a day of mutual learning and exchange hosted by The Commune, 20th February, London. This will now take place at The Arbour, 100 Shandy St, London E1 4ST.
We believe that most of the left has a pretty poor record on gender. Even if overt sexism is less common than in the past, informal hierarchies and alienated, gendered relations run rampant. But this practice can – and must – change if we are ever going to revolutionise society.
As against swallowing the old left traditions, we believe it is important that the left critically reappraise our theory, practice and organisation in the light of socialist feminist politics, as well as the experience of working women’s struggles more broadly.
This is not a day for The Commune to lay down any ‘party line’, but rather to create a space for discussion of the insights of anti-capitalist feminism and the inter-relation between class and gender struggles. We hope to exchange ideas in a participatory, un-dogmatic and inclusive manner. We have planned three workshops.
11-12:30: Women, crisis and cuts
A discussion of the re-shaping of women’s role in the workplace and reproducing society: what does this tell us about the intentions of the Coalition cuts agenda and how we should resist it? What can we learn from struggles such as the women who seized the factories in Argentina following the 2001 crisis?
1:30-3: Anti-capitalist feminism and the revolutionary left
Many far-left groups are ridden with hierarchy and dogma, in glaring contradiction with their emancipatory goals. What is the anti-capitalist feminist critique of the way the left groups operate? Potentially worthwhile background reading: Beyond the Fragments.
3:30-5: Doing things differently
Most of the ‘leaders’ of the left and workers’ movement are men. But what about struggles where women play the leading role? Why and how are these organised differently? We have invited speakers involved in the anti-capitalist feminist movement and housing campaigns to lead off this workshop.
11-5pm, Sunday 20th February at The Arbour, 100 Shandy St, London E1 4ST, near Stepney Green tube. All welcome: we will be offering childcare provision. For further info, or to register your interest, email us at uncaptiveminds@gmail.com.
the commune 