If you are in Melbourne over Easter, don’t miss out on this fabulous conference! 4 Days of political debate, discussion and activism! Marxism 2014 is Australia’s biggest left wing conference. This year’s conference features speakers from the USA, Lebanon, Greece, Mauritius, West Papua, the Philippines and Australia. I will be speaking at the conference as part of the “Against Empire” stream – my presentation is on the 1936 Palestinian General Strike and Revolt. There will also be sessions on Aboriginal and Indigenous struggle in Australia; Gender and Sexuality; Labour History and Worker’s Rights; Philosophy; Forgotten Revolutionaries and the Environment.
The Marxism conference is Socialist Alternative’s annual conference dedicated to left wing debate and discussion. Marxism 2014 will take place over the Easter Weekend of 2014, from Thursday 17th April to Sunday 20th April at Melbourne University. The 2013 conference gathered over a thousand activists, writers, unionists, artists and socialists from across Australia and the world to discuss and debate ideas to change the world. With over 70 sessions on topics as diverse as the theory of imperialism to Australian labour history the 2014 conference is bound to be an unmissable event.
Check out the Marxism 2014 website here, along with the full program and list of speakers.
This year’s conferences features:
US hip-hop artist and activist Boots Riley, one of the most influential radical American musicians of the past two decades. He has been involved in many campaigns for social justice in his local community in Oakland, California, recently playing a leading role in the Occupy movement in the city.
Gary Foley, a legendary Aboriginal activist, writer, actor, teacher, story teller and historian. He is a prominent figure in the history of Aboriginal resistance in Australia.
Gilbert Achcar, Professor of Development Studies and International Relations at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) of the University of London. A committed socialist, antiwar activist and author, He authored many books among which The Clash of Barbarisms: The Making of the New World Disorder (2002, 2nd ed. 2006), translated into thirteen languages; Perilous Power: The Middle East and US Foreign Policy, coauthored with Noam Chomsky (2007, 2nd ed. 2008); the critically acclaimed The Arabs and the Holocaust:The Arab-Israeli War of Narratives (2010); and most recently The People Want: A Radical Exploration of the Arab Uprisingand Marxism, Orientalism, Cosmopolitanism, both published in 2013.
Also happening at the conference is Radical Reels and the School of Rebellion:
Radical Reels: a film festival taking place during the conference, featuring inspiring documentaries of struggle and resistance around the world. All screenings will include a Q&A session with people involved in the film. Check out the full film program here
School of Rebellion: The second School of Rebellion will take place over the weekend of Marxism 2014. School of Rebellion ’13 saw over 30 children and young people participate in a variety of classes designed to challenge the dominant mode of education. The School of Rebellion isn’t framed by competition but by solidarity – its aim is to encourage constructive, collective and organised rebellion. The School of Rebellion isn’t about testing and ‘achievement’ but about learning and agency. It’s not a school, like every other, where education is bound to commerce and productivity but rather one where knowledge and learning are connected to justice and authentic democracy.
Red Butterfly Effect 