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Indybay Feature

Online events with Helena Norberg-Hodge, Silvia Federici, etc. -- plus 11 book discussions

by Toward increased Networking
Here are some 16 online events taking place over the next week -- plus 3 later in December and 6 in early January (and starting at 9 am tomorrow, December 15th) -- featuring people such as Martin Rees, Helena Norberg-Hodge, Silvia Federici, and William C. Anderson and also including discussions of books and/or essays by David Graeber, Peter Kropotkin, Simone Weil, Chinua Achebe, James Baldwin, George Orwell, Simone de Beauvior, bell hooks, and many others.

These events are hosted from various locations all across the country, as well from Canada, the UK, and Australia (however, the listed times are all for our "Pacific time zone"). Of course, feel free to share this info with others who might be interested in it.
Upcoming Online Events:

"Now" until Thu, 12/16, 3:59 pm -- Anthropocene: The Human Era -- An interactive film about a young woman's dreams of the future in the wake of the climate emergency -- How can we be agents of change? Maybe by imagining a future we can make it real. Maybe not -- Anthropocene: The Human Era dives into the mind of Megan, a young woman dreaming about her future in the wake of the climate emergency -- Time is stretched and warped as she sits in her bathroom staring down at a pregnancy test, in a multiple-choice adventure story inspired by Black Mirror’s Bandersnatch and Gecko Theatre’s Time of your Life -- What does the future hold for us, our children and our planet? -- Our Fate is in Your Hands -- Age Guidance 12+ -- “OUR HOUSE IS STILL ON FIRE” - Greta Thunberg -- Anthropocene has been Devised and adapted for Film by: Directed by: William Townsend & Gavin Maxwell -- Director of Photography - Micheal Lynch -- Produced by: Gavin Maxwell, William Townsend & Alex Lui - Please also see the Thu, 12/16, 11 am listing below:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/anthropocene-the-human-era-tickets-219795934557?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch&keep_tld=1


Wed, 12/15, 9 am -- Post-pandemic, Post-crisis… Under What Terms? -- Reading group that engages texts by a variety of philosophers -- In March 2020, as governments were implementing lockdowns across Europe, the philosopher Bruno Latour remarked to the French newspaper AOC that ‘it is possible, in a few weeks, to put an economic system on hold everywhere in the world’ and thus that another world is actually possible – one that and cares for people and the environment. Early in 2021, Oxfam’s report ‘The Inequality Virus’ argues that ‘there can be no return to where we were before; instead, citizens and governments must act on the urgency to create a more equal and sustainable world’ -- This reading group series tunes in to the realities of living under COVID-19, pointing to the pre-existing inequalities that have grown during the pandemic, and speculating on both the potential for change in the present and conditions for a reimagined future. The programme, conceived by SIRIUS and co-led by Miguel Amado and Georgia Perkins, engages texts by a variety of philosophers – Judith Butler, Bruno Latour, Achille Mbembe, Paul B. Preciado and Denise Ferreira da Silva – reflecting on transformations provoked by COVID-19 with respect to class, gender and race -- Workshop around a text by Silvia Federici: Capital’s Viral Crown ( https://www.versobooks.com/blogs/5063-capital-s-viral-crown , 25 April 2021) In this interview, Silvia Federici traces the history of epidemics, social management and (re)production in relation to the body as a source of ‘labour power’ according to instruments of exclusion, exploitation and capital. She addresses the disparagement of women’s labour and anti-globalisation towards the restructuring of global economics in response to COVID-19:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/post-pandemic-post-crisis-under-what-terms-tickets-149852257135?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch&keep_tld=1

Wed, 12/15, 7 pm -- Grief & Care Under Capitalism Support Group -- This grief support group is for people needing a space to talk with other folks who feel exploited and exhausted by capitalism -- Title: Grief & Care Under Capitalism Support Group -- Description: We are in a constant state of collective grief. Grief doesn't occur only when someone dies. Struggling under the weight of racial capitalism, transphobia, ableism, and other forms of violence and oppression that we navigate daily takes a toll on us that we are often not consciously aware of. When people feel inexplicably sad, burnt out, or tired as hell, "you need better self-care" is the response that is too often thrown back at us. We can work as hard as possible to care of ourselves, but there are limits to healing when we are inundated with trauma that we cannot control -- This support group is for people needing a space to talk with other folks who feel exploited and exhausted by capitalism. Most grief support groups are death-related, so we at A Sacred Passing decided to offer a space to grieve the other ways in which we struggle -- The Grief & Care Under Capitalism Support Group is a facilitated space with conversation directed by participants, offered virtually via Zoom on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month from 7-9pm PST. The group is free, though donations to A Sacred Passing are always welcomed. This is a drop-in group, so you can join us once or several times, with no need to commit to multiple sessions -- Facilitator Leilani Maxera (she/they) is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, therapist, grief & death worker, and group facilitator. They worked and volunteered in syringe exchange & overdose prevention for 14 years before starting their own private therapy practice, Kaipuokaualoku, LLC. Leilani is an abolitionist, a harm-reduction advocate, and a lover of spreading carework over capitalism -- leilanimaxera.com -- asacredpassing.org :
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/grief-care-under-capitalism-support-group-tickets-221186102587?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch


Thu, 12/16, 10 am -- New Book: The Political Thought of Thomas Spence: Beyond Poverty & Empire -- This event is to discuss Matilde Cazzola's new book on The Political Thought of Thomas Spence: Beyond Poverty and Empire -- The book is an intellectual analysis of the political ideas of English radical thinker Thomas Spence (1750–1814), who was renowned for his "Plan", a proposal for the abolition of private landownership and the replacement of state institutions with a decentralized parochial organization. While he has long been considered an eccentric and anachronistic figure, the book sets out to demonstrate that Spence was a deeply original, thoroughly modern thinker, who translated his themes into a popular language addressing the multitude and publicized his Plan through chapbooks, tokens, and songs. The book is therefore a history of Spence's political thought "from below", designed to decode the subtle complexity of his Plan. It also shows that the Plan featured an excoriating critique of colonialism and slavery as well as a project of global emancipation -- About the author: Dr Matilde Cazzola is a Senior Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory in Frankfurt, Germany. She earned her PhD in History from the University of Bologna in 2019. Her work focuses on the political and legal thought of a number of administrators of the British Empire in North America, the Caribbean and India in the 1750s–1900s and on British imperial philanthropy:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/new-book-the-political-thought-of-thomas-spence-beyond-poverty-empire-tickets-209195107197?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch

Thu, 12/16, 11 am -- Q&A with GymJam & Guests - Sustainability in the Arts -- As part of our celebration of the screening of Anthropocene: The Human Era - we present an ONLINE Q&A with GymJam & Guests on Sustainability in the Arts -- ABOUT THE FILM: Anthropocene: The Human Era -- An interactive film about a young woman's dreams of the future in the wake of the climate emergency -- How can we be agents of change? Maybe by imagining a future we can make it real. Maybe not -- Anthropocene: The Human Era dives into the mind of Megan, a young woman dreaming about her future in the wake of the climate emergency -- Time is stretched and warped as she sits in her bathroom staring down at a pregnancy test, in a multiple-choice adventure story inspired by Black Mirror’s Bandersnatch and Gecko Theatre’s Time of your Life -- What does the future hold for us, our children and our planet? -- Our Fate is in Your Hands -- Age Guidance 12+ -- “OUR HOUSE IS STILL ON FIRE” - Greta Thunberg -- Anthropocene has been Devised and adapted for Film by: Directed by: William Townsend & Gavin Maxwell -- Director of Photography - Micheal Lynch -- Produced by: Gavin Maxwell, William Townsend & Alex Lui:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/qa-with-gymjam-guests-sustainability-in-the-arts-tickets-219932111867?aff=erelpanelorg&keep_tld=1

Thu, 12/16, 11:30 am -- Lord Rees - the UK’s Astronomer Royal on the World in 2050 and Beyond! -- Our Earth has existed for 45 million centuries, but this is the first time that just one species - ours - has the planet's future in its hands. And Covid 19 is a wake-up call, reminding us how vulnerable our interconnected global civilisation is. Advances in biotechnology, robotics, and artificial intelligence--if pursued and applied wisely--could empower us to boost the developing and developed world and overcome the threats humanity faces. But we must avoid dystopian risks. These are of two kinds. First, those stemming from our ever-heavier collective 'footprint' on the Earth - global warming and biodiversity loss. Second, those triggered by technologies so powerful that even small groups, by error or design, can create a catastrophe that cascades globally. At the same time, further advances in space science will allow humans to explore the solar system and beyond with robots and AI. But there is no "Planet B" if we do not care for our home planet -- Speaker: Lord Martin Rees OM FRS -- Martin Rees is the Astronomer Royal; he is Emeritus Professor of Cosmology and Astrophysics at the University of Cambridge. He is a member of the Order of Merit, has served as President of the Royal Society, and is a former Master of Trinity College, Cambridge. His research has involved many aspects of theoretical astronomy and cosmology, but he is perhaps best known for his work on black holes and the early evolution of the Universe. Lord Rees has been honoured with many international awards and prizes, among which are the Balzan Medal and the Crafoord Prize. He is co-founder of the Centre for Existential Risk at the University of Cambridge:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lord-rees-the-uks-astronomer-royal-on-the-world-in-2050-and-beyond-tickets-202884271317?aff=erellivmlt

Thu, 12/16, 2 pm -- Community and the Common Good: Structuring Human Life for Eco-Civilization -- Join us for a dialogue with experts to discuss the future of work and the need for shifting labor paradigms for an ecological civilization -- EcoCiv is partnering with One Project to elevate themes of The New Possible through a series of dialogues on global systems change. Our December topic is “Community for the Common Good: Structuring Human Life for an Ecological Civilization” -- Few things are more descriptive of a civilization than the way human communities are organized. It reveals our values, priorities, and assumptions about what it means to be human. How should human communities be organized to promote the long-term wellbeing of people and the planet? How will cities be designed? How are resources shared? What the the power dynamics? Who determines policy? How are local communities related to a global community of communities? Exploring a range of interconnected issues from localism, urban planning, sustainable development, and more, our panel of experts will discuss the need for transforming communities for an ecological civilization -- The live, online event will include a 60-minute moderated panel discussion, followed by 30 minutes of breakout room discussions for all attendees. Join us to learn more about promising paths for feeding the future -- Panelists: Helena Norberg-Hodge - Founder & Director, Local Futures and The International Alliance for Localisation -- Youngsoo Kim - Associate, James Corner Field Operations -- Alexandra Mitsotaki - Co-Founder & President, World Human Forum:
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/community-and-the-common-good-structuring-human-life-for-eco-civilization-tickets-219277092687?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch&keep_tld=1

Thu, 12/16, 3 pm -- Mountains That Take Wing: Angela Y. Davis and Yuri Kochiyama, A Conversation on Life, Struggles & Liberation film screening -- Internationally renowned scholar, professor and writer Angela Davis and 89-year-old grassroots organizer and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Yuri Kochiyama spent over a decade conversing intimately about personal histories and influences that shaped them and their overlapping experiences -- MOUNTAINS THAT TAKE WING offers the gift of these two remarkable women’s lives, sharing the pair’s recorded exchanges in 1996 and 2008. The film’s unique format honors the scope and depth of their knowledge on topics ranging from Jim Crow laws and Japanese American internment camps, to Civil Rights, anti-war, women’s and gay liberation movements, to today’s campaigns for political prisoners and prison reform. Intercut with compelling period footage, Davis and Kochiyama’s cogent observations, keen analyses, and steadfast resolve to create a more equitable, humane world offer inspiring lessons in empowerment and community building for current and future generations -- The screening will be followed by a conversation between feminist activist Jillian Montilla and =SPACE community manager Kelly Outing, moderated by Taliyah Williams, an emerging public health scholar specializing in racial healthcare disparities -- About the Speakers: Jillian strives to reclaim the creative power of language to sustain her pursuit of a gender- and racial-equitable world. She is a master’s candidate in Human Rights and Humanitarian Action at Sciences Po. Here, she works with a student collective called Pour Nous (in English, “For Us”) which advocates for intersectional praxis in higher education -- Kelly Velicia Outing is the community manager of =SPACE, where she works tirelessly to provide resources and opportunities for multicultural founders, LGBTQ ventures, and women-led startups. She is passionate about social issues and is a writer, activist, and full-time geek; so don't be afraid to hold up the Vulcan salute when you meet her -- Taliyah Williams is a student at Northeastern University in Boston, MA studying Health Science with an interest in Public Health. Her research in public health specializes in racial healthcare disparities and its effects on Black women with breast cancer. She is also passionate about racial justice and equity in education in the medical field:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mountains-take-take-wing-angela-y-davis-and-yuri-kochiyama-tickets-211927108687?aff=erellivmlt#

Thu, 12/16, 3 pm -- The Dawn of Everything Book Club -- Join Incite Seminars Anarchist Reading Circle as we read The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity by David Graeber and David Wengrow -- A dramatically new understanding of human history, challenging our most fundamental assumptions about social evolution―from the development of agriculture and cities to the origins of the state, democracy, and inequality―and revealing new possibilities for human emancipation -- For generations, our remote ancestors have been cast as primitive and childlike―either free and equal innocents, or thuggish and warlike. Civilization, we are told, could be achieved only by sacrificing those original freedoms or, alternatively, by taming our baser instincts. David Graeber and David Wengrow show how such theories first emerged in the eighteenth century as a conservative reaction to powerful critiques of European society posed by Indigenous observers and intellectuals. Revisiting this encounter has startling implications for how we make sense of human history today, including the origins of farming, property, cities, democracy, slavery, and civilization itself -- Drawing on pathbreaking research in archaeology and anthropology, the authors show how history becomes a far more interesting place once we learn to throw off our conceptual shackles and perceive what's really there. If humans did not spend 95 percent of their evolutionary past in tiny bands of hunter-gatherers, what were they doing all that time? If agriculture, and cities, did not mean a plunge into hierarchy and domination, then what kinds of social and economic organization did they lead to? The answers are often unexpected, and suggest that the course of human history may be less set in stone, and more full of playful, hopeful possibilities, than we tend to assume -- The Dawn of Everything fundamentally transforms our understanding of the human past and offers a path toward imagining new forms of freedom, new ways of organizing society. This is a monumental book of formidable intellectual range, animated by curiosity, moral vision, and a faith in the power of direct action -- Discussion Schedule: Incite Seminars’ Anarchist Reading Circle will meet on 12 Thursday evenings from 3-4:30 PM PST. We will not meet Thursday before Christmas or on the 2nd Thursdays of the month. [[December 2, 2021: chapter 1]]; December 16, 2021: chapter 2; December 30, 2021: chapter 3; January 6, 2022: chapter 4; January 20, 2022: chapter 5; January 27, 2022: chapter 6; February 3, 2022: chapter 7; February 17, 2022: chapter 8; February 24, 2022: chapter 9; March 3, 2022: chapter 10; March 17, 2022: chapter 11; March 24, 2022: chapter 12:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-dawn-of-everything-book-club-tickets-220990748277?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch

Thu, 12/16, 3:30 pm -- Justice Matters to US - A social justice series -- A monthly series of workshops based on the four principles of social jusitice -- Justice Matters to US is a series of curated events discussing the practice of social justice within our communities, as experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic and George Floyd uprisings. Each month will discuss 1 of the 4 principles of social justice framed around the theme of Covid-19, with community leaders, leading advocates, and creative artists. Along with conversations, there will be opportunities for interactive collaboration amongst attendees and facilitators through breakout groups -- **Human Rights** - Thurs. December 16, 2021 - Speakers: Emerald Garner, Founder of We Can't Breathe and Stanley Mark, Senior Staff Attorney at the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund -- **Equity/Diversity** - Thurs. January 13, 2022:
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/justice-matters-to-us-a-social-justice-series-tickets-221791974767?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch&keep_tld=1

Thu, 12/16, 4 pm -- All We Have is Each Other -- A live discussion with anarchist artist and illustrator N.O. Bonzo on their compelling update of Peter Kropotkin's seminal work, Mutual Aid: An Illuminated Factor of Evolution -- In his 1902 collection of essays Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution, Peter Kropotkin demonstrated that mutually beneficial cooperation and reciprocity—in both individuals and as a species—plays a far more important role in the animal kingdom and human societies than does individualized competitive struggle. Kropotkin carefully crafted his theory making the science accessible -- Every page of this new edition of Mutual Aid has been beautifully illustrated by one of anarchism’s most celebrated current artists, N.O. Bonzo. The reader will also enjoy original artwork by GATS (Graffiti Aaginst the System) and insightful commentary by David Graeber, Ruth Kinna, Andrej Grubacic, and Allan Antliff -- N.O. Bonzo is an anarchist illustrator, printmaker, and muralist based out of Portland, OR. They are the creator of Off with Their Heads: An Antifascist Coloring Book -- Peter Kropotkin (1842–1921) was the foremost theorist of the anarchist movement. Born a Russian Prince, he rejected his title to become a revolutionary, seeking a society based on freedom, equality, and solidarity. Imprisoned for his activism in Russia and France, his writings include The Conquest of Bread; Fields, Factories, and Workshops; Anarchism, Anarchist-Communism, and the State; Memoirs of a Revolutionist; and Modern Science and Anarchism. New editions of his classic works Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution; Words of a Rebel; and The Great French Revolution, 1789–1793 will be published by PM Press to commemorate his life and work on the centennial of his death:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/all-we-have-is-each-other-tickets-221584764997?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch

Thu, 12/16, 5 pm -- Modern Monetary Theory: What does it Mean? -- What is Modern Monetary Theory (MMT)? Why is it important? An introductory discussion to inform and educate on MMT -- Join us for an evening presentation and discussion with guest speaker Marc Andre Pigeon with U of S Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy and formerly assistant vice-president of public policy at the Canadian Credit Union Association -- MMT is a different way of thinking about our economy that flips the conservative & traditional arguments about government deficits suggesting the government debt is good -- For more information, see this short video discussion on the bestselling book: Deficit Myth: Modern Monetary Theory: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=modern+monetary+theory&&view=detail&mid=BD2BAE6557748427F571BD2BAE6557748427F571&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dmodern%2Bmonetary%2Btheory%26FORM%3DHDRSC3 The Eventbrite page is here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/modern-monetary-theory-what-does-it-mean-tickets-206270960997?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch&keep_tld=1


Sat, 12/18, 9 am -- Simone Weil: Radical Engagement/Mystical Refusal -- How does Weil meet the contradiction of her theological refusal of imagining a revolutionary future? -- Seminar Description: In The Unfinished Conversation, Maurice Blanchot wrote of Simone Weil, “She does not give the outward impression of having been capable of the immobility that she recommends to thought. She was rather restless,” as her organizing the unemployed of the Paris suburbs during her teaching days, joining the anarchist Durutti Column to fight in the Spanish Civil War, and distributing leaflets in Marseilles under Vichy rule attest to. This seminar will focus on Weil’s political writings, especially her engagements with Marxist, anti-fascist, and anti-colonial thinking and practice, and explicate the roots of her responses in her own idiosyncratic political mysticism. The orienting question of the seminar is the following: how does Weil’s critical account of the radical traditions she inherited meet the contradiction of her theological refusal of imagining a revolutionary future and what can it teach us about our capacities for rooted radicalism today? -- Facilitator: Scott Ritner. Scott’s research focuses on the critique of social oppression in its various contemporary forms. His scholarship is methodologically rooted in critical theory and Marxian political thought. His current work focuses on the writings of the 20th Century French radical philosopher and mystic Simone Weil. He is currently developing a book manuscript on Weil’s thought, entitled Revolutionary Pessimism: Simone Weil on Politics. Additionally, Professor Ritner is writing several independent journal articles and book chapters on the politics of listening, refugee subjectivities, precarious labor, and Simone Weil’s relationships to Marxism and feminism -- Scott received his B.A. in Government and International Relations from Clark University (2005), an M.A. in Russian Studies from the European University of Saint-Petersburg (2006), and his Ph.D. in Politics from The New School for Social Research (2018). He is currently Visiting Assistant Professor of Politics at SUNY Potsdam. with past positions at Clark, Hunter, and Temple:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/simone-weil-radical-engagementmystical-refusal-tickets-213713140757?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

Sat, 12/18, 11 am -- Rethinking Alternatives with Marx: A Panel Discussion -- Marcello Musto with Himani Bannerji, Michael Brie, Gregory Claeys, and Silvia Federici are launching "Rethinking Alternatives with Marx" -- Join Marcello Musto with Himani Bannerji, Michael Brie, Gregory Claeys, and Silvia Federici in launching "Rethinking Alternatives with Marx: Economy, Ecology, and Migration." -- This book presents a Marx that is in many ways different from the one popularized by the dominant currents of 20th century Marxism. The dual aim of this collective volume is to contribute to a new critical discussion on Marx’s critique of political economy and to develop a deeper analysis of certain questions, like ecology and migration, to which relatively little attention has been paid until recently -- This event is sponsored by the Marxist Education Project, Shelter & Solidarity, The Community Church of Boston, Encuentro5, Hardball Press, and Socialism & Democracy:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rethinking-alternatives-with-marx-a-panel-discussion-tickets-207199097077?aff=erellivmlt


Tue, 12/21, 4 pm -- Black Anarchism and Abolition -- Writer and activist William C. Anderson shares his latest work, The Nation On No Map, in conversation with feminist writer Robyn Maynard -- The Nation on No Map examines state power, abolition, and ideological tensions within the struggle for Black liberation while centering the politics of Black autonomy and self-determination. Amid renewed interest in Black anarchism among the left, Anderson offers a principled rejection of reformism, nation building, and citizenship in the ongoing fight against capitalism and white supremacism. As a viable alternative amidst worsening social conditions, he calls for the urgent prioritization of community-based growth, arguing that in order to overcome oppression, people must build capacity beyond the state -- William C. Anderson is a writer and activist from Birmingham, Alabama. His work has appeared in the Guardian, MTV, Truthout, British Journal of Photography, and Pitchfork, among others. He is the co-author of the book As Black as Resistance (AK Press 2018) and co-founder of Offshoot Journal. He also provides creative direction as one of the producers of the Black Autonomy Podcast. His writings have been included in the anthologies, Who Do You Serve, Who Do You Protect? (Haymarket 2016) and No Selves to Defend (Mariame Kaba 2014) -- Robyn Maynard is a Black feminist scholar based in Toronto. She is the author of Policing Black Lives: State violence in Canada from slavery to the present, published with Fernwood Publishing in 2017. She is the co-author, with Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, of Rehearsals for Living, an epistolary text that explores the local and global dimensions of abolitionist and anti-colonial thought from Black and Indigenous feminist perspectives, forthcoming with Knopf (Canada) and Haymarket's Abolitionist Papers series (US) in June of 2022. Her work has also appeared in the Toronto Star, the Montréal Gazette, Scholar & Feminist, and has been translated into French and German:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/black-anarchism-and-abolition-tickets-221547764327?aff=erellivmlt

Tue, 12/21, 4:30 pm through 2/22, 6 pm -- Commune, Council, Party: Marxism and Direct Democracy (online seminar) -- 10-week online course examining Marxism, direct democracy, and revolutionary strategy -- In his life, Karl Marx plunged himself into popular struggles for democracy. He was a participant in the revolutions of 1848 and championed the sweeping democratization of society for the rest of his life. Even so, he rarely saw the particulars of democratic political structure as worthwhile to discuss in any detail, and his disciples among subsequent generations of revolutionaries had to bridge the ambiguities of Marx’s political theory with the practical necessity of determining how power is to be organized in real movements seeking to change the world. How and to what extent should the ideas, goals, and desires of ordinary working people be translated into political action? And through what institutional means? These matters are inescapable and occupy center stage in the politics of social ecology, yet revolutionaries and Marxists in particular have struggled with them; indeed, the British Marxist Ralph Milliband observed that “the exercise of socialist power remains the Achilles’ heel of Marxism.” -- We will explore Marxist thought and practice through history as it grapples with this fundamental question: what are the political forms of the class struggle?—and do some grappling with it ourselves. Marxist theory may not have produced the most definitive answers, but its contradictions and its tensions with direct democratic practice are so fruitful in helping us think through these problems ourselves, especially when put in conversation with the core insights of social ecology. A primary goal of the course is for participants to challenge and rethink our ideas through discussion and reading of works spanning one hundred and fifty years of radical thought on revolution, political power, class struggle, and democracy -- Instructor: Mason Herson-Hord -- Hosted by the Institute for Social Ecology:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/commune-council-party-marxism-and-direct-democracy-online-seminar-tickets-203589841697?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch


Wed, 12/22, 7 pm -- World Literature Book Group -- World Literature is a member-led Book Group. A Mechanics' Institute librarian is on hand to facilitate, make announcements, and partake in the discussion -- The order of books and meeting dates around holidays are subject to change. Meetings take place virtually on Zoom. Find out what we're reading: 2021 Dec 22 Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe - leader: Pete; 2022: Jan 12 The Friend by Sigrid Nunez - leader: Frances; Jan 26 Ironweed by William Kennedy - leader: Jean:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/world-literature-book-group-tickets-174369823837?aff=ebdsoporgprofile


Wed, 12/29, 3:45 pm -- "Notes of a Native Son" by James Baldwin -- Virtual small group book discussion of "Notes of a Native Son" by James Baldwin -- All are welcome. This is a virtual event that begins at 3:45 pm Pacific Time (6:45pm Eastern Time). We will use Zoom breakout rooms during the meeting for small group discussion. Please read the entire book -- Please purchase and read/listen to "Notes of a Native Son" by James Baldwin before our virtual meeting on Wednesday, December 29th -- "In an age of Black Lives Matter, James Baldwin's essays on life in Harlem, the protest novel, movies, and African Americans abroad are as powerful today as when they were first written. With films like I Am Not Your Negro and the forthcoming If Beale Street Could Talk bringing renewed interest to Baldwin's life and work, Notes of a Native Son serves as a valuable introduction." -- Please purchase and read/listen to "Notes of a Native Son" by James Baldwin before our virtual meeting on Wednesday, December 29th:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/notes-of-a-native-son-by-james-baldwin-tickets-126727614707?aff=erellivmlt

Wed, 12/29, 5 pm -- Climate Book Club -- Last Wednesday of the Month -- Join in reading books about economic and environmental impacts of climate change and the potential solutions for solving the climate crisis! -- The goal of Climate Book Club is to build literacy around the environment and climate change to help you continue the conversation with your community. No expertise required. We will be reading and learning together! -- Climate book club is open to the public! You do not need to be a member of Citizens’ Climate Lobby to attend -- DECEMBER 2021: Don’t Even Think About It: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Ignore Climate Change by George Marshall (2015):
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/climate-book-club-registration-123197074767?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch&keep_tld=1


Fri, 1/7, 5 pm -- Catching Up on the Classics Book Club -- Join this monthly online book club and catch up on those classics you've been meaning to read -- Do you want to be more well-read but lack the motivation? Join this brand new group of classic lit enthusiasts for a fun, monthly, online discussion. We meet on the first Friday of every month. Grab your favorite beverage and join the discussion from your comfiest chair -- All are welcome. You don't have to be from a specific area or belong to any organization to join like most book clubs here. The only requirement is a love of classic books -- After you sign up for your free ticket, you will receive a confirmation email with a link to sign up for our message board. You must sign up there to receive the meeting link -- January 7, 2022 - 1984 by George Orwell:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/catching-up-on-the-classics-book-club-tickets-136051298095?aff=erelpanelorg

Fri, 1/7, 5;30 pm -- 2022 FEMINIST EDUCATION SERIES: Our Radical Feminist Roots -- Feminists in Struggle Feminist Education Series: Our Radical Feminist Roots, 2nd & 4th Fridays of the month starting in January 2022 -- Feminists in Struggle (FIST) presents our women-only Feminist Education Series (part one): OUR RADICAL FEMINIST ROOTS from January through August 0f 2022 -- We will be reading and discussing articles and books and viewing movies from our feminist herstory covering both the First and Second Waves of Feminism. There will be brief presentations and small group discussions at each session to raise consciousness and build sisterhood. We are also presenting two panels of "veterans" from the Feminist Movement sharing their experiences and where we should go from here -- The sessions will occur on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of every month on zoom: 5:30 to 7:30 Pacific, 7:30 to 9:30 Central, and 8:30 to 10:30 Eastern. Copies of many of the written materials will be provided. We will also make suggestions about where other books and materials may be obtained free or at a reasonable price -- Knowledge is power! Please join us! -- Free for dues-paying FIST members // $25 for non-members // $15 low income - PRICES ARE FOR THE WHOLE SERIES -- Here is the schedule: January 7, 2022 A Vindication of the Rights of Women by Mary Wollstonecraft, 1790; Declaration of Sentiments, Seneca Falls Convention Statement, 1848 -- January 21, 2020 Movie showing: Not for Ourselves Alone (part 1), PBS -- February 11, 2022 The Second Sex, by Simone de Beauvior, 1949 -- February 25, 2022 Movie Showing: The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter, 1980 -- March 11, 2022 The Power of History by Kathie Sarachild, 1975; Goodbye to All That by Robin Morgan, 1970; Redstockings Manifesto, Redstockings, 1968; Double Jeopardy, to be Black and Female, by Frances Beal, 1969 -- March 25, 2022, Movie showing: She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry, Mary Dore, 2014 -- April 8, 2022 The Dialectic of Sex by Shulamith Firestone, 1970 -- April 22, 2022 Movie Showing: Jane, An Abortion Service, Women Make Movies, 1996 -- Please see the Eventbrite page for May through August:
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/2022-feminist-education-series-our-radical-feminist-roots-tickets-218762784377?aff=erellivmlt&keep_tld=1


Mon, 1/10, 10 am -- Reading Group: for generations that are yet to be born -- Join artist and Bluecoat Project Curator Katherine Ka Yi Liu 廖加怡 for a restorative online reading group -- This group is a safe platform for collective reading and sharing. It holds space for care and encourages the practice of reading together as a form of survival, resistance and healing under our current post-lockdown but still in pandemic condition -- In the first few sessions, the group will be focusing on exploring different chapters from All About Love: New Visions (Love Song to the Nation) (2000) by African-American scholar and activist bell hooks. Each chapter deconstructs and reframes our assumptions about “love” as a primarily romantic emotion and how love became a "cliché", instead it reconnects us to love that is redemptive, and healing; an understanding of love that in Covid times we need more than ever -- Join us regularly each month or drop in for one session. No need to complete the reading beforehand, there will be time to read each chapter at the beginning of the group and time for discussion after. Free, booking required -- Schedule: Monday 10 January 22 - all about love, chapter 12, Healing: Redemptive Love Monday 14 February 22- all about love, chapter 8, Community: Loving Communion Monday 14 March 22 - all about love, chapter 4, Commitment: Let Love be Be Love in Me:
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/reading-group-for-generations-that-are-yet-to-be-born-mon-10-jan-21-tickets-216855258917?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch&keep_tld=1


Tue, 1/11, 11 am -- Future Book Club #24 - Sand Talk by Tyson Yunkaporta -- Each month, we choose a book in line with our Alphabet of Climate Solutions. A monthly exploration of solutions for the climate crisis -- Join us for our 24th bookclub, where we discuss Sand Talk by Tyson Yunkaporta -- About the book: This remarkable book is about everything from echidnas to evolution, cosmology to cooking, sex and science and spirits to Schrödinger’s cat -- Tyson Yunkaporta looks at global systems from an Indigenous perspective. He asks how contemporary life diverges from the pattern of --creation. How does this affect us? How can we do things differently? -- Sand Talk provides a template for living. It’s about how lines and symbols and shapes can help us make sense of the world. It’s about how we learn and how we remember. It’s about talking to everybody and listening carefully. It’s about finding different ways to look at things -- Most of all, it's about Indigenous thinking, and how it can save the world:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/future-book-club-24-sand-talk-by-tyson-yunkaporta-tickets-199644721737?aff=ebdsoporgprofile


Wed, 1/12, 10:30 am -- The Dawn of Everything - A New History of Humanity -- David Wengrow, the collaborator of the late, legendary anthropologist David Graeber, joins Yanis Varoufakis to overturn everything you think you know about the history of human civilisation -- We all know how the story of humankind begins. Our remote ancestors were primitive and childlike, living in egalitarian hunter-gatherer bands. Then came farming and property, priests and kings, wealth and its unavoidable consequence: inequality -- But what if everything we thought we knew about the origins of human civilisation is a myth? -- Drawing on cutting edge archaeological evidence, the late David Graeber and his collaborator David Wengrow have told an ambitious and revelatory new history of the world – one that overturns the notion of Rosseau’s innocent Noble Savage and the ‘nasty, brutish and short’ lives of Thomas Hobbes alike -- Now, in conversation with former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, David Wengrow will take us from egalitarian early cities in Mexico and Mesopotamia to part-time kings and queens in Ice Age Europe, and challenge our assumptions about the origins of cities, democracy, slavery, and civilisation itself -- This livestream event will transform your understanding of our past and offer a powerful, playful, and extraordinarily original vision of our future -- Yanis Varoufakis is the author of the bestselling Talking to My Daughter: A Brief History of Capitalism and two previous books. Born in Athens in 1961, Yanis Varoufakis was for many years a professor of economics in Britain, Australia and the USA before he entered politics. He is co-founder of the international grassroots movement, DiEM25, and in 2019 won election as one of its representatives in the Greek Parliament. He is currently Professor of Economics at the University of Athens -- David Wengrow is a professor of comparative archaeology at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London, and has been a visiting professor at New York University. He is the author of three books, including What Makes Civilization? Wengrow conducts archaeological fieldwork in various parts of Africa and the Middle East:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-dawn-of-everything-a-new-history-of-humanity-tickets-220750509717?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch&keep_tld=1

Wed, 1/12, 4 pm -- Book Discussion on Climate Justice by Mary Robinson -- Humanitarian Mary Robinson shares true, painful & exulting stories, depicting how human rights and climate change are inextricably linked -- The Grand Rapids Citizens’ Climate Lobby Environmental Justice committee is hosting a book discussion of Mary Robinson's book Climate Justice: Hope, Resilience, and the Fight for a Sustainable Future. This is the first book in a two book discussion series. You may sign up for one or both books -- The discussion of Climate Justice will take place on two Wednesday evenings in January over Zoom -- January 12th, chapters 1-5 -- January 26th, chapters 6-10 -- Registering for this event will provide you access to both January sessions:
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/book-discussion-on-climate-justice-by-mary-robinson-tickets-221145170157?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch&keep_tld=1





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