Online events with John Bellamy Foster, Jodi Dean, Margaret Kimberley, David Wengrow, etc.

Upcoming Online Events:

"Now', plus Wed, 5/18 to Sat, 5/21 -- Reimagining our Worlds from Below: Transnational Conversations on Resistance, Movements, and Transformations -- The COVID-19 pandemic has made more evident persistent, systemic inequalities that are rooted in and shaped by ideological, economic, political, social, and cultural structures. However, there are other transnational concerns that exacerbate these inequalities, including dwindling natural resources, expanding conflicts, increasing authoritarianism, and widening wealth gaps. Amid all these, a deeper awareness of the damage of colonial and imperialistic histories is emerging, making obvious that Western/Euro/American-centric solutions are no longer viable, and are, in fact, sources of social problem -- We are reimagining forms of resistance, movements, and solutions to the unconscionable historic and existential challenges we face on our planet. We warmly invite you to join the conversation -- Panel Sessions: Scholars, organizers, policy analysts and activists from all over the globe have submitted presentations about important social issues facing our world. Each panel is available now for you to view the presentations and join in the online discussion -- In addition, select panels will offer live virtual discussions, available via zoom, on May 18-21. These discussions will assume that attendees are familiar with the panel presentations:
https://ejcj.orfaleacenter.ucsb.edu/transnational-conversations/


Wed, 5/4, 3 pm -- The Great Experiment: A Persuasion Book Talk with Yascha Mounk -- Join Persuasion for a talk with Yascha Mounk on his book, The Great Experiment: Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure -- Yascha Mounk is the founder and editor-in-chief of Persuasion, and one of the world's leading experts on the crisis of liberal democracy and the rise of populism. His new book is The Great Experiment: Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure. He is also Associate Professor of International Affairs at Johns Hopkins University and contributing editor at The Atlantic -- Join the Persuasion community for a book talk with Mounk, whose optimistic case in a pessimistic time posits how western liberal democracies can solve their internal divisions and emerge stronger, and more aligned with their values, than before ---- A destructive narrative of 'us versus them’ still prevails: Formerly subjugated groups want to triumph over their historical oppressors in an all-out struggle for power; while socially dominant groups seek ways to cling to power and maintain their privilege -- As western societies become ever more diverse, Mounk will explain, they are faced with the challenge of creating something that has never before been achieved – democracies that offer true equality to all. And he will offer practical guidance to show how, while acknowledging the injustices of the past, we can move from mutual hostility towards conciliation and cooperation -- Join us and learn how despite our racial and religious differences we can build fair and thriving democracies for all:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-great-experiment-a-persuasion-book-talk-with-yascha-mounk-tickets-295421753417?aff=erellivmlt&keep_tld=1


Thu, 5/5, 5 pm -- Launch of Insurrectionary Uprisings: A Reader in Revolutionary Nonviolence and Decolonization -- A compendium of essays that explore what it will take to win a world based on love and justice -- The discussion features: Joyce Ajlouny (Palestine), General Secretary of the American Friends Service Committee -- Hakim Williams (Trinidad), Professor and founder, Consortium of North American Peace Programs -- in conversation with: The editors: Wende Marshall and Matt Meyer -- Moderated by Firoze Manji, Publisher, Daraja Press -- Sponsored by American Friends Service Committee, Consortium of North American Peace Programs, International Peace Research Association, and Daraja Press:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/launch-of-insurrectionary-uprisings-a-reader-in-revolutionary-nonviolence-tickets-300101621027?aff=erellivmlt&keep_tld=1


Fri, 5/6, 9 am -- Ukraine, Russia, NATO, & Anti-Imperialism Today -- Join Salvage and Haymarket Books for a discussion of the war in Ukraine and how the international left should respond -- We are joined by the Russian socialist and anti-war activist Ilya Matveev—co-founder of openleft.ru—and Ukrainian sociologist Voldoymyr Ishchenko, for a special edition of Salvage Live on the war in Ukraine -- How did we get to this crisis? What might the future hold? How secure is Putin? Does this mark the passing of unipolar American hegemony, or not, and how should we understand imperialism today? As rival blocs spread carnage, socialist internationalism once again issues an urgent call to save the world from the flames -- Speakers: Ilya Matveev is a researcher and lecturer formerly based in St Petersburg, Russia. He is a founding editor of Openleft.ru and a member of the research group Public Sociology Laboratory -- Volodymyr Ishchenko is Ukrainian sociologist based in Germany. He has published articles and interviews in the Guardian and New Left Review -- Barnaby Raine is writing his PhD at Columbia University on visions of ending capitalism. He teaches at the Brooklyn Institute for Social Research:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ukraine-russia-nato-anti-imperialism-today-tickets-288712375487?aff=ebdsoporgprofile


Sat, 5/7, 11 am -- The Marx Revival: John Bellamy Foster and Marcello Musto -- The Marx Revival: Key Concepts and New Interpretations -- A focus on Ecology with John Bellamy Foster and a presentation on Communism with Marcello Musto -- “Scornful neglect and intemperate hostility, haughty dismissal and marginal course adoption, selective co-optation and selective bowdlerization: these are some of the strategies of establishment intellectuals over the years in response to the challenger of the thinker born 204 years ago in Trier. Yet, here we are near the beginning of the third decade of the 21st century, and it sometimes seems that Karl Marx’s ideas have never been as topical, or as commanding of respect and interest, as they are today.” —Marcello Musto, from the Preface, The Marx Revival -- John Bellamy Foster is the editor of Monthly Review and is also Professor of Sociology at the University of Oregon. John is the author of the forthcoming Ecology in the Anthropocene (Monthly Review Press), the editor of works by Istvan Mészáros. He has written many books including The Robbery of Nature (with Brett Clark) and The Return of Nature, which won the Deutscher Memorial prize -- Marcello Musto is co-editor of the Marx, Engels, Marxisms series of works with Palgrave Macmillan and is Associate Professor of Sociological Theory at York University. Marcello has authored and edited many volumes including Another Marx: Early Manuscripts to the International, The Last Years of Karl Marx: An Intellectual Biography, and Karl Marx’s Writings on Alienation -- Select ticket via the plus sign ("+") at the bottom of this page:
https://marxedproject.org/event/the-marx-revival-john-bellamy-foster-and-marcello-musto/


Sun, 5/9, 5 pm -- The Left Unity Slate and the June 7 Election Members from the Green Party of California and the Peace and Freedom Party have joined together to create a Left Unity Slate of statewide candidates for the upcoming June 7 election. This historic decision was based on the many shared values between the Green and Peace and Freedom parties. Among these values are guaranteed access to healthcare, also known as expanded and improved Medicare For All, truly affordable housing, union-wage jobs, public ownership of energy, ending wars for profit, and a comprehensive climate plan, including a just transition to one hundred percent renewables -- This evening, four of the Left Unity Slate candidates will discuss their campaigns, Left Unity, the election, and politics in California and beyond: Meghann Adams for Treasurer, Mohammad Arif for Lieutenant Governor, Gary Blenner for Secretary of State, and Laura Wells for Controller. Please join us for this groundbreaking, first-ever panel of Left Unity Slate statewide candidates: -- Meghann Adams has been a school bus driver for 7 years, and last year was elected president of SMART 1741, the union representing school bus drivers in San Francisco and San Mateo counties. A socialist, Adams considers capitalism the reason why poverty is still so common today -- Mohammad Arif, is the Kern County Chair of the Peace and Freedom Party. He has worked as a legal administrator for law firms to handle the legal needs of immigrants for many years. He speaks English, Punjabi, Urdu, and Hindi, with some Arabic -- Gary Blenner has been a social science high school teacher for the past 28 years. In 2006 (as a registered Green) Gary got elected as a trustee to the Center Joint Unified School District school board. His current campaign for California Secretary of State focuses in on electoral reform and corporate accountability -- Laura Wells is a political activist in California and in solidarity with Latin America. She has been an organizer and a candidate for the Green Party, and is running again for state Controller in 2022. She also ran for Congress in 2018, and governor after the global financial meltdown in 2010:
https://acgreens.wordpress.com/2022/05/01/green-sunday-may-8th-530-pm-the-left-unity-slate-and-the-june-7-election/


Tue, 5/10, 11 am -- CLIMATE STRIKE by Derek Wall -- Capitalism is the problem. Anticapitalism is the solution -- Join Derek Wall, Amelia Womack & Jodi Dean as they discuss how climate change is a product of the entire social and economic system within which we exist, in a word, capitalism. Tune in as they explore what we can do now, to at least slow rising emissions? -- Derek Wall is the former International Coordinator of the Green Party of England and Wales. He teaches political economy at Goldsmiths College and is the author of twelve books -- Amelia Womack has been deputy leader of the Green Party for three years. She has worked across the country, visiting hundreds of local campaigns, events and organisations. She works to raise awareness of local issues while campaigning for change on a national level. She was elected in 2014 at the age of 29, while still a member of the Young Greens, and has used this platform to highlight problems affecting young people, from tuition fees to zero hour contracts. She holds a BSc in Environmental Biology and MSc in Environmental Technology. She works across a wide range of social and environmental issues, with a particular focus on women’s rights, flooding, climate change and community resilience -- Jodi Dean is a political theorist and organizer in upstate NY. Her books include The Communist Horizon, Crowds and Party, and Comrade: An Essay on Political Belonging, all published by Verso:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/climate-strike-by-derek-wall-tickets-300838765847?aff=ebdsoporgprofile


Wed, 5/11, 11 am to Sat, 5/21, 1 pm -- Together We Can Summit -- Join us for our 10-day Summit to celebrate and super-charge the power of communities to reimagine and rebuild our world -- Following last year's 'What Next?' Summit, join us for 'Together We Can' to unleash the power of what we can do and be together -- Brought to you by Transition Together, which supports and connects Transition groups in England and Wales, our programme is bursting with mind-watering talks, practical skillshares and spaces to connect. Access them all by registering for a full Summit Ticket now -- Our fantastic contributors include Sherri Mitchell, George Monbiot, Syd Yang, Jon Alexander, Daniel Christian Wahl, Hannah Peel, Rob Hopkins and more -- There are three vital strands woven throughout the Summit: Nurture is designed to nourish and sustain you. It’s been a tough time - we’ve all felt the strain of helping ourselves and others through. Here is the chance to explore and grow your own resilience, to find space to process and for mutual support -- Build will equip your group to realise their goals. Explore how to involve new people, bring social justice into your work and sustain your impact. Expect ‘how to’ workshops that will be insightful, participatory and tailormade for Transition groups -- Inspire offers a window on a better future already being crafted by communities today. Real stories that remind us what transformational change is possible through community action. This strand will put the fire back in your belly, the spring back in your step and the hope back in your activism -- More info and a link to the programme is on the Eventbrite page, here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/together-we-can-summit-tickets-299106695177?aff=ebdsoporgprofile


Thu, 5/12, 11 am -- Envisioning an Ecological Civilization – with Jeremy Lent -- Our civilization is currently hurtling headlong toward catastrophe, as a result of climate breakdown, ecological overshoot, and gaping inequalities. Redirecting humanity’s trajectory will require transformation at a foundational level: moving from a wealth-based, extractive civilization to one that is life-affirming—an Ecological Civilization -- An Ecological Civilization represents an exciting potential future of human flourishing on a regenerated Earth. It would require a transformation of our current economy, politics, and mainstream culture, leading to a fundamentally different civilization based of different values, goals, and collective behavior. It is a vision deeply aligned with the values of the Earth Charter, and with life-affirming groups worldwide—Indigenous, political, community-based, and spiritual—and one that belongs to us all -- In this Masterclass, author Jeremy Lent will share the inspiring vision of an Ecological Civilization, and describe what it might look like in practice. He will show how, while the vision might seem a long way off, it may be closer than many people realize:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/envisioning-an-ecological-civilization-with-jeremy-lent-tickets-245889140037?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

Thu, 5/12, 2 pm -- Celebrating the Release of Glen Ford's The Black Agenda with Author Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist -- It is pleasure for us to shine light on the contributions of Glen Ford, in an event to celebrate his book The Black Agenda Report. We are happy to present this event during the release week of the book with Margaret Kimberley, who worked with Glen Ford at The Black Agenda Report since the publication's beginning -- Black politics are key to recognizing the most important social dynamics of the United States. Over the past forty years, no commentator has been as deeply insightful about the paradoxes and personalities of Black American public life as the journalist and radio host Glen Ford -- In this stunning overview, Ford draws from his work for Black Agenda Report, one of the most incisive and perceptive publications of the progressive left, to examine competing struggles for class power and identity in the Black movement. In a survey stretching from the violent gentrification of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, through the engineered bankruptcy of Detroit, to the “more effective evil” of the Obama presidency, Ford casts a caustic eye on the empty posturing and corruption of the Democratic Party. This, he insists, depends on a Black constituency for electoral success, while using a co-opted “Black misleadership class” to sell out working people’s interests -- Profiling along the way storied Black leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Brown (for whom Ford once worked), The Black Agenda looks, too, beyond American shores, at US intervention in Libya, the Congo and the Middle East, showing how these are imbricated with racism at home. Ford concludes with a discussion of the Black Lives Matter movement, setting out both its pitfalls and potentialities -- About the Author: Glen Ford, who died in July 2021, was executive director of Black Agenda Report and was previously co-founder of BlackCommentator.com. He had extensive experience in radio and television, where he launched influential programming such as America’s Black Forum, the first nationally syndicated Black news interview program on commercial television, and Rap It Up. Ford was national political columnist for Encore American & Worldwide News magazine and the author of The Big Lie: An Analysis of U.S. Media -- Event Guest: Margaret Kimberley is a New York-based writer and activist for peace and justice issues. Dr. Cornel West has called her “one of the few great truth tellers who, along with Glen Ford, Adolph Reed, Jr. and Bruce Dixon, preserved her integrity during the Obama years.” She is the executive editor and senior columnist for Black Agenda Report. She has been a columnist since its inception in 2006. Her work has appeared in the Dallas Morning News, Consortium News, American Herald Tribune and CounterPunch. She is a contributor to the anthology In Defense of Julian Assange. She is a graduate of Williams College and lives in New York City:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/celebrating-the-release-of-glen-fords-the-black-agenda-tickets-322906892207?aff=ebdsoporgprofile


Sat, 5/14, 8:45 am -- A Conversation with David Wengrow, co-Author of "The Dawn of Everything" -- David Wengrow to discuss key themes from "The Dawn Of Everything" - Free Online Event hosted by Prefigurative Education Project -- The Prefigurative Education Project (PEP) is pleased to announce that it will host a conversation with David Wengrow – co-author of the international bestseller The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity -- This event, a live Q&A with the author, will seek to contextualize the big ideas of The Dawn of Everything in a way that seeks to understand “how we got stuck, and why these days we can hardly envisage our own past or future as anything other than a transition from smaller to larger cages.” We will also explore the ways in which we might use some of the concepts from The Dawn of Everything to become unstuck, and to both imagine and work toward a brighter and more liberatory future -- The event is free to attend but registration is required – space is limited -- The Dawn of Everything is an ambitious work that challenges the prevailing understandings of how history unfolds. Its authors, David Wengrow and David Graeber, sustain an argument that human history doesn’t march in a stepwise, linear fashion with an inexorable endpoint embodied by our current forms of economic and social relations. Rather, they argue, there is an incredible range of ways in which humans have chosen to organize themselves, and examination of this diversity shatters many foundational myths regarding how we got where we are and what types of relational potentialities exist for humanity -- David Wengrow is a British archaeologist and Professor of Comparative Archaeology at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London. He is the author of three books and numerous academic articles on topics including the origins of writing, ancient art, Neolithic societies, and the emergence of the first states in Egypt and Mesopotamia -- His co-author, David Graeber, was an American anthropologist and anarchist activist. His influential work in economic anthropology, particularly his books Debt: The First 5,000 Years (2011) and Bullshit Jobs (2018), and his leading role in the Occupy movement, earned him recognition as one of the foremost anthropologists and left-wing thinkers of his time -- About PEP -- PEP is an independent political education initiative centered around liberation, freedom, and the maximization of human potential and well-being. For more information please visit https://prefigurativeeducationproject.org --
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-conversation-with-david-wengrow-co-author-of-the-dawn-of-everything-tickets-298488315587?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch


Mon, 5/16, 3 pm -- Solidarity Economy Series: Cooperatives | Collectives | Mutual Aid | + More -- In this 3-part series, we will learn, support, & build economies that prioritize the wellbeing of people and the planet, over profit -- Solidarity Economy Series: In this three-part program we will explore forms of economy and community building that prioritizes the wellbeing of people and the planet over profit -- What steps can we take to perpetuate a world based on cooperation, solidarity, and sustainability? How can we build community wealth for all workers and beyond? -- Objectives: Redefine what is commonly understood as Economy, and highlight its relationship with Ecology -- Develop skills in critical thinking, problem solving, leadership, teamwork, and economic literacy -- Identify solutions: models, practices, and stories that can help our local workforces -- Identify problems within our local workforce & economies -- Map and engage economic assets throughout the city that emphasize cooperation, sustainability and participation -- Strengthen the local solidarity economy -- Solidarity Economy III: Building Practices - In this workshop we will recognize what other economic models might help support our community's wellbeing and how we might work together to build and sustain them:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/solidarity-economy-series-cooperatives-collectives-mutual-aid-more-tickets-256358624547?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch