Edmund Berger's 'Acceleration' Traces Utopian Countercultures from Dada to CCRU

In his book 'Acceleration: Utopian Currents from Dada to the CCRU' (Nero Editions, Rome 2021), Edmund Berger explores 20th-century countercultures by engaging with movements such as the Situationist International, punk, the Italian '77 movement, and cyberfeminism. An American activist and cultural critic, Berger emphasizes the intersection of urban environments with the digital realm, citing Salvador Allende's Cybersyn project (1971-73) as a significant socialist endeavor prior to the rise of neoliberalism. He also reflects on the mid-1960s Group Center in New York, spearheaded by Aldo Tambellini, and the 1970s Italian collective A/traverso, established by Franco 'Bifo' Berardi. Berger contends that neoliberalism takes advantage of the dismantling of countercultures, viewing the shortcomings of 20th-century utopianism as a hurdle to surmount.