In countless places, people have risen up against oppression and communities have defended themselves against enslavement, serfdom, and exploitation—through disobedience, through the establishment of alternative forms of coexistence, politics, and economic activity, and through violent uprisings. Those in power have often compared this resistance to a many-headed hydra: no sooner has one head been cut off than two new ones grow back. According to legend, the hydra was fought by Hercules, the same Hercules who towers over the city of Kassel as a landmark on the Wilhelmshöhe. In this sense, Hercules symbolizes the ruling classes, who try to crush and divide any resistance. The 40th BUKO Congress is intended to be a place of exchange and networking, where knowledge, criticism, and social struggles are brought together to strengthen the many-headed Hydra!