The Socialist Education Commune (Sósíalíska menntakommúnan)

The Socialist Education Commune, SMK, a public school for society and history, has started its operations in Bolholti 6, the community center of Vorstjarnan and the Socialist Party. The Education Commune will offer courses, lectures, and educational evenings on diverse topics, especially on class struggle, socialism, and the fight for justice.

Initially, these courses will be available:

History of the Workers' StruggleSix-day course on Saturdays with a film screening

A course on the history of the workers' struggle at home and abroad.Þorleifur Friðrikssonhistorian, will cover the origins of the labor movement and its history worldwide in four lectures and discussion sessions on Saturday mornings from 11 AM to 1 PM in Bolholti 6. First, however, an introductory meeting will be held at 11 AM on Saturday, October 16, where Þorleifur will outline the scope and highlight characteristics of the Icelandic labor movement. The following week, on Saturday, October 23, at 2 PM, there will be a screening of the film Korter yfir sjö, the story of the great strike of 1955, at Bíó Paradís, with an introduction and discussion afterward. The course will then begin on Saturday morning, October 30, at 11 AM, and will continue for the next three Saturday mornings, November 6, 13, and 20. The course is held in collaboration with the Workers' Council of the Socialists (Verkalýðsráð Sósíalista). Participants will receive a certificate upon completion of the course.

You can mark your participation here:History of the Labor MovementWhat good did left-wing governments do?Four-evening course on TuesdaysÁrni Daníel Júlíussonhistorian, will review the achievements of left-wing governments in Icelandic history, from 1927-83, in four lectures with accompanying discussions. A common thread in this history is the relationship between the labor movement and state power. In the first lecture, Árni Daníel will discuss the red-green governments of 1927-1938, next the innovation government at the end of the war and the left-wing government of 1956, then the longer '68 period, from the election of Kristján Eldjárn until the election of Vigdís, and in the final lecture, the left-wing governments from 1978 to 1983. This is an interesting and little-researched topic, remarkable how many progressive issues passed in short-lived governments of left-wing parties. The first lecture will be on Tuesday evening, October 26, at 8 PM, and the others at the same time on Tuesday evenings, November 2, 9, and 16.

You can mark your participation here:What good did left-wing governments do?Is money all that matters? – Class in a broad contextLecture and discussions on Saturday, November 13Auður Magndís Auðardóttir, a postdoctoral researcher at the School of Education, University of Iceland, will give a lecture on Saturday, November 13, at 2 PM in Bolholti 6. What determines our class? Employment status, income, and assets are the metrics we are used to using, but what if we also include education, informal knowledge, and networks? In this seminar, the lecture and discussions will cover the theories of the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu on class, class conflict, and symbolic violence experienced by working-class people.

You can mark your participation here:Is money all that matters?A whole weekend on neoliberalismFour-lecture course over one weekendJóhann Helgi Heiðdal, a PhD student in philosophy, will hold a course on behalf of the Socialist Education Commune on Neoliberalism in four lectures on the upcoming weekend of December 11 and 12. The lectures will be at 11 AM and 2 PM on both days. In recent decades, neoliberalism has been one of the most prominent, yet also the most ambiguous, concepts in Western political discourse. Its usage has fluctuated considerably – for example, it was very prominent after the 2008 financial crisis and the Icelandic economic collapse. But in recent years, its use has noticeably declined, and today it is primarily used as a kind of pejorative term on the far-left wing of politics. But what is neoliberalism? Is it merely a pejorative term of the left, and in reality nothing that is or ever was – as many right-wing political commentators claim? Is neoliberalism in any way different from other currents in the history of ideas, and if so, how? Why is this still an important concept in political explanations today?

You can mark your participation here:A whole weekend on neoliberalismMarketization of EducationLecture and discussions on December 18Auður Magndís Auðardóttirwill give a lecture on Saturday, December 18, at 2 PM in Bolholti 6. This seminar will cover the impact of market thinking and neoliberalism on the education system. Among other things, we will examine: Why is competition among primary and secondary schools for students and teachers not necessarily a good thing? What signs do we see of the marketization of education in Iceland? What is the purpose of education? What impact does the marketization of education have on gender equality?