Palestinians confront IDF troops

Courses
and Themes

There are over 200 different
meetings and events at Marxism.
Some are grouped into courses (several meetings
in a row) or themes (spread across the event). While every
meeting can be attended individually, courses and themes exist to allow areas of particular interest to be explored in greater depth.

Capital for Beginners

When Karl Marx wrote Capital over 140 years ago, he set out to explain capitalism at a time when the system was relatively young. Today, in a world where the gap between rich and poor is growing and crisis threatens to engulf the globe, his analysis is more relevant than ever. This course will set out his key ideas and show how they can be applied to help understand the system in order to overthrow it. Full details

The Economic Crisis

Today’s crisis is the worst the world system has suffered since the 1930s. Debates are raging about how we got here and what we can do about it. Answers to these questions are being offered by those who want to save the system as well as those who feel it has no future. The meetings in this theme will look at key debates and ideas thrown up by the crisis, and will include a discussion between two of the world’s leading Marxists, David Harvey and Chris Harman, on “the crisis now”. Full details

The U.S - Then and Now

The election of Barack Obama as the first black president in the history of the US was greeted by millions around the world as a sign of change in America. With it has come a re-examination of past struggles that made such a victory possible. This series of meetings will discuss those struggles, and look at what Obama’s election really means and what we can expect. Full details

The Fight against Fascism

Disillusion with mainstream politics can lead to the growth of the far left, but we are also witnessing the rise of Nazi groups such as the BNP. They aim to benefit from the climate created by New Labour’s scapegoating of migrants and minorities. We will be looking at the nature of fascism and how to fight it. Luigi Fiori will share his first-hand experience of fighting in the armed resistance in Italy which ultimately defeated fascism there. Full details

Palestine's Fight for Freedom

The Israeli assault on Gaza brought forth a massive wave of solidarity with the Palestinian people. In Britain we saw the biggest and most militant student occupations for many years over this issue, and the biggest ever pro-Palestinian demonstration. Questions about the Palestinian struggle, the nature of the resistance and the solution to the conflict have come to the surface once more, and they will be addressed in these meetings. Full details

Imperialism Today

George Bush and Tony Blair may have gone, but the wars they started continue to bring death and destruction. As talk of withdrawal from Iraq gathers momentum so too does the military focus on Afghanistan. With war there spilling over into Pakistan and threatening to further destabilise the entire region, it is more important than ever that the anti-war movement here remains mobilised and informed. Full details

Revolution and Beyond

The idea that we can do better than the current world ravaged by poverty and war is common. But how do we build a different kind of society? What would it be like? How would we get there? These are questions asked by everyone who feels another world is not just possible but necessary, and in this series of meetings participants are invited to come and explore the answers. Full details

The Marxist Method

Karl Marx drew on the ideas of the great thinkers who came before him, drawing on the insights of the German philosopher Hegel, of Adam Smith, and of socialists such as Fourier and Saint-Simon. But his commitment to workers’ revolution meant that he also transformed these ideas. This course will explore his revolutionary method, explaining concepts such as the dialectic, alienation and historical materialism. Full details

Women's Liberation

We are often told that women and men are equal now, so we should stop complaining. Apparently the freedom to exercise at pole-dancing classes and appear in beauty pageants is a sign of liberation. But for many faced with sexism on campus or at work, this supposed equality can seem far from the truth. We will discuss what liberation really looks like, how we get it, and where women’s oppression comes from in the first place. Full details

Climate Change

Already we are seeing the hollow words of world leaders about their commitment to the climate melt into air. With the explosion of the economic crisis, many will want to see solutions to climate change that do more than rely on a discredited market system. What exactly is the scale of the problem and how can we solve it? These meetings will look at some of the key arguments and include a look at what Marx said about these issues, with world-renowned Marxist ecologist John Bellamy Foster. Full details

Details of more courses and themes

These listings refer to the initial timetable: they will be updated tomorrow. The information on the timetable pages is up-to-date.

Courses and Themes