Binghamton, Montreal, Chicago, and Online Talks and Workshops Spring 2026
- Kevin Van Meter
- 1 hour ago
- 3 min read
SPRING 2026 TALKS AND WORKSHOPS
A few upcoming talks and workshops with more details forthcoming.
May 2nd and 3rd
Using Workers’ Inquiry to Organize and Fight the Boss a Workshop at the Upstate Anarchist Book Fair in Binghamton, NY.
Come visit the Common Notions table!
May 16th
Using Workers’ Inquiry to Organize and Fight the Boss a Workshop at the Constellation Anarchist Book Fair in Montreal.
Come visit the Common Notions table!
May 17th
Class Compositions in the Time of Fascism a Panel Discussion with Common Notions and Red May—Online.
June 12th-14th
Meet the Authors a Book Annoucement and Discussion for the Harry Cleaver reader at Labor Notes in Chicago.
Come visit the Common Notions table!
Upcoming Summer and Fall 2026 Events
August 26th-28th
Workers Inquiry Views a Panel at the Common City Conference in Uppsala, Sweden and Online
November 27th-28th
Workers Inquiry Views a Panel Aat Geography Matters in Athens, Greece and Online
TALK AND WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS
Class Compositions in the Time of Fascism
What are our most prescient tasks in a time of fascism? How can working-class struggles of the past and power in the present-day inform the next steps we are going to take?
Fascism today is a response to working-class power as well as an extension of the impulses present in American society and Western Civilization as part of capitalism’s violent, systemic subjugation of oppressed and exploited peoples. But we are not here to tell a story of defeat.
“No Trump, No KKK, No Fascist USA!” “You Are Now Entering Free Minneapolis” “Jin, Jiyan, Azadî" (Woman, Life, Freedom)” From the anti-fascist slogans of Black Lives Matter along with the celebration of power in the streets of Minneapolis to international feminist watchwords—struggles are circulating and amplifying working-class agency, autonomy, self-activity, and a “life in rehearsal.”
Join Common Notions and Red May for an online webinar to celebrate the launch of its new Class Compositions imprint and hear from some of today’s leading philosophers, historians, and thinkers on the struggles of the past, power in the present-day, and our tasks ahead.
This imprint aims to help reveal the contours of self-activity in response to capitalist counterattack, including on the democratic traditions workers’ struggles created, the imposition of borders, wall, and cages to divide our class, the rollback of our gains both commons and welfare, and the power of autonomy and gendered self-determination in the realm of social reproduction, which determine all other power relations in society.
Meet the Authors at Labor Notes
Will be participating in the Meet the Authors event at Labor Notes 2026 in Chicago this year. Robert Ovetz and Kevin Van Meter will announce our new Harry Cleaver reader out on Common Notions, discuss the book with participants after, and copies will be available too.
Using Workers’ Inquiry to Organize and Fight the Boss
Café, grocery, nonprofit, and public and private sector workers across the United States are on the move—refusing current regimes of work, fighting bosses and organizing unions, speaking about their working lives and demanding workplace democracy. Our workshop will examine two recent workers inquires with café and nonprofit workers in the US. In this workshop participants will learn about various strategies and tactics for developing, implementing, and circulating worker’s inquiries grounded in historical and contemporary examples; partake in large group reading and listening exercises; and craft a sample plan to use workers’ inquiry in an organizing context. Workshop with Anastasia Wilson of the Solidarity Research Center and Kevin Van Meter of Common Notions.