Taking Stock of the Present Moment: Where Do We Go from Here?

The present moment brings us to a crossroads: we have experienced a remarkable series of anti-racist protests as well as a resurgence of interest in socialism in recent years, which is now under serious attack by a growing neo-fascist Right—and a decaying neoliberalism that is incapable of stopping it. These discussions will take stock of the present moment by exploring perspectives for developing a revolutionary humanist alternative to capitalism.

 

Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85208490931?pwd=QXJlak93UWp6U0hlMFRqdkZnd29qZz09

Passcode: 780230

All readings are available for free

 

 

Session 4: Monday, May 2 at 6:30 pm [Central Time]

Rethinking Organization in Light of the Dialectic of Race, Class, and Gender

What forms, practices and concepts of organization are best suited for an intersectional Marxism that takes issues of race and gender as seriously as class, given the failure of hierarchical and vanguardist approaches to organization that have often characterized the Left?

Leading off the discussion: Alyssa Adamson

Suggested readings: Dunayevskaya, “Presentation on the Dialectics of Organization and Philosophy”; Frantz Fanon, Chapter 3 from The Wretched of the Earth; 3) Peter Hudis, “What Fanon Learned from the Algerian Revolution.”

 

Session 5: Monday, May 23 at 6:30 pm [Central Time]

Time Matters: The “Great Resignation” and the Alternative to Alienated Labor

Tens of millions around the world are responding to the inequities brought to the surface by the pandemic by quitting or changing their jobs on a virtually unprecedented scale. Why is this happening, and in what way does it call on us to develop a deeper critique of capital than predominated in the socialist or communist movements of the past?

Leading off the discussion: TBA

Suggested reading: Dunayevskaya, Marxism and Freedom, from chapter 3, “What Kind of Labor?”; 2) Martin Häaglund, excerpt from This Life: Secular Faith and Spiritual Freedom.

 

Session 6: Monday, June 13 at 6:30 pm [Central Time]

What Does Solidarity Look Like?

How do we support longtime struggles, as well as those that have emerged recently in meaningful ways? What are the principles on which our concern and solidarity must be founded? We will take up the question of how support for Palestinian, Afghan, Iranian, Gambian, and Uzbek people struggling against oppression can be guided by those most impacted as well as connect to the mutual challenge of overcoming capitalism.

Suggested reading: TBA