Friday night @ the Book Fair

Anarchism, Colonialism, and Aboriginal Dispossession in the Canadian West

Paul Burrows speaks Friday night @ the Saskatoon Anarchist Book Fair!
7 pm
Grace Westminster United Church
505 10th St East


"Anarchism, Colonialism, and Aboriginal Dispossession in the Canadian West" is an exploration of Kropotkin, Goldman, and Rocker's visits to the Prairies in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and what their views, attitudes were on settler-colonialism and indigenous peoples.

Paul Burrows is an activist and writer based in Winnipeg, Canada. In 1995, he helped found Winnipeg's Old Market Autonomous Zone (www.a-zone.org), as well as Mondragon Bookstore & Coffee House (www.mondragon.ca), institutions -- inspired by participatory economics and anarchism -- which have become focal points of activism in Winnipeg. More recently (in 2007), he helped start up the Rudolf Rocker Cultural Centre (www.rocker.cc), a collectively-run gallery and multi-purpose venue for social, political, and cultural events of interest to the anarchist, activist, and wider Winnipeg communities.

Paul's articles on participatory economics, Palestine-Israel, and other issues have appeared in ZNet, Electronic Intifada, rabble.ca, Upping the Anti, New Socialist, and elsewhere. An article on "Participatory Economics & Workers' Self-Management: Reflections on Winnipeg's Mondragon Bookstore & Coffee House Collective" appeared in the anthology edited by Chris Spannos entitled Real Utopia: Participatory Society for the 21st Century (AK Press, 2008).

He completed an M.A. in History at the U of Manitoba with a primary focus on indigenous history and resistance, treaties, and settler-colonialism. His thesis was on "Treaty 1 & the Ethnic Cleansing of the St. Peter's Reserve" -- merely the tip of the iceberg in terms of Canada's shameful history of ethnic cleansing, apartheid, and genocide.

More recently, he started a Ph.D. in History at U of Saskatchewan.

Paul has a four year old son named Asher, who is near-certain proof of humanity's innate tendency towards anarchism.

Only a week away!

Hey everyone,

We hope you are all as excited about the book fair as we are! Here is the finalized workshop schedule for Saturday Novemer 14th.

2009 Anarchist Book Fair Workshop Schedule

10:30 - 11:30 – Yoga with Tamra Knaus
Back for anther year, the book fair warms up with some free yoga. Bring your mats!

or...

10:30 – 11:30 – Learn to Knit with Rissy
Learn the basics of knitting! Or if you already know how to knit, come hang out and knit in a social setting! Yarn and needles will be provided.

11:30 - 12:30 – The Menstrual cycle: it's awesome! with Crystal Clarke
Our society deems menstruation as something to hide, be ashamed of, and resent. Just as Eve has been blamed for over 2000 years, women are taught to hate this part of our biology. This is a product of patriarchy and just one of many natural occurrences in a woman's life that nobody talks about. Menstruation, along with other reproduction-related events, are a part of women and society whether we like it or not. This workshop will explore safe discussion about menstruation and reproduction, and celebrate the fact that most women are given a monthly gift in menstruation. You can expect small- and large-group discussion, information, empowerment, and lots of fun in this workshop. It is open to all genders!

Free lunch will be provided

12:30 - 1:30 - Guerilla gardening with Shaun and Jessie from Rooted
Explore the philosophy behind guerilla gardening and the importance of urban agriculture with some of Saskatoon's urban ag collective Rooted. Learn how to make seed bombs! All supplies will be provided.

1:30 - 2:30 - Anarchist Approaches to Education
The system of public education is one of the most important institutions that serves to legitimize and reproduce the unequal structures of power and authority that anarchists fight to undermine. While schools teach children obedience, competition, and blind respect for authority, anarchists encourage free, critical thinking, cooperation, and mutual, universal respect.

If we take our dream of building a better world seriously, we must consider the possibilities for engaging in education in the present. As anarchists who oppose State authority, what options do we have for education in our communities? Is it possible to effect radical change by working within the public education system, or should we advocate for a withdrawal from State institutions?

Join Edmonton's Worker Solidarity Alliance members and advocates for radical education in an interactive workshop that will explore these questions and more.

2:30 - 3:30 - Prisoner Solidarity
Founded in the late 1980s and formally incorporated as an organization in 2000, Books Through Bars was established to address the paucity of educational resources and programming made available to prisoners hoping to use the time of their imprisonment to effect positive change in their lives. By distributing free educational materials to prisoners, Books Through Bars facilitates prisoner education, thereby promoting successful community re-integration. Because successful community reintegration requires transformation within and outside of prison walls, Books Through Bars utilizes our book distribution service as the foundation on which we build innovative programs designed to engage a broad cross-section of the general public in thinking critically about issues of imprisonment.

Cameron from the Regina chapter of Books Through Bars will talk about the importance of prisoner solidarity and some of the ways we can form alliances with those in prison. Come discuss ways of preventing the criminalisation and over-policing of our communities and ways of opposing the growing “prison society.”

3:30 - 4:30 – Trans Resistance with Alix
What exactly is gender and how does our society rigidly enforce binary gender codes at the expense of personal freedom and self-determination? We’ll be discussing some of basics of transgenderism and activism, and the issues transgendered people face, from proper pronoun usage to the medicalization of transgenderism and rampant discrmination.

4:30 - 5:30 - Know your rights!
Ever get stopped by a cop who demands to see your ID? Are you ever unsure what your rights are whenever dealing with police? What's the process of being arrested? Know Your Rights! answers these questions and more. A one hour crash course on your rights when dealing with the fuzz from an anarchist perspective. Put on by Calgary's Anarchist Black Cross.

Free dinner will be provided

5:30 - 6:30 - The Art of Self-Publishing
Local author Wes Funk will provide ideas and tactics for those interested in controlling the publishing and distribution of their writing. Applies to more than just novelists. Zinesters get in there!
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You can also once again look forward to a bunch of excellent organizations and vendors there tabling...including Thoughtcrime Ink, Edmonton IWW, Winnipeg Copwatch, Edmonton ABC, Calgary ABC, Anarchist Youth Movement, Black Cat Press, Junto 91, Turning the Tide and much more!

Expect free food! supervised children's play area! and a free store/stuff swap!