The ‘Arab Spring’ and the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ movements have both, in their very different ways, brought to life the idea that ‘the people’, long thought to be missing, can and do make a difference. This conference is interested in the possibilities these kinds of ‘collaborative struggles’ are opening up for new ways of thinking about politics, citizenship, identity and indeed life itself. What happens when Palestinians and Jews struggle together to defeat the segregation that nourishes the continuation of their conflict? What if a society of white privilege were to give way to an integrative way of life in Australia? This conference discusses different aspects of joint action – or ‘collaborative struggles’ – as the way to exit colonial divisions and oppressive relations in contemporary societies. We assume that the way we choose to struggle is the way we choose to create the new.

University of Wollongong. 25 September 2012.

Flyer here.