THE BEST READS OF 2021

Posted on January 4, 2022 by Norwich Radical in Arts and tagged Amia Srinivasan, Becky Chambers, books, featured, feminism, fiction, Jacqueline Rose, Jake Hanrahan, Laura J Mixon, LGBT+, liberation, literature, Matthew Miller, Nick Hayes, non-fiction, novels, Otpor!, Popular Front, racism, Rojava, science fiction, solidarity, Srđa Popović, trespass.

By Ewa Giera, Sarah Edgcumbe and Samantha Rajasingham

Content warning: mentions of violence against women, police violence

From getting through that ‘to read’ backlog while stuck at home to reciting inspiring extracts at protests and on picket lines, we have read in many ways these past 12 months. As ever, at The Norwich Radical we believe in the written word as a world-changing source of joy, inspiration, education and hope. In this article, three of our contributors come together to share the best things they read in 2021, new and old. Each recommendation comes with a link to buy it direct from the publisher or on bookshop.org (where possible), but we encourage you to use your local bookshop in the first instance if you can. Happy reading!

NORWICH SHOWS SOLIDARITY WITH PALESTINE

Posted on June 12, 2021 by Norwich Radical in Community, Inter|national, Student and tagged Adat Yeshua Synagogue, Angela Davis, antisemitism, AOC, Apartheid, BDS, colonialism, Cromer, decolonisation, ethnic cleansing, featured, Gaza, genocide, Great Yarmouth, IHRA, imperialism, islamophobia, Jacob Ecclestone, Jerusalem, Jerusalem Declaration, justice, Kill the Bill, liberation, Malcolm X, Nelson Mandela, norwich, palestine, Palestine solidarity, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, peace, ramallah, Rashida Tlaib, settler colonialism, Sheikh jarrah, solidarity, tiktok, UEA, UEA Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, UEA SU, Welsh language, West Bank, zionism.

By Sean Meleady and Callum James

CN: death, violence, antisemitism, Islamophobia, colonialism, racism, ethnic cleansing

Norwich, like many cities and towns across Britain, has seen a number of Palestinian solidarity protests in recent weeks. These protests came in the wake of the latest series of aerial bombardments between Israel and Hamas-controlled Gaza, which resulted in the deaths of 256 Palestinians and 12 Israelis, according to UN figures. The spark for this recent escalation of violence occurred when an Israeli court greenlit eviction proceedings of Palestinian families in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of East Jerusalem, and subsequent peaceful protests were brutally repressed, culminating in attacks by Israeli police on the holy site of Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan, which elicited international condemnation.

THE ‘C’ WORD: COMMUNIST ERASURE IN LIBERATION ACTIVISM

Posted on March 27, 2021 by Norwich Radical in Perspectives and tagged activism, anarchism, Ash Sarkar, communism, featured, framing, identity, label, left, LGBTQIA+, liberation, marginalised, McCarthy, MLK, Piers Morgan, pride, radical, red scare, socialism.

by Kasper Hassett

From the first Red Scare in the US, terms like ‘communism’, ‘socialism’, and ‘anarchism’ have been subject to suspicion and scrutiny. Despite describing common views, they are considered subversive, chaotic and threatening, and cause others to be wary. Many of society’s role models, however, have been communists – especially those most associated with struggles against oppression, imperialism and bigotry. Forgetting this is no accident: when centrists and the right-wing express a shared sense of pride for achievements in activism, they place history under a rose-tinted lens, carefully side-stepping mention of their role in enforcing the barriers which required lifting in the first place.

BLACK ROYALTY IMAGERY IN ACTIVISM IS NOT REVOLUTIONARY – LET’S LOOK BEYOND

Posted on August 31, 2020 by Norwich Radical in Perspectives and tagged African, african anarchism, beyoncé, black is king, black royalty, blackness, BLM, colonialism, communalism, democracy, Egypt, empire, Ethiopia, featured, i e igariwey, kingdom, liberation, nguni bantu, pre-colonial, sam mbah, ubuntu, white supremacy, Zimbabwe.

by Lisa Insansa Woods

A misleading image presents itself within certain areas of Black power discourse. It is the gilded image of the Black royal or the ancient African empire, manifesting within popular culture as a vision to aspire to. The recent release of Beyoncé’s Black Is King brings the subject back to the forefront of the public domain, presenting a glorification of Black royalty in the matrix of the Black liberation struggle.

This idolisation does not fit a revolutionary paradigm, but, rather, strives for “advancement” in line with a white supremacist world. It honours the western concept of civilisation as a system that oppresses others: there would be no monarchy without subjugation, no “great” empire without violence and theft.

ROJAVA, REFUGEES & EU RESPONSIBILITY

Posted on November 9, 2019 by Norwich Radical in Inter|national, Perspectives and tagged arms trade, assad, complicity, conflict, daesh, democracy, ecology, ecosocialism, Erdogan, EU, featured, feminism, genocide, ISIS, Kurds, liberation, media, migration, MSM, PKK, radical, refugee, refugees, revolution, Rojava, Syria, turkey, USA Military, war crimes, YPG, YPJ.

by Sarah Edgcumbe

Since Turkey’s aggressive offensive against Rojava, an area of North Eastern Syria, began early in October 2019, at least 160,000 Syrians have fled their homes. A BBC report from the 17th October states that airstrikes and ground attacks have killed civilians on both sides of the Turkey / Syria border and quotes a UNICEF estimate that 70,000 children have already been displaced. This is a tragedy for the Kurdish citizens of Rojava, as well as the broader Middle East, given what the Rojava political project represented. Continue Reading

ROJAVA: A REVOLUTIONARY VISION UNDER FIRE

Posted on October 16, 2019 by Norwich Radical in Inter|national and tagged arms trade, assad, conflict, democracy, ecology, ecosocialism, Erdogan, featured, feminism, genocide, ISIS, Kurds, liberation, PKK, radical, refugees, revolution, Rojava, Syria, turkey, USA Military, war crimes, YPG, YPJ.

by Yali Banton-Heath

It’s been over a week since Turkey launched a fresh military offensive targeting Kurdish forces in northeast Syria. The death toll in Rojava is rising, and an exodus of civilians from the area has already reached a mass scale. Conflict in Syria thus deepens, becoming ever more complex, with the Syrian regime armed forces now reported to have moved into Kurdish controlled Manbij in order to counter the Turkish invasion. But what has sparked this new wave of insurgency? What role does the US have? What are the Kurds fighting for? And what significance does this have for the wider global justice movement?

“A VERY DIFFERENT TYPE OF POLITICS” – RESPONSE TO NUS CONFERENCE DAY 1

Posted on April 26, 2017 by Norwich Radical in Student and tagged #NUSNC17, access, anti racism, anti-sexism, attainment gap, Brighton, campaigning, deportation, direct action, far right, Free Education, HE bill, international students, Liber8 Education, liberated curriculum, liberation, malia bouattia, marketisation, migrant rights, nss, NSS Boycott, NUS, NUS conference, nus elections, NUS Trans Officer, oppression, politics, racism, Sally Hunt, sexism, Sorana Vieru, student activism, student debt, student mental health, student politics, students, suicide, trade unions, trans students, tuition fees, UCU, women's rights.

by Cherry Somersby

Content warning: Article mentions suicide.

The political transition we have seen in NUS over the last 12 months would have been unthinkable this time last year. The student movement has risen to the growing need for radical action this year, building groundbreaking, vital campaigns, presenting a powerful response to the many crises modern students face.

UEA VOTES 2017 – LIBERATIONS CANDIDATES

Posted on March 15, 2017 by Norwich Radical in Student and tagged #UEAvotes17, BME, disability, elections, LGBT+, liberation, liberations, non-binary, student activism, student politics, students, Students with Disabilities, transgender, UEA, UEA SU, women.

The Norwich Radical contacted all candidates in this year’s UEA Students Union officer elections for comment on why they’re running and what they stand for. These articles are intended to offer an insight into the current and future state of the union and of the UEA more broadly.

UEA Students can vote at uea.su/ueavotes until Tuesday March 21st.

TRAILBLAZING – NUS IMPLEMENTS TRANS OFFICER POSITION

Posted on January 3, 2017 by Norwich Radical in Perspectives, Student and tagged further education, higher education, inclusive curriculum, LGBT+, liberation, Noorulann Shahid, NUS conference, nus elections, NUS NEC, trans healthcare, trans officer, trans rights, trans-inclusive sport, transgender.

By Noorulann Shahid, NUS LGBT+ Officer (Open Place)

The year is 2014. A group of trans activists are standing huddled around an iPad in a small room filled with baggage at the University of Nottingham. Glances and expressions of hope, determination and anxiety shoot around the room. I can see the focus in my peers’ eyes. I hastily jot down some notes, soon after which we scatter back onto the conference floor. There is a sense of tension and seriousness in the room as delegates wait to debate a highly-anticipated motion. When the motion is finally called out, the trans rep on NUS LGBT campaign committee delivers an impassioned speech for the creation of a full-time NUS Trans officer.

THE NIGHT TIME STROLL HOME FOR A WOMAN

Posted on December 3, 2016 by Norwich Radical in Perspectives and tagged darkness, educate, escape, external, fear, feminism, fetish, Kitestring App, liberation, lone walking, men, patriarchy, protection, rape, reclaim the night, self-defense, sexual assault, sexualised behaviour, walk home, women, womens liberation.

by Nicholl Hardwick

Content warning: this article mentions sexual harassment, sexual assault, and rape.

Here is a little snippet of the continuous thoughts and actions that are applicable to many women when walking alone as the night begins to descend.

Multiple checks over her shoulder.
Trying to cover up and make your self look as undesirable as possible (pulling down top, head down, arms covering torso).
Weapon ready in hand (Keys slipped between enclosed fist, rape alarm, pepper spray etc.).
Analysing what the quickest escape route is (Your mind works like a ninja e.g. what is the quickest way to exit the park? THROUGH THE TREES!)
Being ultra responsive to sound (the snap of a twig = RUN YOU FOOL)
The old ‘I’m talking on my phone so you can’t attack me’ trick, when in reality your phone died two hours ago.
The ability to power walk like a trouper — thighs of steel — the quicker you get home the sooner you can stop shitting yourself that you’re not going to make it.
The avoidance of headphones — If you’ve got Bey on full blast then you ain’t gonna hear the footsteps!
The ability for women to have extensive knowledge of all ‘well lit’ routes in their area — THERE MUST BE LIGHT OTHERWISE IT’S MY FAULT — our minds work like twisted Satnavs.
The continuous regret that you didn’t just save money and get a taxi.

liberation

THE BEST READS OF 2021

By Ewa Giera, Sarah Edgcumbe and Samantha Rajasingham