How do we build political power, and how do we wield it once we have it?
DSA-LA continues to welcome new comrades to our shared struggle, and while many new socialists are familiar with our popular, contemporary demands (e.g. Green New Deal, Housing for All, etc.), not all new radicals have had a chance to discuss and learn about how these demands fit into our ultimate emancipatory political horizon in addition to mitigating the present depredations of capitalism.
With that said, the DSA-LA Political Education Committee is proud to present our Night School for the spring & summer of 2023, Class Struggle and Socialist Strategy.
The 5-part study syllabus includes an introduction to and an examination of various terrains of class struggle: the workplace or points of production, campaigns for decommodified public goods, electoralism, and consciousness raising.
An initial kick-off event centered on workplace struggle will take place the Sunday before May Day, with following classes being held on Zoom. While every class is complementary to the others in the series, they are designed so that attendees can jump into events in the middle of the course.
All attendees are encouraged , but not required, to review the texts for each class, which are linked to each event on the calendar.
List of calendar links to RSVP to Night School below (more complete details follow):
- Socialist Struggle in the Workplace – Sunday, April 30th at 4 PM at KIWA
- Socialist Strategy for Decommodified Public Goods – Tuesday, May 9th at 7 PM (on Zoom)
- A Case Study in Housing Struggles – Tuesday, May 23rd at 7 PM (on Zoom)
- Socialist Strategy and Electoralism – Tuesday, June 6th at 7 PM (on Zoom)
- Socialist Propaganda and Consciousness Raising – Tuesday, June 27th at 7 PM (on Zoom)
Political Education Committee’s Study Series Archive:
We periodically revisit past study series curricula in Night School formats, and previous readers are freely available below:
A Study Series on Black Leftist Thought (2022) (Reader Forthcoming)
This series introduces attendees to the writings, speeches, and perspectives of Black leftists through most of the twentieth century. Through original sources in writing, audio, and video, we will trace back the history of discourses introduced and developed by Black socialists, all of which have profound impact on our political landscape today.
Lost Angles: Piecing Together a Socialist LA (2020, 2021)
This series takes a look at many of the often overlooked pieces of Los Angeles’ socialist past, present, and future exploring the development of the freeway system, the radical communities of the 20s and 30s, Hollywood’s connection to the CPUSA and the Red Scare, LA’s Third World Left movements, and the campaign for the San Fernando Valley to secede from LA at the turn of the 21st Century. Through these local struggles, we seek to connect with the place where we live and engage with the past as a way to guide our current work together.
Class on Class (2018)
This study series examines a selection of foundational concepts and inquiries, with the goal of more deeply grounding our collective struggle in rigorous socialist analysis.
Imperialism Study Series (2019)
Building on concepts introduced in the Class on Class, this series examines the relationship between imperialism and capitalism as articulated by leftists thinkers from the 19th century through today. Across installments, this series is designed to highlight the deep and varied theories on the left and create a space for open, healthy discussion.
Socialism & Electoralism Night School Series (2019-2020)
A series of informal Night Schools designed to complement DSA’s local and national commitments to Bernie’s campaign and engage with this candidacy within the broader context of socialist strategies and perspectives on electoral politics.