AM
A Washington Post article suggests that, beyond a certain threshold, larger homes don't make people happier. Instead, well-being is correlated with affordable housing in walkable neighborhoods where they feel socially connected.
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
Reposted by Raphael Arar
"In this moment of clear, acute, and mounting violence against the people of Venezuela, silence is complicity."
🇻🇪 Statement from the Cabinet of the Progressive International on the US invasion of Venezuela.
🔗 Read more online: buff.ly/Xp5I1V6
🇻🇪 Statement from the Cabinet of the Progressive International on the US invasion of Venezuela.
🔗 Read more online: buff.ly/Xp5I1V6
January 4, 2026 at 3:28 PM
"In this moment of clear, acute, and mounting violence against the people of Venezuela, silence is complicity."
🇻🇪 Statement from the Cabinet of the Progressive International on the US invasion of Venezuela.
🔗 Read more online: buff.ly/Xp5I1V6
🇻🇪 Statement from the Cabinet of the Progressive International on the US invasion of Venezuela.
🔗 Read more online: buff.ly/Xp5I1V6
Reposted by Raphael Arar
Reposted by Raphael Arar
A new episode of Future Histories!
This time I talk to Kim Stanley Robinson about Real Utopian Futures.
Full episode here: www.futurehistories.today/episoden-blo...
#FutureHistories #Podcast
This time I talk to Kim Stanley Robinson about Real Utopian Futures.
Full episode here: www.futurehistories.today/episoden-blo...
#FutureHistories #Podcast
January 4, 2026 at 10:00 AM
A new episode of Future Histories!
This time I talk to Kim Stanley Robinson about Real Utopian Futures.
Full episode here: www.futurehistories.today/episoden-blo...
#FutureHistories #Podcast
This time I talk to Kim Stanley Robinson about Real Utopian Futures.
Full episode here: www.futurehistories.today/episoden-blo...
#FutureHistories #Podcast
Reposted by Raphael Arar
Obsessed with this juxtaposition
January 2, 2026 at 12:43 AM
Obsessed with this juxtaposition
Reposted by Raphael Arar
"The team behind No Other Land was in the middle of negotiations with Mubi for a streaming deal that would have helped support the residents of Masafer Yatta when the Sequoia news dropped. “We were surprised and heartbroken,” Abraham told me. The deal fell apart."
www.vulture.com/article/mubi...
www.vulture.com/article/mubi...
Who Is Mubi For?
The art-house movie streamer had a cultlike following. Then it started to expand.
www.vulture.com
January 2, 2026 at 12:22 PM
"The team behind No Other Land was in the middle of negotiations with Mubi for a streaming deal that would have helped support the residents of Masafer Yatta when the Sequoia news dropped. “We were surprised and heartbroken,” Abraham told me. The deal fell apart."
www.vulture.com/article/mubi...
www.vulture.com/article/mubi...
Reposted by Raphael Arar
Our broken child care system can learn a lot from New Mexico - the state that is leading the way in guaranteeing free child care for all.
There is no better rate of return than investing in our children.
The rest of the country should follow New Mexico’s lead.
There is no better rate of return than investing in our children.
The rest of the country should follow New Mexico’s lead.
December 26, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Our broken child care system can learn a lot from New Mexico - the state that is leading the way in guaranteeing free child care for all.
There is no better rate of return than investing in our children.
The rest of the country should follow New Mexico’s lead.
There is no better rate of return than investing in our children.
The rest of the country should follow New Mexico’s lead.
Reposted by Raphael Arar
“If Zohran Mamdani is serious about delivering on his promises, he needs more than policies — he needs institutions that empower working people. Popular assemblies offer a way to build a new, bottom-up political culture in New York City.”
jacobin.com/2025/12/mamd...
jacobin.com/2025/12/mamd...
Zohran Needs to Create Popular Assemblies
If Zohran Mamdani is serious about delivering on his promises, he needs more than policies — he needs institutions that empower working people. Popular assemblies offer a way to build a new, bottom-up...
jacobin.com
December 22, 2025 at 6:25 PM
“If Zohran Mamdani is serious about delivering on his promises, he needs more than policies — he needs institutions that empower working people. Popular assemblies offer a way to build a new, bottom-up political culture in New York City.”
jacobin.com/2025/12/mamd...
jacobin.com/2025/12/mamd...
Reposted by Raphael Arar
A new episode of Future Histories Live!
This time I talk to Rabea Berfelde ( @ktbberlin.bsky.social, @humboldtuni.bsky.social) about socialisation, its history, and contemporary movements.
Recorded during the 2025 Rethinking Economics Summer School Switzerland.
Full Episode: buff.ly/EeUb9Wj
This time I talk to Rabea Berfelde ( @ktbberlin.bsky.social, @humboldtuni.bsky.social) about socialisation, its history, and contemporary movements.
Recorded during the 2025 Rethinking Economics Summer School Switzerland.
Full Episode: buff.ly/EeUb9Wj
December 21, 2025 at 10:42 AM
A new episode of Future Histories Live!
This time I talk to Rabea Berfelde ( @ktbberlin.bsky.social, @humboldtuni.bsky.social) about socialisation, its history, and contemporary movements.
Recorded during the 2025 Rethinking Economics Summer School Switzerland.
Full Episode: buff.ly/EeUb9Wj
This time I talk to Rabea Berfelde ( @ktbberlin.bsky.social, @humboldtuni.bsky.social) about socialisation, its history, and contemporary movements.
Recorded during the 2025 Rethinking Economics Summer School Switzerland.
Full Episode: buff.ly/EeUb9Wj
Reposted by Raphael Arar
Who owns the future of artificial intelligence? Our video of the week argues that the true struggle is not just over technological prowess, but over the capture and organization of value across a multi-layered AI “stack.”
Feat. @nsrnicek.bsky.social
buff.ly/A0doDoI
Feat. @nsrnicek.bsky.social
buff.ly/A0doDoI
December 19, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Who owns the future of artificial intelligence? Our video of the week argues that the true struggle is not just over technological prowess, but over the capture and organization of value across a multi-layered AI “stack.”
Feat. @nsrnicek.bsky.social
buff.ly/A0doDoI
Feat. @nsrnicek.bsky.social
buff.ly/A0doDoI
Reposted by Raphael Arar
This month marks five years of the Progressive International — five years of building an internationalism powerful enough to confront the Reactionary alternative.
Help sustain our work to make solidarity more than a slogan.
Help sustain our work to make solidarity more than a slogan.
5 Years Of The Progressive International
Five years ago, the Progressive International was born with a burning mission: to make solidarity more than a slogan.
buff.ly
December 15, 2025 at 10:30 AM
This month marks five years of the Progressive International — five years of building an internationalism powerful enough to confront the Reactionary alternative.
Help sustain our work to make solidarity more than a slogan.
Help sustain our work to make solidarity more than a slogan.
Reposted by Raphael Arar
When a math problem is hard, break it up into smaller problems that aren't so hard. Same with political economy.
Collective Governance for AI: Points of Intervention metagov.org/cg-ai/
Collective Governance for AI: Points of Intervention metagov.org/cg-ai/
December 15, 2025 at 11:01 PM
When a math problem is hard, break it up into smaller problems that aren't so hard. Same with political economy.
Collective Governance for AI: Points of Intervention metagov.org/cg-ai/
Collective Governance for AI: Points of Intervention metagov.org/cg-ai/
Reposted by Raphael Arar
In memoriam: Asad Haider (1987–2025).
In memoriam: Asad Haider (1987-2025) - Historical Materialism
‘Our subjective horizon is the optimism of the intellect; our objective, structuring condition is pessimism of the will. Without optimism of the intellect, we have the party without the people. Withou...
www.historicalmaterialism.org
December 14, 2025 at 11:22 AM
In memoriam: Asad Haider (1987–2025).
Reposted by Raphael Arar
Here is the highest form of technofeudalism: technocolonialism! www.ft.com/content/cd17...
Bitcoin investor plans Caribbean community — with its own court system
Some locals on island of Nevis oppose libertarian project, calling it ‘state within a state’
www.ft.com
December 15, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Here is the highest form of technofeudalism: technocolonialism! www.ft.com/content/cd17...
"…a socialism that treats technology as a finished script and politics as the art of directing it will always arrive too late." 💯
I've got a new major essay in The Ideas Letter - on the need to rethink socialism in the age of AI www.theideasletter.org/essay/social...
Socialism After AI - The Ideas Letter
Morozov argues that socialist attempts to harness AI have merely treated it like earlier tools of capitalist production—as a neutral instrument that can simply be redirected. In fact, he says,…
www.theideasletter.org
December 13, 2025 at 1:38 PM
"…a socialism that treats technology as a finished script and politics as the art of directing it will always arrive too late." 💯
Reposted by Raphael Arar
Despite the efforts of tech CEOS, plenty of people are tired of generative AI. A group of Portland artists made their positions on AI known at a recent forum discussion at Mother Foucault's Bookshop. Speakers shared their takes on the machine takeover—and suggested potential ways to push back.
Portland Artists Hold a Round Table on Generative AI “Machine Nightmares” at Mother Foucault's Bookshop
Taylor Griggs
www.portlandmercury.com
December 12, 2025 at 1:40 AM
Despite the efforts of tech CEOS, plenty of people are tired of generative AI. A group of Portland artists made their positions on AI known at a recent forum discussion at Mother Foucault's Bookshop. Speakers shared their takes on the machine takeover—and suggested potential ways to push back.
Reposted by Raphael Arar
Reposted by Raphael Arar
Let's discuss the possibilities and challenges of direct democracy and what the challenge for power could look like. Join us on our Youtube channel @JacksonRising on Tuesday, December 16th.
Spread the word.
#BuildAndFight #GetOrganized #BuildTheAlternative
www.youtube.com/live/4vYQtnt...
Spread the word.
#BuildAndFight #GetOrganized #BuildTheAlternative
www.youtube.com/live/4vYQtnt...
#BuildAndFight Formula 11: Dual Power
#BuildAndFight Formula 11: Dual Power
The Build and Fight Formula is a program for the radical transformation of society. Kali Akuno, Co-founder and Executive Director of Mississippi-based Cooperatio...
www.youtube.com
December 4, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Let's discuss the possibilities and challenges of direct democracy and what the challenge for power could look like. Join us on our Youtube channel @JacksonRising on Tuesday, December 16th.
Spread the word.
#BuildAndFight #GetOrganized #BuildTheAlternative
www.youtube.com/live/4vYQtnt...
Spread the word.
#BuildAndFight #GetOrganized #BuildTheAlternative
www.youtube.com/live/4vYQtnt...
Reposted by Raphael Arar
My aim is to look at Marx’s political economy through the lens of a totality in the course of construction through multiple circulation processes all in contradictory motion. That is the story that this book tries to tell. It rests on thirty years of working on the Marx Project, [1/3]
December 2, 2025 at 8:23 PM
My aim is to look at Marx’s political economy through the lens of a totality in the course of construction through multiple circulation processes all in contradictory motion. That is the story that this book tries to tell. It rests on thirty years of working on the Marx Project, [1/3]
Reposted by Raphael Arar
"Modernism can best be understood as a cultural field of force triangulated by three coordinates: formalized academicism in the arts; technologies of telephone, radio, automobile, aircraft; and the imaginative proximity of social revolution."
Perry Anderson
(modernism debates contra blackfriday)
Perry Anderson
(modernism debates contra blackfriday)
November 28, 2025 at 2:59 PM
"Modernism can best be understood as a cultural field of force triangulated by three coordinates: formalized academicism in the arts; technologies of telephone, radio, automobile, aircraft; and the imaginative proximity of social revolution."
Perry Anderson
(modernism debates contra blackfriday)
Perry Anderson
(modernism debates contra blackfriday)
Reposted by Raphael Arar
Direct democracy is neither a utopian fantasy nor mere procedural formalism. Rather, as our video of the week contends, it is a perpetually contested practice that requires international solidarity and the courage to build power from below.
Feat. Yavor Tarinski at @firestorm.coop
buff.ly/g4wqkOd
Feat. Yavor Tarinski at @firestorm.coop
buff.ly/g4wqkOd
November 28, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Direct democracy is neither a utopian fantasy nor mere procedural formalism. Rather, as our video of the week contends, it is a perpetually contested practice that requires international solidarity and the courage to build power from below.
Feat. Yavor Tarinski at @firestorm.coop
buff.ly/g4wqkOd
Feat. Yavor Tarinski at @firestorm.coop
buff.ly/g4wqkOd
Reposted by Raphael Arar
Welcome to our Bluesky page, where we post about the theory and practice of democratic economic planning! You can find out more about INDEP on our website (www.indep.network), while you can find recordings of our events on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@INDEP-Netwo...
November 23, 2025 at 9:20 AM
Welcome to our Bluesky page, where we post about the theory and practice of democratic economic planning! You can find out more about INDEP on our website (www.indep.network), while you can find recordings of our events on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@INDEP-Netwo...