Socialist Seminar Series

2024–2025 Academic Year Highlights

Each year, the Institute of Political Economy proudly hosts the Socialist Seminar Series. This series brings together leading scholars, activists, and organizers to explore socialist thought and practice in the context of today’s pressing political challenges.

The 2024–2025 series continued this tradition with an outstanding lineup of speakers who examined the intersections of capitalism, colonialism, labor, and environmental crisis:

Sabrina Fernandes – Green Sacrifice Zones & the Political Economy of Climate Catastrophe
December 11, 2024
An incisive analysis of ecological degradation, global inequality, and the failures of green capitalism.

Bryan D. Palmer – Colonialism and Capitalism: Canada’s Origins 1500-1890
January 22, 2025
He weaves together groundbreaking research to examine colonial practices that displaced Indigenous peoples and the rise of capitalism that shaped resource exploitation and wealth distribution. This compelling narrative challenges traditional accounts and reimagines the complex threads of Canada’s past.

Eric Blanc – We Are the Union: How Worker-to-Worker Organizing is Transforming the Labor Movement
February 12, 2025
A deep dive into the lessons of recent teacher strikes and the resurgence of militant unionism in the U.S.

Charmaine Chua – Fast Circulation, Slow Violence, and the Transpacific Supply Chain
March 19, 2025
A powerful critique of logistics capitalism, imperial infrastructures, and the global geography of labor exploitation.

This year’s series engaged with urgent political questions while fostering a space for intellectual solidarity and strategic imagination. The IPE thanks all participating speakers and attendees for contributing to a vibrant year of socialist scholarship.