Slow Reading Group: Witches, Witch-Hunting, and Women

The Three Ecologies Research Group at Nottingham Contemporary is holding a series of free reading sessions. Join us every third Monday of the month at 7pm.

Come along, we are currently reading together (literally, aloud, and slowly) and discussing Part Two of 'Witches, Witch-Hunting, and Women' by Silvia Federici.

For centuries the term ‘witch’ has referred to women who – due to their intelligence, non-conformism, and independence – were considered dangerous and undesirable. In reality, it was about women who not only dared to be inspired but who were also courageous, curious, sexually liberated, and revolutionary. In recent years, the idea of witchcraft has seen a revival, mainly within the activist circles of artists, feminists, queers, and ecologists who – as a reaction to oppression – strive for a more ethical and less individualistic order of existence. This makes witchcraft today a metaphor for militant otherness.

No specialist expertise is needed for slow reading, other than an interest in reading with others.

We will also expand on subjects and ideas proposed in this book so bring along any related material you'd like to share.

We will have copies of the chapter available on the day.

Free. All welcome. No need to book.

Silvia Federici is a feminist activist, writer, and a teacher. In 1972 she was one of the cofounders of the International Feminist Collective, the organization that launched the Wages For Housework campaign internationally. In the 1990s, after a period of teaching and research in Nigeria, she was active in the anti-globalization movement and the U.S. anti–death penalty movement. She is one of the co-founders of the Committee for Academic Freedom in Africa, an organization dedicated to generating support for the struggles of students and teachers in Africa against the structural adjustment of African economies and educational systems. From 1987 to 2005 she taught international studies, women studies, and political philosophy courses at Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY. All through these years she has written books and essays on philosophy and feminist theory, women’s history, education and culture, and more recently the worldwide struggle against capitalist globalization and for a feminist reconstruction of the commons.

The Three Ecologies is a multidisciplinary ecology research group established in collaboration with the University of Nottingham. The group meets every month at Nottingham Contemporary, they not only organise events but also visit different sites and organisations in the city in order to explore the city’s ecological context.

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