Sennacieca Asocio Tutmonda
Encyclopedia
Sennacieca Asocio Tutmonda (SAT; in English, World Anational [alternatively: Non-National] Association) is an independent worldwide cultural Esperanto
association of a general left-wing orientation. Its headquarters are in Paris. According to Jacques Schram, chairman of the Executive Committee, the membership totalled 881 in 2003. In 2006 SAT had 724 members.
SAT uses Esperanto as its working language and aims through the use of Esperanto to enable progressive individuals, organizations and workers of all countries to exchange ideas and meet on the basis of equality across national barriers. Members of SAT are involved in socialist
, peace
, trade union
, anti-nationalist
, feminist
and environmental
activities, among others.
(pseudonym of Eugène Adam) and others as an organisation of the workers
' Esperanto movement. It was largest and most active between the two World Wars. At its high point in 1929-1930 it had 6524 members in 1674 communities in 42 countries. It suffered heavy attrition soon after, however, when "cosmopolitan
" activities, a category into which Esperanto fell, began to be persecuted in the Soviet Union after the onset of Stalinism, and after the ban on the workers' Esperanto movement in Germany that took effect immediately after the Nazi takeover in 1933. The Soviet Union and Germany had been the countries, in which SAT had the greatest number of members. Ideologically motivated internal schisms, involving at various times anarchists, communists and social democrats, also took a toll.
"a) to utilise the international language Esperanto for the class aims of the worldwide working class; b) to promote mutual relations among members in the best and most worthy way possible, in order to instill in them a strong sense of human solidarity; c) to instruct, educate and enlighten the members in such a way as to make them the most capable and best of the so-called internationalists; d) to serve as an intermediary in relations among organisations using other languages but having aims analogous to those of SAT; e) to be an intermediary and supporter in the creation of an Esperanto literature consisting both of translations and original texts, and which reflects the ideal of our association."
In 1928 it was further clarified in the following addendum:
"SAT, an educational and cultural organisation rather than an overtly political one, tries to induce its members to be understanding and tolerant of the political and philosophical schools or systems that lie at the base of the various workers' parties that are oriented toward class struggle and of trade-union movements; it seeks, by means of comparison of facts and ideas and by means of free discussion, to enable its members to avoid the dogmatisation of the teachings they encounter in their particular milieus. In short, SAT constantly applies a rationally elaborated language on a worldwide scale in order to aid in the creation of intellects that think rationally and are able to compare accurately, understand correctly and assess ideas, theses and tendencies in such a way as to render them capable of electing independently the path they believe most direct or most expedient to the end of liberating their class and guiding the human race towards a level of civilisation and culture that is as advanced as possible."
SAT does not exist primarily to promote Esperanto – although it has a department that engages in such activity – but one that puts Esperanto to use for its own purposes. Esperanto is promoted by separate regional organisations that are linked to SAT by contract. Most of these organisations are not national in scope, but encompass the territory of a particular language. The largest such organisation is SAT-Amikaro, which encompasses all French-speaking territories.
. As for SAT, it was laid out by Eugène Lanti in a series of articles that appeared prior to the foundation of the Association in 1921.
The decision-making structure of SAT is, in theory, close to the organisational base, to the extent that all congress decisions should become valid only after a referendum. This statutory provision is intended to foment grass-roots democracy. In practice, many congress decisions are never submitted to a referendum. The association is governed by an eight-member Executive Committee.
The editor of Sennaciulo (see "Activity") and long-standing General Secretary is Krešimir Barković. Jacques Schram has been the chairman of the Executive Committee since March, 2003.
It organises an annual international congress, which deals with both the affairs of the association matters of general political concern.
Esperanto
is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...
association of a general left-wing orientation. Its headquarters are in Paris. According to Jacques Schram, chairman of the Executive Committee, the membership totalled 881 in 2003. In 2006 SAT had 724 members.
SAT uses Esperanto as its working language and aims through the use of Esperanto to enable progressive individuals, organizations and workers of all countries to exchange ideas and meet on the basis of equality across national barriers. Members of SAT are involved in socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
, peace
Peace
Peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the...
, trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
, anti-nationalist
Anti-nationalism
Anti-nationalism denotes the sentiments associated with the opposition to nationalism, arguing that it is undesirable or dangerous. Some anti-nationalists are humanitarians or humanists who pursue an idealist form of world community, and self-identify as world citizens. They reject chauvinism,...
, feminist
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
and environmental
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
activities, among others.
History
SAT was founded in 1921 by Eugène LantiEugène Lanti
Eugène Lanti was a pseudonym of Eugène Adam . Lanti was an Esperantist, socialist and writer. He was a founder of Sennacieca Asocio Tutmonda, and a long time editor of the internationalist socialist magazine Sennaciulo...
(pseudonym of Eugène Adam) and others as an organisation of the workers
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
' Esperanto movement. It was largest and most active between the two World Wars. At its high point in 1929-1930 it had 6524 members in 1674 communities in 42 countries. It suffered heavy attrition soon after, however, when "cosmopolitan
Rootless cosmopolitan
Rootless cosmopolitan was a Soviet euphemism widely used during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1948–1953, which culminated in the "exposure" of the alleged Doctors' plot...
" activities, a category into which Esperanto fell, began to be persecuted in the Soviet Union after the onset of Stalinism, and after the ban on the workers' Esperanto movement in Germany that took effect immediately after the Nazi takeover in 1933. The Soviet Union and Germany had been the countries, in which SAT had the greatest number of members. Ideologically motivated internal schisms, involving at various times anarchists, communists and social democrats, also took a toll.
Aims
The following declaration of aims became part of the Statute at the foundation of SAT in 1921, and remains valid to this day:"a) to utilise the international language Esperanto for the class aims of the worldwide working class; b) to promote mutual relations among members in the best and most worthy way possible, in order to instill in them a strong sense of human solidarity; c) to instruct, educate and enlighten the members in such a way as to make them the most capable and best of the so-called internationalists; d) to serve as an intermediary in relations among organisations using other languages but having aims analogous to those of SAT; e) to be an intermediary and supporter in the creation of an Esperanto literature consisting both of translations and original texts, and which reflects the ideal of our association."
In 1928 it was further clarified in the following addendum:
"SAT, an educational and cultural organisation rather than an overtly political one, tries to induce its members to be understanding and tolerant of the political and philosophical schools or systems that lie at the base of the various workers' parties that are oriented toward class struggle and of trade-union movements; it seeks, by means of comparison of facts and ideas and by means of free discussion, to enable its members to avoid the dogmatisation of the teachings they encounter in their particular milieus. In short, SAT constantly applies a rationally elaborated language on a worldwide scale in order to aid in the creation of intellects that think rationally and are able to compare accurately, understand correctly and assess ideas, theses and tendencies in such a way as to render them capable of electing independently the path they believe most direct or most expedient to the end of liberating their class and guiding the human race towards a level of civilisation and culture that is as advanced as possible."
SAT does not exist primarily to promote Esperanto – although it has a department that engages in such activity – but one that puts Esperanto to use for its own purposes. Esperanto is promoted by separate regional organisations that are linked to SAT by contract. Most of these organisations are not national in scope, but encompass the territory of a particular language. The largest such organisation is SAT-Amikaro, which encompasses all French-speaking territories.
Structure
SAT has an anational structure, i.e. one that deliberately avoids taking national differences into account. Its members join individually, not through the intermediary of a national section. The Universal Esperanto Association was structured in the same way when it was founded at the beginning of the 20th Century by Hector HodlerHector Hodler
Hector Hodler was a Swiss Esperantist who had a strong influence on the early Esperanto movement....
. As for SAT, it was laid out by Eugène Lanti in a series of articles that appeared prior to the foundation of the Association in 1921.
The decision-making structure of SAT is, in theory, close to the organisational base, to the extent that all congress decisions should become valid only after a referendum. This statutory provision is intended to foment grass-roots democracy. In practice, many congress decisions are never submitted to a referendum. The association is governed by an eight-member Executive Committee.
The editor of Sennaciulo (see "Activity") and long-standing General Secretary is Krešimir Barković. Jacques Schram has been the chairman of the Executive Committee since March, 2003.
Activity
SAT publishes a monthly magazine, Sennaciulo ["Nationless One"], an annual cultural review, Sennacieca Revuo, and a variety of books, some of them of an educational nature, such as the Plena Ilustrita Vortaro, the most comprehensive Esperanto dictionary, as well as socially engaged literary works. It has recently begun to publish educational and political matter on the Internet.It organises an annual international congress, which deals with both the affairs of the association matters of general political concern.
External links
- SAT - includes "What is SAT?" section in English, Esperanto, Croatian, Spanish, Japanese, Dutch, Korean, Russian, Italian, German, Polish and French.
- Why is There a Workers' Esperanto Movement? - on SAT, Esperanto and anationalism (G. Mickle).