‘Marxism exists in 19th-century thought like a fish in water: that is, it is unable to breathe anywhere else.’ Variations on this claim, made in 1966 by Michel Foucault, had decades of oxygen in the West.
But today, the work of Karl Marx is again breathing life into a range of Western movements. Within Black Lives Matter, Jeremy Corbyn’s UK Labour or Bernie Sanders’ ‘Revolution’, young people are repurposing thought long dismissed as antique.
In this discussion, hosted by Helen Razer, we’ll discuss the relevance of Marx today. Our panellists, including Alyx Gorman, Gary Foley and Nazeem Hussain, will describe their practical agreement – and their useful dispute – with this 19th-century European thinker.
This event will be Auslan interpreted.
Featuring
Featuring

Helen Razer was a broadcaster and is now a writer. Her appointments in radio were at the Triple J national network and ABC Melbourne. Her books include A Short History of Stupid, co-authored with national affairs correspondent Bernard Keane, a 2015 work on the history of bad Western thought shortlis... Read more

Nazeem Hussain is the star of his own critically-acclaimed TV show, Legally Brown, which aired on SBS. The show broke ground with its boundary-pushing content, received wide spread critical acclaim and was nominated for Most Outstanding Comedy at the 2015 Logie Awards. Nazeem is also well ... Read more

Alyx Gorman attended her first demonstration in-utero; her parents, both avowed Marxists, met through the union movement. Alyx rebelled against her red nappy upbringing by becoming a lifestyle journalist. She has written for ELLE, Quartz and Sydney Morning Herald, and is currently the Editorial D... Read more

Gary Foley is an Australian Aboriginal Gumbainggir activist, academic, writer and actor. He is best known for his role in establishing the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra in 1972 and for establishing an Aboriginal Legal Service in Redfern in the 1970s. He is currently a Professor of History... Read more
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