(en) Britain, Glasgow-based anarchist communists federated (AF) - Education as the Practice of Freedom (talk/discussion)

Fred Paton Centre, 19 Carrington Street, Glasgow, G4 9AJ. ---- ?There is no such thing as 
a neutral educational process. Education either functions as an instrument that is used to 
facilitate the integration of the younger generation into the logic of the present system 
and bring about conformity to it, or it becomes ?the practice of freedom,? the means by 
which men and women deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to 
participate in the transformation of their world.? ? Paulo Freire ---- Anarchists have a 
long and illustrious history of involvement within education, with interventions in 
libertarian education as notable as Ferrer?s Escuela Moderna, and the Free Skools, right 
through into the contemporary spaces of Social Centres. As a movement, Anarchism has 
historically emphasised the importance of the role of education ? whether as a 
domesticating tool of oppression or as a prefiguring and liberating force ? with a concern 
rarely echoed in other political perspectives.

While naturally touching on some of that history, this talk will mainly be concerned with 
the understanding that radicalism presents us with a fundamentally educational space, and 
will consider this in light of the work of Paulo Freire, among others. Though identifying 
outside of the specific Anarchist tradition, Freire?s work within Popular Education can be 
easily understood as broadly libertarian, and with implications and prospects for Anarchism.

Though the talk will highlight the role of informal education, contributions and 
reflections on all modes are welcome and expected in the discussion following.


Glasgow AF discussion group is open and free to all, however any donations towards costs 
will be appreciated. Tea/coffee/juice/biscuits will be provided free of charge. Our venue 
is accessible to wheelchairs/powerchairs. We will also have a book stall from the RiB 
project with books and other related material for sale. We ask that all those attending 
this event read the brief introduction to our safer spaces policy:

Safer Space Policy
Our Policy in Brief

This policy applies to all attendees of Anarchist Federation hosted events, meetings, 
online spaces (forums, blogs and social networking pages of AF groups), publications or 
communications as well as at all times between members (both online and in person). All 
members of the federation will aspire to act in accordance with this policy in their 
relations with others (both members and non-members) and are expected to abide by and be 
held accountable to this as members of the federation.

If you feel unsafe in an AF space due to somebody else?s behaviour, then please contact 
any member of the AF, or our Membership Secretary on membership@afed.org.uk. They will 
then use this document to guide us on the appropriate actions to take. If you wish, your 
complaint will be kept confidential and your identity secret as much as we are able to do so.

If you have been subjected to violence, sexual assault or sexual harassment, the 
perpetrator will be asked not to use AF spaces while the process is ongoing. If they are a 
member of the AF, their membership will be suspended until the matter is resolved. The 
process will be survivor-led, you will be able to choose a mediator and you will not be 
expected to see or speak with your attacker if you do not wish to do so.

For complaints that do not involve violence, we encourage both/all parties to engage with 
our Conflict Resolution procedure, and will provide mediation if required. See our 
Conflict Resolution and Survivor-led procedures for details of how these processes work.
We define the following as abusive behaviours which are not tolerated:

Physical abuse
1. Violence and threat of violence (unless in self defence)
2. Use of force and threat of force (unless minimal to protect people or a space being 
used collectively)
3. Rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment

Non-Physical abuse
1. Verbal abuse (insults or aggression towards an individual)
2. Oppressive language (insults or generalisations about a marginalised group of people)
3. Emotional and psychological abuse (bullying, isolating and ?gaslighting?)
4. Harassment (behaviour made abusive by being repeated, persistent & unwelcome)
5. Written abuse (any of the above in written form)

The Accountability and Disassociation Processes of the Anarchist Federation document 
contains our policy in full.

See ?The Policy in Detail? (Page 2) for a full description of what we mean, and what we do 
not mean, by each of these behaviours.
See ?Applying the Accountability Policy? (Page 5) for details of the places and people 
this policy applies to, and how to enact it.
See ?Frequently Asked Questions? (Page 6) for more information about Safer Spaces and the 
reasons why we have this policy.
See ?Processes of the Anarchist Federation? (Page 8) for details of how we hold each other 
accountable, protect and restore power to survivors and resolve conflicts of all kinds.