Gender Fascist “Mom’s for Liberty” Conference Met with Resistance in Philadelphia

  • July 6, 2023 1:57 am

from It’s Going Down

Report from Philadelphia on the recent protests against the ‘Mom’s for Liberty’ conference.

What follows is a short blow-by-blow report from the streets of Philadelphia, as people turned out to shout down the gender fascist “Mom’s for Liberty” conference which saw speeches from both Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis.

Thursday

 

Resistance to the far-Right and anti-LGBTQ+ conference started early with banner drops, an anarchist organized counter-march where graffiti slogans are written, and a direct action against a venue hosting Mom’s for Liberty attendees.

 

Friday

As the Mom’s 4 Liberty summit kicked off with their first day of meetings, the dance party outside enjoyed themselves with raucous joy. Despite an absurdly large police presence when Donald Trump arrived to speak, the partiers managed to hold the street in front of the Marriott for the day. With temperatures pushing 90 and and air quality advisory from the Canadian wildfires, revelers were encouraged to mask up, drink water, and take care of each other.

Speakers from Act Up Philadelphia, Indivisible and other local organizations spoke about the need for solidarity and compassion in the shadow of this most recent rise in fascism. Large groups of Philadelphians joined from simultaneous actions around the city including striking Starbucks workers and librarians and educators focused on keeping the Pride events at area libraries safe.

 

Reports from inside the Marriott shared that all of the speakers at the M4L summit mentioned the protests and door knockers were hung on room doors calling out the fascists meeting in the building. The message is getting across loud and clear that fascists are not welcome in Philly.

 

As attendees left the building, many with police escort, they were heckled and shouted at. Once again Philly showed that we are a city that will fight fiercely for each other. The party continues Saturday and Sunday, kicking off with a specifically tailored Children’s Protest from 11-1pm on Saturday and culminating in an amazing line up of local DJs.

 

Saturday

Saturday’s protests outside of the Marriott in Philadelphia began with a protest specifically tailored to youth. Coloring books, chalk, sign making equipment and a truck for the children to be able to climb on and look out over the demonstration made for a cheerful, exuberant family focused atmosphere.

While fascist dignitaries such as Dennis Prager and the IG account “transition_justice” attempted to argue with the protestors, most people kept up the joyous dancing in an effort to “Dance the Hate Away.” An impromptu line dancing workshop and the Drag Queen Gospel Choir kept protestor spirits high and showcased all that the incredible queer community has to offer.

Philadelphia pigs showed themselves to be more aggressive today and maintained an intimidating presence across the street in partial riot gear. In reality all they did was idle their trucks and busses in a tunnel next to signs that clearly said “no idling” and collect overtime.

Sunday is the fourth and final day of both the conference and demonstrations.

Sunday

As the fascist hate group Moms 4 Liberty wrapped up it’s final day here in Philadelphia, the dance party continued outside. Revelers took the block by 10am, dancing to classics and new beats alike. Cases of water, coffee, snacks and activities for kids kept the party vibes going. The skate ramp from the day before was rolled out and the people of Philadelphia continued to make it clear that hate and fear would be countered with love and joy.

At 11am five local activists took the intersection at 12th and Filbert outside of the iconic Reading Terminal Market. Chanting “Philly is a Trans City” and wearing large silkscreened patches that said “Protect Trans Kids,” the activists stayed focused and calm as police pushed and shoved them, arresting all five.

As the conference wrapped up and members checked out, more aggressive provocation came from the out of town attendees. Two M4L conference goers came running towards the barricades laughing and throwing tee shirts at the protesters. One of them was quickly and thoroughly egged by a protester, and walked back in with a look of shock that there had been a consequence to her action.

As some higher profile media activists strutted around wearing sandwich boards with bible quotes on them and videoing the protestors, a woman ran through the barricades waving a trans flag and dancing. She was brutally thrown to the ground by an officer and arrested. The incident was posted on several social media accounts owned by M4L attendees, celebrating the Philadelphia Police Department for serving as the front-line defending gender fascism.

 

All arrestees were cited and released, one received medical attention at a local hospital.

The Mom’s 4 Liberty fascists decided to come to Philly and definitely found out that Philly is a queer city.

photo: Kim Kelly via Twitter

Call For Action Against The Moms For Liberty Conference

  • June 10, 2023 1:14 am

Submission

This is an autonomous call for action against the Moms for Liberty conference that is happening from June 29th to July in Philadelphia at the Marriott Hotel.

To all anarchists, anti-authoritarians, revolutionaries, outlaws, militant queers, Black autonomists, and anyone who opposes the transphobic and racist agenda of the Moms for Liberty …let’s fight back! All out against fascism. All out against Moms for Liberty. They are one of the main organized groups using the public schools to attack queer and Black youth by banning educational materials related to our histories and taking over school boards in order to impose their racist and transphobic agenda.

There’s a long history of militant queer resistance. We need to draw from the legacy of STAR, Bash Back, Stonewall Rebellion and all queer militant history. We must draw a hard line in the sand against these trans-phobes and anyone who supports them. They are not welcome in Philly.

Two of the fascist demagogues, Trump and DeSantis will also be in attendance. Let’s mobilize in full force against them. As we gear up for another election year, it is deeply important to start building up our militant culture of resistance. No act is too small.

Moms for Liberty are our enemies. Instead of following leftist organizers with over-inflated egos, we encourage folks in Philly to take autonomous action. Gather some friends over dinner or in a park, talk amongst yourselves, and make some plans. We have so many tactics at our disposal. Get creative.
Consider this an invitation.

Let’s end Pride Month right!

Neo-Nazi Predator Ben Ryder Exposed

  • June 6, 2023 1:29 am

from Philly Antifa

Benjamin F. Ryder, a neo-nazi and sex offender who harassed Wooden Shoe Books last week.

Last week, a neo-nazi entered the Wooden Shoe Books co-operative bookstore on South Street. He took a photo of a flyer hanging up there related to Paul Minton, the nazi groomer currently running “White Lives Matter PA” and “Embrace Struggle Active Club,” stole some Antifa stickers, and threatened a staff member. Another of Minton’s telegram pages,
“Pa Antifa Watch” posted pictures from the incident, claiming they received them from “someone unknown to us.”

“For absolutely no reason in particular, I’m just gonna mention we don’t know this guy.”

The nazi was driven from the area, but posted a short video of the incident on a closed chat of neo-nazis. In the video, the nazi’s face is visible and easily identifiable as Ben Ryder.

Still from the video of the incident at The Shoe. Ryder’s face is clearly visible.

Ryder is a neo-nazi with a history of exposing himself and masturbating in front of women and young girls in public. Ryder was sentenced to 4-12 months in 2015 for approaching several women completely nude in a McDonalds parking lot. He was sentenced to 1-2 years in prison in 2019 for another a similar crime.

As discussed in the twitter thread above, Ryder was one of the neo-nazis who picked a fight at a Trans Day of Vengeance demo at the Supreme Court. Ryder attempted to take out a knife during the fight, but was dropped and disarmed by protestors while DC police meandered over and eventually detained him.

Ryder is a registered sex offender, so he likely feels common cause with Minton and his crew, judging by their enthusiastic cross-promotion. Ryder was last known to be living in Glenside, PA on E. Pleasant Avenue. He may be working for Kevin Ryder, Inc., a trucking company (we presume to be run by a relative) in Ivyland, PA. Ben Ryder drives a black Jeep Grand Cherokee (PA KDK5085).

Ryder is clearly an unstable and dangerous person and those who encounter him should be mindful of that. Despite their attempts to market themselves as an elite vanguard of the “pro-white movement,” Active Club and their supporters continue to tend more towards disgusting and embarrassing cautionary tales.

Eternal war on the Hitler Youth Mickey D’s flasher division,

Flyering Pedophile Nazi Paul Minton’s Block and a Call for Action

  • May 19, 2023 1:25 am

Submission

[Philly Anti-Capitalist note: The owner of Warrior Boxing Gym has reached out to us and let us know that he and the gym do not know  Paul Minton and that Paul Minton is not a member of the gym.]

Nazi traitor Paul Minton aka MISK is a pain in the ass right now being one of the loudest and most active nazis around, slapping his racist garbage stickers all over the city. Not to mention that he betrayed every comrade who once trusted him. Not to mention that Paul, pushing 50, took in a vulnerable 13 year old girl and groomed her into being another nazi, who he has also gotten pregnant. Paul is the lowest of the low, a pedophile, a traitor who turns on everyone he’s ever worked with, and a huge dumbass. A recent article shows his whole history of cowardly betrayal and nazi scumfuckery.

We put together this flyer.

To make him feel less safe we paid a visit to his neighborhood tonight, putting up flyers and talking to some of his neighbors about who he is.

 

“By the way Paul, heard something happened to your old car, but good to know you now drive a black KIA soul, license plate LZN 5585. We made sure to stick a flyer to it 🙂  There’s another surprise that you might not notice right away too. Have fun!” (excuse the shitty picture I’m not used to my new phones camera)

 

 

You can get your own copy of the flyer here in pdf form. [Flyer PDF]

 

We encourage people to take a few nights of action and spam these everywhere you can. Make him famous. Make it so he can’t hide. There are a lot of areas where we’ve seen his propaganda so we suggest hitting these areas so that everyone knows him name:

-Residential areas around Greys Ferry and Point Breeze

 

-Old City and Independence Mall

-Baltimore Ave. and Around Clark Park

-South Street

-City Hall Area

-East Passyunk

-All along Washington Avenue

-All down south broad street

-All of Market Street

-Gayborhood

-All along the el in Fishtown/Kensington/Frankford

-Upper Darby around 69th Street

-Ben Franklin Boulevard and art museum area

-Delaware and Schuylkill waterfronts and trails

 

 

Happy hunting and big fuck you to Paul Minton, drown in piss. The world will be a better place when you’re gone.

Addendum: We saw you scratched out a lot of our flyers so we threw up over 100 more in places you like to hang out. Enjoy your scavenger hunt you worthless creep.

Abolish the Family: Book Launch and Discussion with Sophie Lewis

  • January 6, 2023 1:35 am

from Making Worlds Books

RESCHEDULED – Stay Tuned!

Making Worlds Cooperative Bookstore & Social Center: Book Launch and Discussion: Abolish the Family: A Manifesto for Care and Liberation

What if we could do better than the family?

Families can be filled with love and care, but for many they are sites of pain: nobody is more likely to harm you than your family. Even in so-called happy families, the unpaid, unacknowledged work that it takes to raise children and care for each other is endless and exhausting.

Abolish the Family traces the history of family abolitionist demands, beginning with nineteenth century utopian socialist and sex radical Charles Fourier, the Communist Manifesto and early-twentieth century Russian family abolitionist Alexandra Kollontai. Turning her attention to the 1960s, Lewis reminds us of the anti-family politics of radical feminists like Shulamith Firestone and the gay liberationists, a tradition she traces to the queer marxists bringing family abolition to the twenty-first century. This exhilarating essay looks at historic rightwing panic about Black families and the violent imposition of the family on indigenous communities, and insists: only by thinking beyond the family can we begin to imagine what might come after.

Registration required. Please RSVP here.

Sophie Lewis is a freelance writer living in Philadelphia, teaching courses for the Brooklyn Institute for Social Research. Her first book was Full Surrogacy Now: Feminism Against Family, and her essays have appeared in the New York Times, Harper’s, Boston Review, n+1, the London Review of Books and Salvage. Sophie studied English, Politics, Environment and Geography at Oxford, the New School, and Manchester University, and is now an unpaid visiting scholar at the Feminist, Queer and Transgender Studies Center at the University of Pennsylvania.

  • Friday, January 13, 2023
  • 6:00 PM 7:30 PM
  • Making Worlds Bookstore & Social Center 210 South 45th Street Philadelphia, PA, 19104 United States (map)

Noisy Philly Counter-Demo Challenges ‘TERFs’ at Independence Hall

  • November 22, 2022 1:20 am

from Unicorn Riot

By Dan Feidt, Unicorn Riot November 21, 2022

PHILADELPHIA, PA — On Sunday, November 13, 100+ counter-demonstrators tried to drown out about 30 protesters who were demonstrating against transgender people’s access to medical transitions, recognition of chosen gender and other rights near Independence Hall. The counter-demo side characterized them as “TERFs” or ‘Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminists.’ Philadelphia Police and U.S. National Park Service Park Rangers separated the crowds using bicycle police and portable barricades. Inside the barricades, several men, mostly masked up concealing their identities, paced around and eyed the crowd; they were widely suspected to be Proud Boys providing security according to a counter-protester. However, their identities are unknown.

Over almost three hours, Unicorn Riot interviewed nearly a dozen hoarse but spirited attendees. In this 29-minute video, we hear about why they consider noisy counter-demonstrations strategically significant, as well as reactions to how the recent U.S. elections largely — but not entirely — refuted anti-transgender politicians and messages.

[Video Link]

Some interviewees believed that John Fetterman, the current lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, who will soon be seated as a U.S. senator, would protect their rights. Another interviewee said that democracy and electoralism create situations where groups are enabled to spread messages about taking away rights from transgender people.

While there was at least one round of counter-demonstrators splashing the anti-transgender demonstration with water, no arrests transpired during our time observing the event.

Marquee speaker linked to white supremacists

The marquee anti-trans speaker was British activist Kellie-Jay Keen Minshull, who has also been known by the name “Posie Parker.” Keen Minshull appeared on a podcast with white nationalist French Canadian Jean-Francois Gariepy. An ardent ‘white ethnostate’ supporter, Gariepy has made videos with key Neo-Nazis including Richard Spencer, David Duke and Mark Collett. Several Philadelphia counter-demonstrators highlighted this shared media connection between Keen Minshull and Duke, although they have not appeared side-by-side.

Connections between “gender-critical feminists” like Keen and far-right white supremacists have been turning up for years, and the far-right has tried to leverage opposition to transgender rights to expand its movement. More about Gariepy’s long history with far-right circles and accusations of abusing a minor has previously been documented.

In 2019 Keen Minshull praised high-profile English racist ‘Tommy Robinson’ of the English Defense League who has been supported by the Philadelphia-based think tank Middle East Forum, The Guardian reported in 2018. Robinson’s real name is Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon; he is banned from entering the United States and has been convicted of fraud, in addition to drug and public disorder offenses.

 

Kellie-Jay Keen Minshull (“Posie Parker”) appeared with white nationalist French Canadian Jean-Francois Gariepy (YouTube/PinkNews.co.uk)

After the anti-trans protesters left the area, they were forced to leave the nearby Khyber Pass Pub by employees who became aware of their bigoted views. The pub “is a punk and metal institution … they aren’t to be fucked with by bigots and fascist[s],” one observer noted.

[Twitter Link]

Jane’s Revenge vandalized Pro-Life Union of Greater Philadelphia

  • July 7, 2022 1:55 am

Submission

In the wee hours of July 6th, the office of the Pro-Life Union of Greater Philadelphia (88 Pennsylvania Ave Oreland, PA) had their front window smashed and their wall vandalized with “JANE’S REVENGE”. The Pro-Life Union runs two crisis pregnancy centers (Guiding Star Mother’s Home: 1940 E Chelten Ave, Philadelphia, PA, and The Cenacle: 1509 Church St, Philadelphia, PA) and an anti-abortion pregnancy hotline (610-626-4006). They also organize anti-abortion rallies outside of abortion clinics where clients are harassed and shamed, and have numerous member organizations involved in a variety of anti-abortion programs in the greater Philadelphia area (list can be accessed at prolifeunion.org/member-organizations).

We hope that all queers, anarchists, anti-fascists, and just plain-old pissed-off feminists in the area will use this information wisely. Plan with a group of friends, wear a mask, and take action. Project your rage on your enemies. Dissapear into the night.

Solidarity with all those attack the state, capital, civilization, and patriarchy.

-Janes Revenge (A)

Tuesday July 5th: Letter-writing for Karla & Magda

  • July 5, 2022 1:01 am

from Philly ABC

karla-magda-letter-writing-updated.jpg

Join us as we write to Magda and Karla, feminist political prisoners in so-called Mexico. This past April 15th, a spectacular operation with more than 200 police officers occurred outside of the property of Okupa Cuba Casa de Refugio in Mexico City. At this eviction, the authorities took women that were in Casa as refugees– women who had to leave their homes, run away from the violent femicide that plagues Mexico, and took refuge to save their lives in Okupa Cuba Monumenta Viva.

Okupa Cuba is a self-managed and autonomous space that developed as a form of permanent protest because we had enough, a protest against the impunity, the indolence and the re-victimization by the patriarchal institutions of the Mexican state. Family, victims, and, feminist allies, in an uncounted event in the history of our country, they took over the facilities of Mexico’s National Human Rights Commission building. This was a wake-up call directed toward the authorities.

A series of irregularities and violations of their human rights have been mounting since they were detained– they were assaulted and threatened, at not one moment were they shown an arrest warrant, they were not told about the charges brought against them or told where they would be detained. They have since been charged with fabricated charges of possession simply to incriminate them. The women that are now imprisoned in Santa Martha are feminist activists, militants of the movement of victims of femicide in this country, they have volunteered their time and energy to build a shelter for women, for children, to denounce all forms of violence that we face every day in this country.

If you cannot join us in person and would like to send letters of solidarity to Karla and Magda, they can be emailed to: libreslas3@gmail.com .

We will also be sending birthday cards to political prisoners with birthdays in July: Gage Halupowski (the 1st) and Jessica Reznicek (the 25th).

Abort Every Court Graffiti

  • June 30, 2022 1:18 am

Submission

“Abort Every Court!” – All Courts Are Bad! – Anonymous in Philly

Plan C Stickers Put Up In Camden County, NJ

  • June 27, 2022 1:21 am

from Jersey Counter-Info

Plan C stickers were put up in several public restrooms in Camden County, NJ in light of the recent news of the US Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

City Hall Graffiti from Roe v. Wade Protest

  • June 27, 2022 1:10 am

from Twitter

Philly City Hall graffiti from tonight’s Protest against the Supreme Courts ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade #AbortTheCourt



Fake Clinic’s Windows Smashed in Philly

  • June 12, 2022 1:46 am

Submission

We smashed out all of the windows of the “Hope” pregnancy center on Broad st. We are tired of your “family values” and you forcing families, and your values onto our bodies. This fake clinic spread lies and is part of a broader attempt to strip away body autonomy from hundreds of women and people. We are inspired by the actions of comrades in Wisconsin, Colorado, New York, and a growing list of places. If the attack on abortion does not stop our attacks will broaden. This is also intended as a small gesture of complicity with all those imprisoned by the state, in honor of June 11th.
-Anti Hope Brigade

ALERTA BERKS CTY Incel Concert

  • April 23, 2022 1:37 am
from Twitter
🚨 ALERTA BERKS CTY 🚨 Incels (involuntary celebates) are holding a two-day concert at Maiers Grove Park (property of Blandon @lionsclubs) starting tonight at 5pm! The location was just disclosed privately to ticket holders about an hour ago. WE NEED YOUR HELP TO SHUT IT DOWN!
Incels are a violent, far right misogynist subculture that exists mostly online, but is inspired by and has inspired mass shooters. It has already left dozens dead. cbsnews.com/news/incel-threa…
Recently, a music scene called incelcore has developed around the subculture – a means of pipelining incels into collaboration with other far right elements, including Nazis. In September, Raven, the organizer of this event, held a concert in Atlanta. dirtysouthrightwatch.org/202…
Marvin Heck is listed as Blandon @lionsclubs‘ contact for the rental space at Maiers Grove Park. His phone number is listed on the club’s webpage. It’s (610) 926-2241. Demand that he cancel the rental immediately. e-clubhouse.org/sites/blando…
You can also reach out to them on their Facebook or email them at BlandonLionsClub@gmail.com. facebook.com/groups/14115103…

UPDATE: Philly Proud Boys Member Rodrigo Gibson No Longer Working At Drexel University

  • March 29, 2022 1:11 am

from Philly Antifa

Rodrigo Jesus Gibson, circled, with the Proud Boys in Washington, DC in Dec. 2020. Gibson formerly worked as Communications Director for the Office of the Provost at Drexel University. His hat reads “Proud Boy.”

After the Epik Data breach by hacktivist group Anonymous last year, it was revealed that the registrant of the Philly Proud Boys’ website was one Rodrigo Jesus Gibson.

Gibson was also identified from sources close to the PB’s, as well as facial recognition software, according to this thread by @Ruthlesswe.

Once identified, there is no shortage of information about Gibson available online. Gibson was previously living in Miami, where he was a musician and had a multimedia company.

Gibson is no longer employed at Drexel University. His listing as an employee on their website appears to be out-of-date.

Gibson participated with the Proud Boys when they marched unannounced in Old City in Sept. 2020.

Rodrigo Gibson, holding flag, with Proud Boys at City Hall in Sept. 2020. In front of Gibson, unmasked with a beard, is Brien James, longtime neo-nazi head of Vinlanders Social Club and affiliate of Blood and Honour USA as well as many other white power orgs. James also heads the Indiana Proud Boys.

 

Gibson (circled with purple) in Washington DC with fellow PBs in 2020. Including Zach Rehl (circled on left), who is currently on trial for charges related to the Jan. 6th, 2021 far-right attempt to stop the certification of the Presidential Election.

Gibson is listed as living in an apartment in Center City at 2220 Walnut Street.

Community Seminar: Thinking through and against Microfascism

  • March 18, 2022 1:00 am

from Making Worlds Books

How do we develop antifascist praxis when the enemy does not appear in organized, recognizable forms?

How deeply rooted in Western culture and subjectivity is fascism? How has gender been both recognized and diminished in analyses of contemporary fascist resurgences?

This seminar begins to answer these questions and others through a collective reading group facilitated by the author of On Microfascism: Gender, War, Death. Over the course of four Fridays, we will meet and work through the analytic and cultural underpinnings of “recent” fascism.

Taking a concept scattered across the writings of Felix Guattari, On Microfascism traces the long history of the cultural production of fascist subjectivity as well as its most contemporary forms. Before fully formed fascism is possible (as a political party, state form, even social movement), its emergent qualities are patterned in culture. From the Book of Genesis to contemporary gamer squads, microfascism appears in initiation rites old and new, via Proud Boys and Boogaloo Boys as updated archaic warrior societies, and in necropolitical anti-masking protestors.The objective of the seminar is to help us perceive tendencies that can illuminate emergent fascist moments as well as the state-centered attempts to understand them, in the hopes of preventing both of these wars of restoration.

Starting with the concept of “microfascism” we will elaborate the archaic and hypercontemporary dimensions of fascist selfhood. Each week will take up a chapter or two along with some key background readings that helped form the ideas in that chapter. If schedules permit, we will also invite authors to appear virtually for conversation.

In Week 1, we will cover some basics in defining fascism, the importance of culture, and the centrality of gender. We will explore the key concept of “microfascism” in this light.

In Week 2: Sovereignty and Gender, we will explore a foundational concept of selfhood in Western thought and culture, focusing on a process of self-created selfhood, or “autogenetic sovereignty.” We then move to mapping some important work on 21st century misogyny (especially online) as well as a longer view of patriarchy as a gendered social order based on this autogenesis.

In Week 3: War and Death, we combine two chapters to explore how the gendered sovereign emerges from war (specifically a war on women), on initiation rites, and on patriarchal pacts as war bands (Mannerbund). Next we take up the concept of necropolitics from Achille Mbembe by situating it a long history of patriarchy as well as in contemporary events like mass shooters and homi-suicidal tendencies.

After three weeks of mapping out the variety of forms of fascism today, the final Week 4: Micro-Antifascism meeting lays out what it might mean to think of being anti-microfascist or developing a type of micro-antifascism. While reading about theories and practical cases will open this session, participants are especially encouraged to bring in experiences and examples of what such anti-microfascist praxis could look like.

*

Important Information:

Seminars meet on Fridays from 4pm to 6pm, March 25, April 1, April 8, and April 15. The community seminar is free and open to all levels. There is limited capacity of 15 participants and advance registration is required. We prefer that participants attend all four sessions. Registrants will need a copy of On Microfascism, which will be available on special discount. Other reading materials will be provided for free.

Among the topics covered:

  • fascism beyond nationalism

  • defining fascism outside of state or organizational thought.

  • understanding of fascist cultural theory (traditionalism when it comes to war and masculinity)

  • the central role of gender, specifically the formation of masculinity through a war on women

  • patriarchy as pacts, packs and squads.

  • an intimate relation to death, even a love for it.

  • necropolitics in the gendered register

  • the role of digital culture, both forms (networked) and content (images, humor, memes).

  • recent developments in antifascist thinking and action

  • abolition versus eliminationism

Week 1: Intro | This week we will cover some basics in defining fascism, the importance of culture, and the centrality of gender. We will explore the key concept of “microfascism” in this light.

Week 2: Sovereignty and Gender | This week we will explore a foundational concept of selfhood in Western thought and culture, focusing on a process of self-created selfhood, or “autogenetic sovereignty.” We then move to mapping some important work on 21st century misogyny (especially online) as well as a longer view of patriarchy as a gendered social order based on this autogenesis.

Week 3: War and Death | This week we combine two chapters to explore how the gendered sovereign emerges from war (specifically a war on women), on initiation rites, and on patriarchal pacts as war bands (Mannerbund). Next we take up the concept of necropolitics from Achille Mbembe by situating it a long history of patriarchy as well as in contemporary events like mass shooters and homi-suicidal tendencies.

Week 4: Micro-Antifascism | After three weeks of mapping out the variety of forms of fascism today, this final meeting lays out what it might mean to think of being anti-microfascist or developing a type of micro-antifascism. While reading about theories and practical cases will open this session, participants are especially encouraged to bring in experiences and examples of what such anti-microfascist praxis could look like.

ABOUT THE SEMINAR LEADER

Jack Z. Bratich is professor of journalism and media studies at Rutgers University. He has written dozens of articles, book chapters, and essays about the intersection of popular culture and political culture. He has been a zine librarian at ABC No Rio in New York City and now sits as a member of its advisory board member. He previously co-organized and cotaught (with Stevphen Shukaitis) two seminars at Bluestockings Bookstore: “Strategies of Refusal: Explorations in Autonomist Marxism” and “Affective Politics and the Imagination of Everyday Resistance”