A 4-day Workshop on the Confronting the Political Psychology of the Far Right (Brussels, Nov 20-23)
Application deadline extended to October 6
Fascism is on the rise thanks to scheming billionaires, capitalist crisis, patriarchal power struggles, resurgent racism and imperialism, vicious nationalism and so much more.
As we struggle against fascism and the systems that created it, we want to pause to ask: what motivates the fascist imagination and what attracts people to fascism, historically and today? These questions are key to understanding the enemy and strategizing for a better future.
Sense & Solidarity presents a four-day intensive in Brussels for those deeply engaged in projects that are pushing back against the rising authoritarian, reactionary, and fascist elements of society. Perhaps you’re community organizing. Maybe you’re making transformative art or doing radical research. Or it’s possible you’ve taken to the streets. If you want to think more deeply about both theory and strategy (and meet likeminded committed people) we hope you’ll join us.
The workshop is hosted by Sarah Stein Lubrano and Max Haiven who, together, run Sense & Solidarity, a platform where people who want to change the world come together to ask big questions and develop skills for struggle. Combining Sarah’s expertise on political psychology and Max’s expertise on social movements and the radical imagination, we create podcasts, workshops, retreats and infrastructure for better praxis (theory+action).
In this 4-day workshop, we’ll look at themes including fascist (and anti-fascist) worldbuilding, how fascists manipulate feelings and hijack “common sense,” and the rise of fascist influencers (and whether there can or should be an anti-fascist equivalent). We’ll read texts from the long history of antifascist thinkers (including the Frankfurt School and the Black radical tradition) and fascist ideologues (from Mussolini to Palantir’s CEO). We’ll consider the role of alienation, gender, horror, technology, and games. And we’ll help each other develop our theories of change and radical strategies.
This is Sense & Solidarity’s fourth in-person workshop intensive and we’re pleased to be hosted by Brussels’ collective art space Au Jus.
The event will take place from 11am-6pm, November 20-23.
Registration is €150 for regular participants and €300 for those with institutional supports. Bursaries are available which typically waive the cost of registration (€150) but can potentially also help with travel and other costs.
Please use the application form below (or linked here) by September 30 October 6. We will strive to confirm participation by the first week of October.
For more information, contact us at senseandsolidarity at riseup dot net.
This workshop is supported by RiVAL: The ReImagining Value Action Lab.
If you prefer not to use Google forms, you can use the same form over at cryptpad, which is anyonymous and secure: https://cryptpad.fr/form/#/2/form/view/9V5CyM0wZXiC04GIvgoEnBDqvhYzyV54UuTwK2xrLTY/