Video | Abolition Revolution
Why do we have a police force in the first place? How does policing uphold racism, capitalism and colonialism?
#KillTheBill – where it came from, where it’s going
Th Police Bill is an assault on us all and an attack on us all must be met by resistance from us all. Unity and solidarity must be the clarion call of this movement.
‘I was born a baby not a boy’: sex, gender and trans liberation
Shanice McBean argues for a Marxism with trans liberation at its heart through a materialist analysis of gender and sex.
Zero hours calling
Shanice McBean reports on the impact of zero hours and agency work on organising call centres Organising in a call centre was difficult mainly because of the so-called ‘flexibility’ of work. Our caller workforce was split into those working for an agency (who were on probation) and those working directly for the company (who were the experienced […]
Ferguson Spring
Shanice McBean discusses how the protests in Ferguson have been driven by the racism and injustice that permeates everyday life for black people in the USA. This article originally appeared in the Spring 2015 issue of the rs21 magazine. “Because of the way this society is organized, because of the violence that exists on the […]
“I Was Born a Baby Not a Boy”: Sex, Gender and Trans Liberation
In the second article in a series on trans politics, Shanice McBean discusses sex, gender and trans liberation. This piece was originally published on Shanice’s blog sheisrevolutionarilysuicidal. The Severing of Sex from Gender As transgender identities, social spaces and movements have developed over the past 150 years there’s been a sharpening of the confrontation between bourgeois ideological […]
‘Shoot As Well As Cook’: the Black Panther Party, sexism and the struggle today
We need to remember the contributions of black women to past struggles if we’re to take forward the fight for justice today, writes Shanice McBean.
Review: Orange is the New Black
With Christmas fast approaching, Shanice McBean looks at the politics behind an obvious stocking filler: Orange is the New Black. Orange is the New Black (OITNB) follows the story of main protagonist Piper Chapman as her past in drug smuggling delivers a 15 month prison sentence onto the doorstep of her seemingly pristine, all American lifestyle. […]
Acquaintance rape: reassessing a classic study
Robin Warshaw’s book “I Never Called It Rape” was first published in 1988. Shanice Octavia McBean reconsiders it now as a contribution to the discussion emerging from the last few years’ rise in anti-rape activism. “I Never Called It Rape” by Robin Warshaw was a seminal book of its time, and for that it must be given […]
London protesters stand in solidarity with Ferguson
At the London vigil those attending chanted “hands up, don’t shoot”, following Ferguson protesters.
Save Our Staff – or we’ll strike!
Shanice McBean reports from Kings College picket lines: Today UCU members at KCL were out on strike following the threat of 120 redundancies in the Health Schools. Fifty seven of these staff have now lost their jobs. Staff under threat are being targeted using arbitrary criteria, such as research grant income, to determine who gets […]
Tottenham attacks: antifascist vigil attracts 200 in show of unity and defiance
(report and pics from Shanice McBean) Some 200 anti-fascists gathered outside Tottenham town hall in north London on Monday evening following antisemitic attacks by Polish fascist group Zjednoczeni Emigranci on Saturday. The crowd was a healthy mix of local residents plus the organised left including Unite Against Fascism and Anti Fascist Network, This turnout at 24 hours’ notice is positive sign […]
What is intersectionality?
New movements against oppression have brought with them a new vocabulary. The concept of “intersectionality” is prominent among them. Shanice McBean outlines her understanding of the term and its relationship to Marxist theory.
Oppression and democratic centralism
A short response to Alex Callinicos’s Socialist Review article from Shanice McBean’s blog.