On November 14,1914 the Sultan-Caliph of the Ottoman empire proclaimed an official ‘Great Jihad’ against the allied powers. Today there is renewed interest in the role of Islam in the first world war, and revisionist histories see the conflict as a ‘clash of civilisations’ in which ANZAC soldiers battled with Jihadis. In his lecture Byron…
For more than a century, socialism in the United States has gone through two distinct phases: a period of ascent from the late 19th century through the Great Depression, followed by a long and steady decline from the end of the Second World War to today. At its height, American socialism was deeply embedded in…
The introduction of Fair Pay Agreements (FPAs) under the last Labour government was an ambitious attempt to deal with stagnant wages and rising poverty. FPAs would have allowed unions to dramatically increase their reach and improve pay and conditions across whole industries and occupations. Unfortunately, the recent change of government led to the repeal of…
“If you remove the English Army tomorrow and hoist the green flag over Dublin Castle, unless you set about the organization of the Socialist Republic your efforts will be in vain. England will still rule you. She would rule you through her capitalists, through her landlords, through her financiers, through the whole array of commercial…
“Go back again, now you have seen us, and your outward eyes have learned that in spite of all the infallible maxims of your day there is yet a time of rest in store for the world, when mastery has changed into fellowship—but not before. Go back again, then, and while you live you will…
Anarchists of all varieties believe that the state lacks political authority—i.e., a special right to coercively rule its subjects. However, anarchists disagree about whether people have private property rights. This talk will defend the social anarchist rejection of such rights. Specifically, it takes Michael Huemer’s influential libertarian argument against state authority and redirects it against…
The Canterbury Socialist Society are back for 2025 with our first event, a panel exploring the political left in the context of local government. Local Government in Aotearoa/New Zealand is fairly opaque. The level of powers devolved to local bodies is less significant than in much of the world, but is nonetheless broader than often…
Central Otago-born Doug Jolly served on the front lines throughout the Spanish Civil War and in WW2, developing innovative systems for treating patients as soon as possible after they were injured. His systems were widely used by UK and US surgeons in WW2 and later wars, and their influence can be traced today in the…
The Otago Socialist Society is thrilled to be presenting this guest lecture for our October 2024 monthly event. Chris Lam is a recent graduate of the English programme at the University of Otago, having completed their master’s degree this year. Their research focuses on horror, alienation, and the weird in fiction. ———————————–Of Parasites and Plagues:…
The Canterbury Socialist Society is pleased to confirm our 2024 Fred Evans Memorial Lecture. For this lecture we invite a speaker to present on a topic related to working class politics and history in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Fred Evans was a prominent unionist during a pivotal moment in New Zealand labour history – the Waihi Miner’s…