Sips & Scholars: C.L.R. James and the Politics of Self-Liberation with Nara Roberta Silva

Class is in session this summer! We’re partnering with the Brooklyn Institute of Social Research to offer the second annual Sips & Scholars series, free lectures set in bars, parks, cafes, and restaurants all over Brooklyn. This session, entitled "C.L.R. James and the Politics of Self-Liberation" will be led by Nara Roberta Silva.

What does it mean to say that workers themselves are the agents of their own liberation? In this lecture, we will examine the ideas developed by C.L.R. James through the 1940s and 1950s, when he was based mostly in the U.S. and was part of the movement against Stalinist bureaucracy. We will discuss his approach to Hegelian philosophy and his critique of traditional bureaucratic political organizations, shedding light on the inspirational role Black workers’ struggles played in James’s proposal for an independent Marxism.

Food and refreshments will be available! Please RSVP in advance. 

Everyone is welcome! Come ready to learn and open to discuss interesting questions together. Advanced reading is not required, but we encourage you to check out the suggested booklist. 

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PARTICPANT

Nara Roberta Silva is Core Faculty and Praxis Program Head at the Brooklyn Institute for Social Research and an Affiliate Fellow at the Workers’ Rights Institute at Georgetown Law. Her research and teaching focus on social and political theory, racial capitalism, social movements, political economy, and participatory democracy, alongside a sustained commitment to public scholarship. She is the author of Contradições da Horizontalidade, the first book-length study of Occupy Wall Street written from a Brazilian perspective, and is currently developing a comparative project on Black movements in Brazil and the United States.
 

 

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About The Brooklyn Institute for Social Research

The Brooklyn Institute for Social Research is an interdisciplinary teaching and research institute that offers critical, community-based education in the humanities and social sciences. Working in partnership with local businesses and cultural organizations, we integrate rigorous but accessible scholarly study with the everyday lives of working adults and re-imagine scholarship for the 21st century.