NCRising3

Greensboro is hosting the third NC Rising the last weekend in May, a conference of anarchists, autonomists, anti-authoritarians & anyone who desires the dismemberment of capitalism & the state, white supremacy, heteronormativity, and patriarchy.

We are playing with the idea of “Provoking Community,” a phrase designed to emphasize the importance of forming cohesive & dependable relationships within and between these groups, and to convey the aggressive, cooperative effort necessary to maintain and strengthen them. Some questions to consider: What constitutes community? Does that definition change for Anarchists? Does it naturally congeal around our most regular friends? Does it form only through formal or facilitated interactions? Can community be casual? What role does accountability play in creating & maintaining community? What is affinity? How do affinity and community overlap & diverge? What defines a “community in resistance” ? Is there a difference between communities that choose resistance and communities that are forced into resistance? What does a ‘successful’ community relationship look like, and what benefits are there to having one? Is community a fixed, static, passive thing? Can community manifest as an activity, a shared temporary project? How do the institutions we participate in (willingly & unwillingly) act in forming our community?  Has the notion of community been thoroughly co-opted into a liberal, greenwashed nightmare? Is community worth it?

Among the topics we hope to cover are: histories of state repression in North Carolina,  conflict and failure in radical community spaces, strategies for anti-gentrification work,  collectives confronting sexual assault, holistic health for preventing burnout, ETC.

BUT, we’re still in need of more speakers, workshops, panel ideas, and any other contributions that can make this a more critical and robust conference. Please send any of these to NCRising3@gmail.com.

Although we’re fine with any Guerilla Workshops that may spring up, we’d like to have all workshop & panel proposals in by the first week of May, so we can get a coherent schedule together for the conference.