AARGH – Anfield Anarchist Reading Group at Home

Gary and Lena have been missing the Politics and Aesthetics Reading Group and thought it might be a good idea to start something similar, something new…

They have decided to launch AARGH Anfield Anarchist Reading Group at Home and have invited all the members of the Politics and Aesthetics Reading Group and some new fresh faces too, to this new critical adventure.

Thursday, 10th July 2014

First meeting/first text is a chapter House and Home: Feminist Variations on a Theme from Iris Marion Young‘s book Intersecting Voices: Dilemmas of Gender, Political Philosophy, and Policy (1997).

We are concerned with how to activate our new home and refigure what it means to us, in this new location far away from Bright Street, on this new estate post-burglary as well. Do we ever want Home, Sweet Home? And we thought this was a theme relevant to us all. The format is simple: we read the text beforehand and then we discuss it for a couple of hours or so (with some wine and nibbles).

After an exciting start to AARGH in July with a film viewing in the Institute, ‘al fresco’ reading group in the garden, lots of red and white wine, cheese, fusion of Eminem and Dolly, late night dancing in the living room and some feminist discussion of House and Home  – we have (inspired by discussions about Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred and some of the members’ past careers as aerobics instructors) chosen a new text that will help us ponder the question ‘What is a body capable of?’

Sunday, 10th August 2014

Lecture by Deleuze on Spinoza was discussed and enjoyed and new ways of thinking were encouraged. How to think through sad and joyous encounters of Pierre and Paul?

Monday, 13th October 2014

Following on from sad and joyous passions and after the September break with our own Five book launch, we have decided to plunge further into the fight for justice for Palestine and therefore decided to consider Judith Butler‘s chapter Palestine, state politics and the anarchist impasse in book The Anarchist Turn (2013).

Gaza has been on our minds and in our hearts for the past few weeks. We went to the London demonstration in August and made a short video film with Sid. We’ve also been reading various articles, interviews and videos.
One of the issues has been the (perhaps?) internalised threat of being anti-semitic. So here’s a few links from Jewish thinkers who tell it like it is; all of these are very clear, precise and convincing.

Chomsky in 2010 says it all, very clearly:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/noam-chomsky/a-middle-east-peace-that_b_554178.html

Rabbi in Manchester last summer, beautiful and moving:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRpPGYWa0_E

Ilan Pappe on Democracy Now, Pappe is now based in Exeter:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XSlWd39XqY

13 October 2014 is the day of a historic victory for Palestine: UK Parliament votes overwhelmingly in favour for recognition of Palestine statehood. Public pressure has worked, now we need to change Goverment’s official policy.

Monday, 10th November 2014

We decided to stick with the Anarchist Turn book and reconsider notions of friendship, this time with Todd May and his chapter Friendship as Resistance. This was an engaging follow up to the Politics and Aesthetics Reading Group’s provocations and questions whether or not we were really friends… (and of course Derrida’s Politics of Friendship already read).

Sunday, 11 December 2014

Final instalment for AARGH – Spread Anarchy, Live Communism from the Accused of Tarnac. This was also to be the Institute’s Xmas party.

The question for us now is: what are we capable of that is properly of its time, in spite of the times?

We have decided that AARGH doesn’t seem to be, in this moment in time, properly of its time.

Therefore we say goodbye to AARGH and hello to TIES.

TIES stands for The Institute Encounters…Sleepovers with invited speakers/readers.