Alliance of MENA Socialists
By Middle East
Founding Statement of Principles: allianceofmesocialists.org/alliance-middle-eastern-socialists-founding-statement-principles/
Alliance of MENA SocialistsMar 24, 2020
What does international socialist feminist solidarity mean?
On August 3r, 2019, the Alliance hosted a discussion between Sudanese, Algerian, African American, Syrian and Iranian Socialist Feminists to discuss these questions:
*What is new in the Sudanese and Algerian Uprisings in terms of women’s consciousness, participation/organizing, opposition to patriarchy and affirmative demands for women’s emancipation?
*What can Sudanese, Algerian, Syrian, Iranian and African American women learn from each other’s history and experiences?
*What socialist feminist concepts can help us deepen and expand our struggles?
*What does international socialist feminist solidarity mean? How can we promote it by connecting our struggles?
Speakers:
Sara Abbas: Doctoral candidate in political science and a feminist who researches social movements in Sudan. She has written for Transition magazine, OpenDemocracy and The Nation. The views expressed are her own and do not represent those of institutions she is affiliated with.
Selma Oumari: Algerian French member of the New Anticapitalist in France. She is involved in antiracist struggles as well as international solidarity.
Julia Wallace: Black anti-racist socialist activist and contributor for Left Voice. She served on the South Central Neighborhood Council in Los Angeles, organizes against police brutality and in defense of tenants’ rights, LGBTQ, women and immigrants’ rights.
Lara al-Kateb: Syrian gender studies student and contributing writer for the Alliance of Middle Eastern and North African Socialists’ website. One of her recent articles is “The Me Too Movement in the Middle East and North Africa”
Frieda Afary: Librarian, translator, producer of Iranian Progressives in Translation (www.iranianprogressives.org) and member of The Alliance of Middle Eastern and North African Socialists. She has published articles in English and Persian on the Middle East, Marxist Feminism, and has taught community classes on Socialist Feminism.
Moderator:
Fatemeh Masjedi: Iranian academic historian and activist based in Berlin. Member of the Alliance of Middle Eastern and North African Socialists. Former political prisoner in Iran because of her women’s rights activities.
Full description: https://allianceofmesocialists.org/livestream-dialogue-between-sudanese-algerian-african-american-syrian-and-iranian-socialist-feminists/
Video live stream: https://www.facebook.com/2196931800604746/videos/358450088159103/
On the Challenges of Offering an Emancipatory Internationalist Alternative to Imperialism, Capitalism, Sexism and Racism
On July 21st 2019, the Alliance co-sponsored a discussion between Venezuelan, Syrian and Iranian Socialists to speak about the Challenges of Offering an Emancipatory Internationalist Alternative to Imperialism, Capitalism, Sexism and Racism.
Speakers:
- Simon Rodriguez: Venezuelan political activist, alternative journalist and musician. Founder and coordinator of Laclase.info during the years 2008-2015 and currently part of the editorial committee of Venezuelanvoices.org
- Eva Maria: Venezuelan socialist feminist, teaches Latin American literature to Latinx high school students
- Yasser Munif: Assistant professor in the Institute of Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies. Author of The Syrian Revolution: Between the Politics of Life and the Geopolitics of Death.
- Joseph Daher: Academic and socialist activist. Author of Syria after the Uprisings, the Political Economy of State Resilience (Pluto Press and Haymarket, 2019) and Hezbollah: The Political Economy of the Party of God (Pluto, 2016). He is the founder of the blog Syria Freedom Forever.
- Frieda Afary: Philosophy M.A, a librarian, translator, producer of Iranian Progressives in Translation (www.iranianprogressives.org)
Moderator:
Sara Dehkordi: Teaches Political and Social Sciences in Berlin on the subjects of critical peace and conflict, decolonial theories and critique, colonial genocide, repressed archives and collective memory building. Her forthcoming book is On the City’s Shoulders – Forced Evictions and Criminalisation Practices in Present-Day South Africa. She is also a member of Manjanigh, a group of Iranian socialists living in exile (manjanigh.com)
Full description: https://allianceofmesocialists.org/livestream-facebook-dialogue-between-venezuelan-syrian-and-iranian-socialists-on-the-challenges-of-offering-an-emancipatory-alternative-sunday-july-21-2019/
Video live stream: https://www.facebook.com/2196931800604746/videos/436232750295692/
The State of the Sudanese and Algerian Uprisings
On June 1st 2019, the Alliance co-sponsored a discussion between two Sudanese and two Algerian activists to speak about the 2019 uprisings.
Speakers:
- Dr. Hamza Hamouchene: London-based Algerian scholar-activist, commentator, researcher, and a founding member of Algeria Solidarity Campaign (ASC), and Environmental Justice North Africa (EJNA),
- Sara Abbas: Doctoral candidate in political science and a feminist who researches social movements in Sudan
- Sara Abbas: Sudanese human rights activist based in Berlin, Germany. He is a member of Justice Equality Movement Sudan (JEM)
- Selma Oumari: Member of the New Anticapitalist in France, involved in antiracist struggles as well as international solidarity
Full description: https://allianceofmesocialists.org/the-state-of-the-sudanese-algerian-uprisings-livestream-event-june-1-2019/
Video live stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71U70vPNHCE
Co-sponsored by: al-Manshour, Socialism Conference, MENA Solidarity Network, Socialist Alternative – Red Flag, Revolutionary Socialism in the 21st Century (RS21), New Politics, Democratic Socialists of America’s International Committee and Chicago Socialists.