Wednesday December 15th, 2010 7:30 PM
Brecht Forum: Strategic Visions Series Labor & Social Transformation
We are facing multiple crises–financial, social, economic, ecological, cultural…–but progressive forces are very much on the defensive. How do we forge a new politics that puts labor rights and human needs first? Panelists could be asked to draw from their own thinking and experience.
Online Features
The Neoliberal Crisis and the Open University
Michael CohenBy now we should all recognize the global economic effects of neoliberalism. David Harvey reminds us that free market policies have led, first and foremost, to a dramatic class realignment in which the relative egalitarianism of the post-World War … Continue reading “The Neoliberal Crisis and the Open University”
Towards a Politics of Solidarity
Social Text CollectiveThe call for proposals for next year’s Left Forum is now out. The Forum will take place March 18-20, 2011, at Pace University in New York. Click here for more information.
X-Ray of Civilization
Leon Hilton
David Wojnarowicz and the Politics of Representation Discussed: “Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture,” National Portrait Gallery, Washington DC. October 30, 2000 through February 13, 2011. David Wojnarowicz often said that he wanted his art to be an “X-Ray of … Continue reading “X-Ray of Civilization”
Letter from Italy
Ashley DawsonThe Berlusconi government seems to be on its last legs here in Italy, but somehow the old Mephistopheles seems to keep controlling the show — apparently bribery as well as arm-twisting has been involved. Meanwhile, in Torino, where I’m teaching … Continue reading “Letter from Italy”
The Dramatic Face of Wikileaks
Biella ColemanWikileaks: It has caused a firestorm of debate among very different sectors of the population and about different topics: from the state of journalism (is it broken is it not?); to how much secrecy is acceptable for diplomatic negotiations, the … Continue reading “The Dramatic Face of Wikileaks”
UK Higher Education cuts and Student Occupations
Tariq JazeelAs many will already know, following the UK Con-dem government’s Comprehensive Spending Review, universities in the UK are facing massive cuts to their core funding. Coupled with this, parliament will be voting next week on a bill that will enable … Continue reading “UK Higher Education cuts and Student Occupations”
Comrades in the Barrio
Nicholas Gamso
Reviewed: Fernandes, Sujatha. Who Can Stop the Drums?: Urban Social Movements in Chávez’s Venezuela (Durham: Duke Univeristy Press, 2010) Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez is known for his popularity among the urban poor: they’ve provided a major voting bloc in three victorious national … Continue reading “Comrades in the Barrio”
HBO's postcolonial melancholic
Tavia Nyong'oSeason Three of HBO’s therapy verite series is now airing, so of course I am glued to the tube. This season’s analysands — whose sessions grants us a fly-on-the-wall view of — are especially engrossing. Jesse, the promiscuous, talented gay teen; Frances, the narcissistic mid-career actress; and Sunil, the postcolonial melancholic.
Social Text Special Issue 104: Introduction
Social Text CollectiveThe cover article and accompanying special report in the September 9, 2010 issue of The Economist, “A Latin American Decade?” somewhat tentatively hail renewed ties between the region and the “developed” world after attempts to foster national industries and intraregional integration “have stagnated or fallen apart.” Not surprisingly, the ties that matter to the magazine derive from market-oriented reforms and commodity-driven booms that are “starting to attract increased interest from outsiders.” Despite a pattern of similar claims about foreign interest that began around 1492, The Economist knows what it sees: the transnational moment has arrived.
Queer Liberalism and the Racialization of Intimacy
Social Text CollectiveThis talk, drawn from David L. Eng’s recent book The Feeling of Kinship, has been canceled and will be re-scheduled for 2011.
Affective Tendencies: Bodies, Pleasures, Sexualities
Social Text CollectiveOctober 7th – 9th
ST Collective members David Eng and Jasbir Puar will be among the Keynote Speakers.
Curtis Jackson and the Jeweled Skull
Chris Randle
It’s hard to say that someone had a bad year because they made fewer millions than usual. And it’s even harder to pity 50 Cent under any circumstances. But still, 2009 was rough on the hip-hop superstar otherwise known as … Continue reading “Curtis Jackson and the Jeweled Skull”
Resources of Hope
Ashley DawsonLast Saturday was a remarkable day of NYC-based, globe-spanning eco-activism. The day began with a trip up to the South Bronx, where friends of mine were involved in various local environmental justice initiatives. The organization Sustainable South Bronx sponsored a … Continue reading “Resources of Hope”
Trolling and refueling the tank of spectacle
Biella ColemanSo I got to Internet Trolls via my work on Anonymous vs the Church of Scientology but I have remained interested in grappling with them independent of Anonymous. In the last few weeks, I had the chance to bump up … Continue reading “Trolling and refueling the tank of spectacle”