The ravages of imperialism and capitalism are by now visible everywhere, devastating the lives of hundreds of millions at home and abroad: from staggering inequality at home to imperialist wars abroad – and environmental crises everywhere.

At the same time, a vast body of knowledge and scholarship has been devoted to resisting these systems of oppression-for-profit by exposing how they work, and framing well-researched counter-narratives that propose systemic change. However, the wider dispersion of these inspirational resources is suppressed by an entrenched neoliberal political establishment and the mass media, both increasingly subservient to powerful and corporate interests. Instead we are brainwashed daily with misinformation and biased reporting supporting the dominant narrative.

In this series of informal discussions we will read and discuss the work of a range of anti-imperialist and anti-capitalist thinkers, to improve awareness and better equip ourselves to collectively resist – and subvert – the dominant narrative. Our first 3 or 4 sessions will be devoted to the place where the ravages of 20th-century imperialism, and of the neoliberal interests backing it, are now most gruesomely coming to a head: that place called Palestine. We will delve into the work of Palestinian thinkers, as well as others who have devoted themselves to the struggle for a free Palestine. In later sessions we will discuss anti-imperialist and anti-capitalist thought more generally, including pathways to systemic change. We'll cover socialist, anarchist, decolonisation and black-critique, feminist and environmentalist thinking.

For each session we'll read a book or some articles, which will be specified well in advance, and discuss them together. The format will be open and informal, without presentations or guidance, as we're all equally in the process of learning. By holding these discussions in person, rather than online, we hope to nurture more of a sense of community. Depending on how things go, we might later consider broadening the scope and inviting speakers who have worked on these themes. Come join us!

All the best,

Sona