FREE UNIVERSITY of LA: Series I

we WILL have our own schools that are NOT designed to re-produce ignorance,

obedience, helpless docility, fear, and hate



Too often we try to reinvent the wheel and too often we have difficulty communicating with

one another due to a lack of understanding of the cornerstones of other people’s ideas (e.g.

“indigenous sovereignty,” “positive power,” “The Commune”, “internal colonialism”, “praxis”,

‘liberation’ vs. ‘rights,’ “direct democracy”, etc). This series of talks is intended for

ALL NON-AUTHORITARIAN people of LA who would like to have a general overview of SOME of the

most significant instances, movements, theories, and languages of liberation.

Generally, the topics will be presented by people who use the presented ideas and lessons in

their own struggles (praxis!). In addition to being educational, this will also give the

presenters and the people of our communities the much-needed opportunity to get to know one

another, build links, and fight against the ghettoization of our city.



The point of the university is to provide a space for various non-authoritarian people of LA

to teach/explain/share/discuss/etc the roots of their inspirations and then explain how some

of those ideas are being applied into their existing ideas and, most importantly - actions.



For example, if it was learning about the Chinese peasant rebellions that initially

motivated you to start a community garden project, then it would be great if you could come

and talk to us about (1) the Peasant Rebellions that you know about, (2) what you found to

be the most inspiring/enlightening elements of it (here you will have a chance to more

explicitly express your current way of seeing the world), and (3) how that inspiration is

translated into the way in which you go about building the gardens. (This is only an example

of one of the ways in which this can be done. The actual presentations are completely up the

speakers.)



This way we will get to learn some relevant history and theory, understand where others are

coming from, and see how we can help one another.

Currently we are trying to line-up the speakers. By early December we will start promoting

the Free University of LA to the greater public of LA.



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WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP:

Contact relevant organizations to line up speakers and ask them to help us promote and

provide links to other potential speakers. We are trying to get speakers from organizations

that are active in the particular field (e.g. Casa De Pueblo, American Indian Youth, Black

Cross, etc.).



Each speaker will be asked to provide an outline of their talk 10 days in advance so that it

can be shared with other speakers who might be presenting on the same topic.



Each session is going to be run by the speakers of that session!

Since we are very ghettoized and know very little about one another, then it should

probably be a broad intro thing, but again, it’s up to the presenters to determine how they

would like to run their session. At the end of the session if the people want to get into

the topic in any more depth, then, on the spot, they can agree to meet again, hopefully even

branching out. The location of the particular talks will be up to the speakers for that

week, however, if they don't have a space or don't care, we can provide a space.

CONTACT: FreeUniversityOfLA@yahoo.com (please send us your phone # if you are thinking

on presenting on any topics)



CHECK OUT http://www.florycanto.org/freeuni.htm for updates





(DAY) TOPIC



(1) INTRO TO MARX, HISTORICAL MATERIALISM, SCIENTIFIC SOCIALISM, etc. section 1

1/24/04 5:30PM at Flor Y Canto (check out FlorYCanto.org)





(2) INTRO TO MARX, HISTORICAL MATERIALISM, SCIENTIFIC SOCIALISM, etc. section 2

1/31/04 5:30PM at Flor Y Canto (check out FlorYCanto.org)





(3) Some PRE-20TH CENTURY REVOLUTIONS


1. PEASANT REBELLIONS, 2. LUDDITES, 3. AMERICAN REVOLUTION


4. FRENCH REVOLUTION, 5. Mexican revolution 6. Philippine resistance





(4) Some of the FOUNDATIONS OF MODERN ANTI-AUTHORITARIANISM: section 1


1. PROUDON, 2. MAGON, 3. ZAPATA 4. BAKUNIN 5. KROPOTKIN,


6. MALATESTA (roy) 8. etc.








(5) Some of the FOUNDATIONS OF MODERN ANTI-AUTHORITARIANISM: section 2


1. PROUDON, 2. MAGON, 3. ZAPATA 4. BAKUNIN 5. KROPOTKIN,


6. GOLDMAN (traci), 7. LUCY PARSONS 8. etc.





(6) Some 20th Century Revolutions: section 1


1.RUSSIAN REVOLUTION, 2. SPANISH REVOLUTION, 3. LABOR HISTORY, SYNDICALISM


4. etc








(7) Some 20th Century Revolutions: section 2


1. RUSSIAN REVOLUTION, 2. SPANISH REVOLUTION, 3. LABOR HISTORY 4.etc








(8) AMERICAN INDIAN RESISTANCE TO GENOCIDE








(9) 1. AFRICAN RESISTANCE TO SLAVERY 2. “RACE”: PRODUCTION OF “RACES”








(10) ANTI/POST COLONIAL RESISTANCE


1. AFRICA 2. CHINA 3. CARIBBEAN: HAITI, CUBA, PUERTO RICO, JAMAICA, etc 4.HUNGARY, POLAND, etc, (AGAINST USSR) 5. IRELAND 6. etc






(11) ANTI/POST COLONIAL RESISTANCE


1. AFRICA 2. CHINA 3. CARIBBEAN: HAITI, CUBA, PUERTO RICO, JAMAICA, etc 4. HUNGARY, POLAND, etc, (AGAINST USSR) 5. IRELAND 6. etc





(12) 1. THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, 2. BLACK POWER MOVEMENT,








(13) 1. BROWN POWER MOVEMENT 2. ASIAN RADICAL MOVEMENTS 3.GAY LIBERATION 4.etc








(14) 1. US PRISONS 2. COINTELPRO: THEN AND NOW








(15) STIUATIONISTS





(16) GLOBALIZATION, CAPITALISM TODAY, PROPAGANDA TODAY





(17) HERSTORY AND THEORY: FEMINISMS - RESISTING GENDER HIERARCHY and other forms of OPPRESSION of Women/Womyn





(18) The ANTI-AUTHORITARIAN LEFT








(19) POST-MODERNISTS: DERRIDA, etc








(20) POST-STRUCTURALISTS: FOUCAULT, etc








(21) ZAPATIZMO








(22) QUESTIONING CIVILIZATION AND TECHNOLOGY, GREEN @





(23) RESISTING THE DESTRUCTION OF EARTH AND ANIMALS

If your sources of inspiration come from a place that is not listed above PLEASE contact us as soon as possible and we will try to add that topic somewhere in this listing where it makes some chronological sense.

THANK YOU!

Funny university you got there. You gonna have any math, physics, chemistry, engineering, medicine, or biology classes? Or do the sciences just promote docility and fear?

Fools.

Just remember:

You get what you pay for.

...it's about time we had some professional, trained progressives and activists.

Look at the results gotten by the amateurs the last two years.

Zip.

Nada.

Zilch.

Nuttin', honey.

OK, whip it out. What colleges did you graduate from Prof? What about you nonanarchist?

Fact is, a lot of the sciences and (especially) engineering track people into careers that might involved working for defense companies, petroleum companies, agribusiness, or other similar jobs that will influence people's principles and politics.

People go into engineering to improve the world, and find themselves making missle parts for smart bombs, building toll roads, or turning crude oil into pesticides. The engineers who resist find themselves operating repair shops, working in the media, or out of work a bit.