The ECR is holding the third session of our series of reading groups focused on the political economy of the Kurdish Middle East, including Rojava, on Friday, March 26, 6:00 - 8:00 PM. 

In this session we will focus on the economic aspect of Abduallah Ocalan’s thought and how it relates to other pillars of democratic confederalism, such as direct democracy, gender equality and social ecology. This session will serve as a background for our April reading group in which we will look at how Ocalan’s theory has been implemented in practice in Rojava and Bakur (North Kurdistan / Turkey).  

The readings for this session: 

1. Section “Capitalism is not Economy but Power” (pp.120-125) and “Evidence that capitalism is anti-economy” (pp. 125-131) from Ocalan’s book Capitalism: The Age of Unmasked Gods and Naked Kings. Manifesto for a Democratic Civilization, Volume II

2. Section “Economic Autonomy” (pp. 44-49) from the brochure Democratic Nation (an edited selection from Ocalan’s writings) 

3. Article by Azize Aslan “Construction of Democratic, Ecological and Gender Libertarian Communal Economy in Kurdistan” (8 pages)

Recommended:

Section “The Dimension of Eco-Industrial Society” (pp. 249-256) in Ocalan’s book Sociology of Freedom: Manifesto of the Democratic Civilization Volume III 

Section “The Dimension of Moral and Political Society (Democratic Society)” (pp. 243-249) in Ocalan’s book Sociology of Freedom 

If you would like to attend this reading group, please RSVP to info@defendrojava.org. Feel free to join the discussion even if you don't get a chance to do all the readings!