John Pilger

Award-winning investigative
journalist, author and
documentary lmmaker
Billy X Jennings
Former Black Panther Party
member and historian
Gary Foley
Legendary Aboriginal activist
Louise OShea
Same-sex marriage
campaigner and Socialist
Alternative National
Executive member
Brian Jones
African American socialist,
actor and teacher unionist
Touc Haddad
Palestinian American author
and activist
Kim Bullimore
Revolutionary Socialist
Party member and Palestine
solidarity activist
Antony Loewenstein
Pro-Palestine Jewish-
Australian blogger, author
and activist
Ann Cunningham
Committed social justice
activist and publisher
Gerry Rivera
Filipino revolutionary
and President of striking
Philippines airline union
PALEA
Sandra Bloodworth
Editor of Marxist Left Review
journal
Representative from
Nava Sama Samaja
Party (NSSP) active in
ght against oppression of
Tamil population in Sri Lanka
Bob Carnegie
Longtime union militant
Liz Ross
Union and LGBTI writer and
historian
Farooq Tariq
General secretary of the
Awami Workers Party of
Pakistan
Vashti Kenway
One of the Max Brenner 19
and co-founder of Students
for Palestine
Ian Jamieson
Lifelong militant unionist
Chikmann Koh
Korean activist and CFMEU
militant
Diane Fieldes
Refugee activist and
revolutionary socialist
Frank Polemicos
Militant National Union of
Workers delegate involved
in 2012 Coles Somerton
dispute
Manolya Moustafa
Socialist, teacher and
Australian Education Union
militant
Representative from
Peoples Liberation
Party of Indonesia
Jeff Sparrow
Author and editor of left wing
journal Overland
Rick Kuhn
Deutscher Prize-winning
author and Marxist academic
John Percy
National Secretary of
Revolutionary Socialist Party
and longtime activist
Sue Bolton
Moreland City Councilor and
Socialist Alliance activist
Janey Stone
Lifelong socialist, Jewish
activist and historian
Max Lane
Author and expert on
Indonesian history and
politics
CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS STREAMS
Streams consist of a series of meetings on a
particular topic. They are an opportunity to
sink your teeth into a subject and follow the
discussion through more than one session.
We recommend attending at least one stream
while you are at Marxism 2013.
Marxism for beginners: Curious about
this Marxism business? Then this stream is for
you. These sessions are specially designed
for people wanting to learn more about the
foundations of Marxist ideas.
Organising workers today: Marxism
2013 offers a series of sessions on the
challenges of trade union activism and some
of the victories of a class struggle strategy in
recent times.
Education under capitalism: This
stream looks at the existing education system
and asks whether there can be a liberatory
form of education under capitalism, and what
role teachers could play in this.
The Russian Revolution: Legacies
and debates: The Russian Revolution is
one of the most contested events of the 20th
century. This stream will deal with some of
the debates on the revolutionary left about this
momentous event.
Anarchism versus Marxism: The
worldwide Occupy movement saw the re-
emergence of some anarchist ideas. Marxism
has historically had serious criticisms of
anarchism. This stream looks at both these
historic debates and also some key ideas
of anarchism such as spontaneity and
horizontalism.
LGBTI and womens oppression:
Some conservatives suggest that women
and LGBTI people are no longer oppressed.
This stream at Marxism 2013 will look at the
reality of the situation and offer a Marxist
analysis of the hows and whys of LGBTI and
womens oppression under capitalism.
Revolutionary upsurges: The 20th
century was replete with revolutionary
moments. This stream will be offering you the
narratives of Russia 1905, Algeria 1954 and
Italy in the early 1920s.
Marxist philosophy: Marx said
Philosophers have only interpreted the world,
the point is to change it. This stream will
explore the relationship between Marxist
theory and practice as well as a discussion of
core aspects of Marxist philosophy.
Radical parties: This stream will
take a look at how radical, socialist and
revolutionary parties have organised
throughout the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries.
In particular it will deal with some of the
lessons from the successes and defeats from
history.
Marxist economics: This stream will
look at both Marxist economic theory and also
at the realities of economic crisis in the 21st
century.
Australian radical history: These
meetings aim to undercut the myth of
Australian exceptionalism and reveal the
exciting, riotous and deant in Australian
history.
Radical places: Wondering where to take
your next radical Australian holiday? Perhaps
you should consider Cessnock or Fremantle.
This stream will introduce you to the hidden,
rebellious histories of these places.
BLACK PANTHER PARTY
ARCHIVES EXHIBITION
Throughout the conference,
former Black Panther Party
member Billy X Jennings
will display his archival
collection of newspapers
and rare photos from the
anti-racism movement in
California in the 60s and 70s
on the ground oor of Union
House.
ART AT MARXISM 2013
Indigenous artist Targan
will exhibit his major work
Massacres (2008) as part
of Marxism 2013. Targan
has been involved in visual
arts since the 1980s, and
completed postgraduate
studies in ne art. He has
been active in struggles for
Indigenous rights, including
the Black GST campaign,
demanding an end to
genocide, restoration of
sovereignty, and a treaty, and
the 2006 campaign against
the Stolenwealth Games in
Melbourne.
Van Thanh Rudd will
be placing one of his
hyper-realist human-like
sculptures at an undisclosed
location in Union House.
Vans sculptures are placed
on the streets to inspire
debate and ask serious
questions about the capitalist
system and the role of art
within it, with this artwork
focusing on challenging
Australias military
involvement in Afghanistan.
BRIAN JONES
PERFORMANCE OF
MARX IN SOHO
9pm Saturday 30 March -
Ground Floor Student Lounge
In this play on history Karl
Marx has agitated with the
authorities of the afterlife for
a chance to clear his name.
Through a bureaucratic error,
Marx is sent to Soho in New
York, rather than his old
stomping ground in London,
to make his case. Brian
Jones, an African American
actor and activist, has been
performing this engaging
one-man show by Howard
Zinn since 1999.
THE REVOLUTIONARY
POETRY OF VLADIMIR
MAYAKOVSKY
9pm Friday 29 March -
Ground Floor Student Lounge
Melbourne spoken word
artist Santo Cazzati will
brings to life the poetry of
Vladimir Mayakovsky, one of
the foremost representatives
of early-20th century Russian
Futurism.
PROTEST! ARCHIVES
FROM THE UNIVERSITY
OF MELBOURNE
12.45pm Friday 29 March
- meet at north entrance of
Union House for tour with
co-curator Katie Wood.
Including a photographic
history of a century of protest
in Melbourne, a slingshot
and pamphlets from Paris
May 68 and more. This is an
exhibition for all lefty history
buffs.
ARTS AND CULTURE
Uniting the left to resist
austerity, war and crisis
Panel featuring Brian Jones, Gerry Rivera,
Vashti Kenway and Kim Bullimore
6.30pm Thursday 28 March - Union Theatre
KEY CONTACTS
General information
Julia - 0415 817 380
School of Rebellion
Jorge - 0435 519 198
Childcare
Alex - 0422 196 011
Stall Market
Cecilia - 0411 164 383
Media
Roz - 0450 319 952
Union Theatre - ground oor near building entrance and
Information Desk
Grand Buffet Hall - mezzanine oor between 1st and 2nd oor
Ground Floor South - ground oor, south of the food court, near
the IGA supermarket
Ground Floor (Student Lounge) - ground oor, near the dining
area
1st Floor - past the bar on the rst oor, near the food co-op
2nd Floor (Room 1) - second oor, near the top of the stairs
2nd Floor (Room 2) - second oor, past the bookstall
3rd Floor - third oor, at the top of the stairs
MEETING ROOM LOCATIONS AT UNION HOUSE
CONFERENCE PROGRAM
OPENING NIGHT
Friday 29 March
10am-
11am
From truncheons to
tasers: The evolution of
modern policing
Jess Payne
Theory
A history of radical
journalism
Martin Hirst
Issues and controversies
Marxism as political
practice or academic
theory?
Rick Kuhn
Issues and controversies
Arms and the people:
Revolutions and the
military
Michael Kandelaars
Revolutionary upsurges
What really happened in
the Russian revolution?
Alex Chklovski
Marxism for beginners
10am-
11am
11.30am-
12.45pm
The Vinegar Hill
Rebellion: Australias
rst uprising
Katie Wood
Radical Australian history
Fighting anti-union laws
with Bob Carnegie
Bob Carnegie and
Jerome Small
Organising workers
The Marxists and the
Lassalleans
Dougal McNeill
Radical parties
U.S. imperialism and
the class struggle in
Pakistan today with
Farooq Tariq
International guests
The Australian political
situation today
Diane Fieldes and Susan
Price
Issues and controversies
Do revolutions always
end in dictatorship?
Dean Maloney
Marxism for beginners
11.30am-
12.45pm
Special
lunchtime
sessions
1.30pm - 3.30pm, Grand Buffet Hall - John Pilger
speaks on Power, memory, the rights of privilege
and the crime of Utopia.
12.45pm - 1.45pm - Tour of Protest! Archives from
Melbourne University with co-curator Katie Wood.
Meet at entrance on north side of Union House.
Special
lunchtime
sessions
2pm-
3.30pm
Where is the Iranian
Green Revolution going?
Diane Fieldes and
special guest
Guest speakers
The politics of Leninism:
The primacy of politics
Sandra Bloodworth
The Russian revolution -
legacies and debates
Why a class analysis
matters
Declan Murphy
Marxism for beginners
2pm-
3.30pm
4pm-
5.30pm
Against the market:
The case for socialist
planning
Rebecca Barrigos
Marxist economics
Industrial action in
Australia: militant
unionists speak out
Chikmann Koh, Frank
Polemicos and Manolya
Moustafa
Organising workers
The struggle for Tamil
self-determination and
Sri Lankan politics
today with Tamil guest

International guests
Racism in the U.S.
today: The new Jim
Crow with African-
American socialist
Brian Jones

International guests
The dialectic from Marx
to Lukcs
Daniel Lopez
Marxist philosophy
4pm-
5.30pm
7pm-
8.30pm
Geopolitics and the
great recession:
Imperialisms changing
face
Tom Bramble
Marxist economics
An evening with
legendary Aboriginal
activist Gary Foley

Guest speakers
40 years since the Ford
Broadmeadows riot
James Vigus
Australian radical history
Leon Trotsky: Defending
the Marxist tradition
Kosta Rologas
Marxist philosophy
Class in the classroom:
Social inequality and
education today
Jane Kenway and
Manolya Moustafa
Education and capitalism
How does the 1% rule?
Ridah Hassan
Marxism for beginners
7pm-
8.30pm
Special
evening
sessions
9pm - Radical history tour
of Melbourne University
with Mick Armstrong. Meet
at entrance on north side of
Union house.
9pm, Ground Floor Student Lounge - The poetry of
Vladimir Mayakovsky performed by spoken-word
artist Santo Cazzati
Special
evening
sessions
Friday 29 March
Saturday 30 March
10am-
11am
Be the change you want
to see? Marxism and
pregurative politics
Roz Ward
Anarchism versus Marxism
How do socialists
convince people to be
revolutionaries?
Max Lane
Issues and controversies
Italy: The occupation of
the factories
Alexis Vassiley
Revolutionary upsurges
Fremantle: The story of a
radical Australian port
Lewis Todman
Radical places
World War I and the
radical upsurge
Robert Bollard
Radical Australian history
Stalin: Butcher of the
revolution
Liz Walsh
The Russian revolution:
legacies and debates
10am-
11am
11.30am-
12.45pm
What sort of
organisation do
socialists need?
Corey Oakley
Issues and controversies
Panel: Free Palestine!
With Touc Haddad,
Antony Loewenstein
and Kim Bullimore
International guests
Darfur to Kony:
Imperialism in Africa
Josh Lees
Issues and controversies
A rebels guide to
workplace activity
Ian Jamieson, Cathy
Lewis and Eric Le Roy
Organising workers
Censorship in
Australian publishing
with Ann Cunningham,
Jeff Sparrow, Tom
Bramble and Max Lane
Guest speakers
Capitalism and war
Ryan Laws
Marxism for beginners
11.30am-
12.45pm
2pm-
3.30pm
2pm, Union Theatre - Black Panther Billy X
Jennings speaks
International guests
What should the
socialist approach be to
457 Visas?
Colleen Bolger
Issues and controversies
Socialists and electoral
interventions with
Sue Bolton and Sam
Wainwright
Issues and controversies
2pm-
3.30pm
Resistance to the Nazis
in Eastern Europe
Janey Stone
Guest speakers
Gender construction and
capitalism
Kyla Cassells
Womens and LGBTI
oppression
4pm-
5.30pm
Festival of the
oppressed: Women in
revolution from Russia
to Egypt
Julia Jones
Womens and LGBTI
oppression
The international
experience of broad left
parties
John Percy and Mick
Armstrong
Radical parties
The history of
democracy: A Marxist
interpretation
Brian Roper
Issues and controversies
Radical Chinese labour
in Australian history
Liam Ward
Australian radical history
Panel: Paolo Freire and
the pedagogy of the
oppressed
Jorge Jorquera
Education and capitalism
Why not tax the rich?
John Passant
Marxist economics
4pm-
5.30pm
7pm-
8.30pm
The Syrian revolution
Corey Oakley
Issues and controversies
U.S. politics today with
Barry Sheppard
International guests
The experience of
the Greens in Europe:
lessons for Australia
Scott Barrasford
Issues and controversies
The horrible history
of Australias mining
magnates
Paul Coats
Australian radical history
Marxism and the trade
unions in the aftermath
of the Russian revolution
Mick Armstrong
Organising workers
Is religion to blame for
homophobia?
Kat Henderson
Womens and LGBTI
oppression
7pm-
8.30pm
Special
evening
sessions
9pm, Ground Floor
Student Lounge - Marx
in Soho performed by
Brian Jones
Saturday 30 March
Sunday 31 March
10am-
11am
Anarchism: Spontaneity,
horizontalism and
organisation
Sarah Garnham
Anarchism versus Marxism
Politics and Australian
sport
Trevor Grant
Issues and controversies
Workers taking control:
Class, agency and
revolution
Sadia Schneider
Marxist philosophy
State repression and
workers struggle in
Thailand today with
Thai activist
International guests
Russia 1905
James Plested
Revolutionary upsurges
Cessnock: The town the
miners owned
Lian Jenvey
Radical places
10am-
11am
11.30am-
12.45pm
Are the Greens a real
radical alternative?
Ben Hillier
Issues and controversies
Neoliberalism and
the new Palestinian
ruling class with Touc
Haddad
International guests
Challenges and
opportunities organising
in white collar industries
Louisa Bassini, Adam
Bottomley and Kate
Doherty
Organising workers
Darwin, Engels and the
evolution of modern
humans
Louise OShea
Marxist philosophy
What is the relationship
between exploitation
and oppression?
Jess MacLeod
Marxism for beginners
11.30am-
12.45pm
2pm-
3.30pm
Lenin and the united
front strategy
Omar Hassan
The Russian revolution:
Legacies and debates
Class struggle in the
Philippines today with
revolutionary Gerry
Rivera
International guests
The global economic
crisis: Is there any end
in sight?
Peter Jones
Marxist economics
Reds at the blackboard:
A history of teacher
unionism
Tess Lee Ack
Education and capitalism
Everything you ever
wanted to know about
Socialist Alternative
Diane Fieldes
From Chernobyl to
Bhopal: Environmental
disasters and the worlds
working class
Naomi Farmer
Issues and controversies
2pm-
3.30pm
4pm-
5.30pm
Venezuela: Class, state
and strategy
Roberto Jorquera
Book launch -
Revolution is for us: The
left and gay liberation
with author Liz Ross
Womens and LGBTI
oppression
Women, work and family
in the neoliberal age
Jade Eckhaus
Womens and LGBTI
oppression
Marxism and the
ecological revolution
Simon Butler
Issues and controversies
The Italian Communist
Party: The early years
Vashti Kenway
Radical parties
The politics of Karl
Kautsky
Patrick Weiniger
Marxist philosophy
4pm-
5.30pm
7pm-
8.30pm
Anarchy versus
authority? The debate
between Marx and
Bakunin
Damian Ridgwell
Anarchism versus Marxism
Indonesia: From
dictatorship to
revolution with
Tom OLincoln and
Indonesian guest
International guests
A history of the Victorian
Socialist Party
Liam Byrne
Radical parties
Revolutionary uprisings:
Algeria 1954-1962
Eric Le Roy
Revolutionary upsurges
Hacktivism and
Anonymous: A Marxist
analysis
Jo Mettam
Issues and controversies
7pm-
8.30pm
Special
evening
sessions
9pm, HJC Bar - Final round-up with
international speakers
Sunday 31 March
Age 4-7 Age 8-12
Friday 29 March
11.30am-
1pm
Little big minds: Kids doing philosophy
With primary teacher Maddy McLean
Wondering aloud: Philosophy for young
people
With secondary teacher Severin Karantoniss
2pm-
3.30pm
Visual and sculpture art
With renowned radical artist Van Thanh
Rudd
Making grafti art
With grafti artist and lmmaker Jo Harrison
4pm-
6.30pm
Building a better world on Minecraft
With Miguel and Inti (year 4 and 7
students) and teacher and academic Jo
Williams
Building a better world on Minecraft
With Miguel and Inti (year 4 and 7 students)
and teacher and academic Jo Williams
Saturday 30 March
11.30am-
1pm
Fighting racism through storytelling
With New York teacher, actor and
activist Brian Jones
Making poetry and slam poetry
With spoken-word artist and educator Santo
Cazzati
2pm-
3.30pm
Beyond Pink and Blue An introduction to social justice and social
change
With teacher and founding member of the
Popular Education Network Australia Jorge
Jorquera
Sunday 31 March
11.30-
1pm
Refugee story
With Ezekiel Ox, lead singer of The
Nerve
America wasnt discovered: An introduction
to the Conquistadores (in English & Spanish
languages)
With secondary and language teacher
Lourdes Garca Larqu
2pm-
3.30pm
Making your own instruments and music
With spoken-word artist and educator
Santo Cazzati
Doing hip hop
With hip hop artist Clandestine Voice
4pm-
6.30pm
Easter egg hunt Easter egg hunt
SCHOOL OF
REBELLION
(All sessions meet in basement
15 minutes prior to scheduled
starting time)
We acknowledge that this conference
is taking place on the stolen land of the
Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nations. It
is land that was never ceded and always
will be Aboriginal land.
Information Desk
The Information Desk is located on the ground
oor of the Union House next to the Union
Theatre. Visit us for conference information,
ticket purchases, upgrades, and any other
queries.
Special information about John Pilgers session
Investigative journalist John Pilger is speaking
1.30pm Friday 29 March in the Grand Buffet
Hall. To gain entry to John Pilgers session, you
must have a WITH PILGER conference ticket.
If you have a WITH PILGER ticket, you are
guaranteed entry to his session until 1:45pm,
when we will open all empty seats to the
standby queue - so dont be late! If you do NOT
have a WITH PILGER ticket, you are welcome
to try your luck in the standby queue. The
standby queue will begin at 1pm Friday March
29 near the Information Desk on the ground
oor.
Entry to meetings
With the exception of the John Pilger
session, tickets do not guarantee entry into
any particular event or session. To ensure
admission to popular meetings, get to the rooms
as early as possible. To see John Pilger, you
must have a ticket that species WITH PILGER
as seats are limited (for more information about
John Pilgers session, see above).
Purchasing tickets
You can buy or upgrade tickets to Marxism
2013 at the Information Desk on the ground
oor.
Upgrading Tickets
You can upgrade from a One Day ticket to a
Whole Weekend ticket at the Information Desk.
Friday: Unwaged $10 / Waged $20
Saturday: Unwaged $5 / Waged $10
Public transport
Any tram going north along Swanston Street will
take you to the Melbourne University tram stop.
Then walk up to the Tin Alley entrance (Gate
1), walk down Tin Alley and turn left into Union
Road.
Parking
There are 3 ticketed car parks available at
Melbourne University for the duration of the
conference, starting at $10 per day. Limited off
street car parking is also available in Swanston
Street, Elgin Street, Faraday Street, Cardigan
Street, Cemetery Road and Royal Parade. A
campus map complete with car park locations
and details is available at the Information Desk.
Childcare
The Marxism conference provides free
professional child minding for conference
attendees in a dedicated space. We can
accept children from babies up to 10 years
of age, cared for by our team of professional
and volunteer child care workers. Parents and
carers will need to bring toys and food for their
children. Childcare located on the 2nd oor of
Union House past the bookstall on the right.
Disabled Access
Marxism takes place over 3 oors of the
Melbourne University Union House. There is
access for people with disabilities via lifts. For
wheelchair access to sessions in the Union
Theatre (e.g. the opening night), please inform
the information desk at least half and hour
before the start time.
Food
Food and drink provided
by HJC Bar & Catering, 1st
Floor Union House. Meals,
snacks, coffee and drinks
available for purchase
all day throughout the
conference.
Other information
The conference will be staffed by the Marxism
Organising Team. If you have any problems
during the event, please approach a member of
the team - look out for their distinctive t-shirts
or ask at the Info desk.
CONFERENCE INFORMATION
Socialist Alternative meetings
If you live outside Melbourne but would like
to get in touch with the Socialist Alternative
branch in your city - all the branches will be
having tables on the mezzanine level outside
the Grand Buffet from 9am-5pm every day of
the conference.
Melbourne
6:30pm Thursday 4 April - Panel discussion
- Manufacturing consent: Media, power and
ideology under capitalism
6:30pm Wednesday 10 April - The Communist
Manifesto: A guide to changing the world
3:00pm Saturday 13 April - Turning despair
into hate: Golden Dawn and the rise of fascism
in Greece
All meetings held at the Socialist Alternative
Centre, Trades Hall, corner Lygon and Victoria
Sts, Carlton. Email: melbourne@sa.org.au
Sydney
7pm Tuesday 7 May - Racism and police
violence - Ongoing racist attacks by the
police enforce and perpetuate the racism
of the Australian state more generally, from
Aboriginal dispossession to Islamophobia
and refugee-bashing. The panel will include
Aboriginal family members of those killed in
custody.
Socialist Alternative Centre, upstairs, 246
King Street, Newtown.
Email: sydney@sa.org.au
Brisbane
6.30pm Tuesday 9 April - Police, protests,
prisons: The repressive neoliberal state
Socialist Alternative Centre, 136 Boundary St,
West End (above the Vinnies op-shop).
Email: brisbane@sa.org.au
Canberra
6pm Thursday 4 April - The Communist
Manifesto: A guide to how the 99% can win
Room G52 Haydon-Allen Building, Australian
National University.
Email: canberra@sa.org.au
Adelaide
6pm Tuesday 9 April - A short march down
the hill - the hidden history of radical Flinders
students causing industrial mayhem in the
South Australian car industry during the
1970s.
Box Factory Community Centre, 59 Regent St
South, Adelaide. Email: adelaide@sa.org.au
Perth
6.30pm Wednesday 10 April - Manufacturing
consent: Media, power and ideology under
capitalism
Citiplace Community Centre, above Perth train
station. Email: perth@sa.org.au
Same-sex marriage protests
Melbourne - 1pm Saturday 11 May,
State Library
Sydney - 1pm Saturday 25 May, Town
Hall
Brisbane - 1pm Saturday 18 May,
Queens Park
Canberra - 1pm Saturday 18 May,
Garema Place, Civic
Adelaide - 1pm Saturday 25 May,
Parliament House, North Terrace
Perth - 1pm Saturday 11 May, Stirling
Gardens
UPCOMING EVENTS
Refugee rights protests
Melbourne - 1pm Sunday 28 April,
Broadmeadows detention centre
Sydney - 11am Sunday 28 April,
Villawood detention centre
Brisbane - 1pm Saturday 27 April,
Pinkenba detention centre. For details
go to: rac-qld.org.au
Perth - Anzac Day weekend
convergence 26-28 April. Major
protest Saturday 27 April. For details
go to: rran.org
Palestine solidarity actions
for Al Nakba
Melbourne - 5.30pm Friday 17 May,
State Library
Sydney - 6pm Wednesday 15 May,
Town Hall
Enjoyed the conference? Dont want to
miss out next year? Marxism 2014 will
be held on the Easter W
eekend from
Thursday 17 April - Sunday 20 April
- venue TBC. Put those dates in your
diary now and keep up to date with the
latest on the conference at
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