Race , class and identity – conference – 18 May 2019

Conference on Race, Class and Identity on 18 May

Session on Antisemitism, Zionism and Jewish Identity with Leah levane and Rob Ferguson



See full details of speakers and sessions below.

Book your place here at eventbrite


About this Event

Questions of identity and their relation to racism and oppression are centre stage in these divided and dangerous times.

This conference will look at the impact of renewed ‘identity politics’ on those who want to fight for genuine liberation and get rid of capitalism.

Sessions on:

  • Does identity matter?
  • Islamophobia and changing Muslim identities
  • Identity and strategy: what does it mean to be black?
  • Antisemitism, Zionism and Jewish identity
  • Right-wing populism and identity politics
  • Decolonising education
  • Marxism and Eurocentrism
  • Marxism and the struggle against racism

Confirmed speakers:

Professor Tahir Abbas: Assistant Professor of Security Studies at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs of Leiden University at The Hague and Visiting Senior Fellow at The London School of Economics and Political Science. His current research interests are the intersectionality of ethnicity, Islamophobia, radicalisation and terrorism.

Dr Talat Ahmed: Lecturer in South Asian History at the University of Edinburgh, author of Mohandas Gandhi: Experiments in Civil Disobedience (Pluto Press 2019) and Co-Director of the Centre for South Asian Studies at the University of Edinburgh.

Professor Alex Callinicos: Editor of International Socialism and professor of European Studies at King’s College London. Author of Race and Class and Imperialism and Global Political Economy.

Weyman Bennett: Join convenor of Stand up to Racism (in a personal capacity).

Esme Choonara: Member of the International Socialism editorial board and co-author of Say It Loud: Marxism and the Fight against Racism.

Professor Mike Cole: Author of Theresa May, the Hostile Environment and Public Pedagogies of Hate and Threat and Trump, the Alt-Right and Public Pedagogies of Hate and for Fascism; What is To Be Done?

Rob Ferguson: Author of Antisemitism, the Far Right, Zionism and the Left.

Leah Levane: Co chair Jewish Voice for Labour.

Hassan Mahamdallie: Playwright, author and deputy editor of Critical Muslim. Hassan worked as a campaigning journalist, covering major events including the Stephen Lawrence inquiry, state injustices and black deaths in custody and was a senior strategist at Arts Council England for nine years.

Ken Olende: Researching a PhD on “Rethinking ‘blackness’ as a racial identity” at Brighton University. He has previously worked as a tutor for the Workers’ Educational Association, a journalist on Socialist Worker and editor of UAF’s Unity magazine.

Naima Omar: Stand up to Racism activist.

Selma Oumari: Anti-racist activist and member of the NPA in France.

Brian Richardson: Barrister and editor of Say It Loud: Marxism and the Fight against Racism and Tell It Like It Is: How Our Schools Fail Black Children.

Nita Sanghera: Vice President, UCU (in a personal capacity).

Professor Gurnam Singh: A leading thinker on “race”, racism and anti-racism in higher education. His current research focusses on reducing differentials in student attainment and decolonising the curriculum.

Mark L Thomas: International Socialism editorial board and workplace and trade union organiser for the Socialist Workers Party.

Contact: [email protected] or 0207 840 5640 for more information

www.isj.org.uk