indigenous – "Victoria" Anarchist Reading Circle

October 1st: Reconciliation is Dead: A Strategic Proposal

Posted on September 21, 2023 - September 25, 2023 by Light

In lieu of the Canadian State’s declaration of the national ‘holiday’ “National Day for Truth and Reconciliation” observed September 30th, we have decided to read Reconciliation is Dead: A Strategic Proposal (2020) by Métis water defender Tawinikay. In the piece, Tawinikay asserts that “the concept [of reconciliation] is a state-led smoke screen used to advance a more sophisticated policy of assimilation” that perpetuates and ensures the survival of the settler-colonial state.

Reconciliation is Dead is free to read on the Anarchist Library, and is also available as an imposed PDF.

Optionally, Autonomously and with Conviction: A Métis Refusal of State-Led Reconciliation is a recommended sister-text, which is also available as an imposed PDF.

As always, we are meeting at Camas Books, 2620 Quadra Street, on Lekwungen Territory. The next meeting is Sunday October 1st @ 6:30PM.

July 9: Indigenous Identity & Appropriation

Posted on June 28, 2023 - June 29, 2023 by Light

The genocidal settler-colonial Canadian state is celebrating its 156th official year of colonialism, racism, and capitalism on July 1st, and so we have naturally circled back to our Indigenous readings.

We have decided to read Michif-Cree anarchist Tawinikay’s piece Settlers on the Red Road (2021), which digs into hard questions of Indigenous identity and settlers in anarchist spaces who choose to take it up. Her zine is a critique of both identity, as well as its appropriation.

Settlers on the Red Road is available for free to read on the Anarchist Library. It is also available as an imposed PDF zine (double-side short edge) here.

As always, we are meeting at Camas Books, 2620 Quadra Street, on Lekwungen Territory. The next meeting is Sunday July 9 @ 6:30PM.

July 14th, 7 PM: The Prison System in Canada

Posted on July 6, 2020 - July 6, 2020 by Creatrix

Continuing with the theme of prisons and incarceration in relation to social issues, we decided to further explore that theme on the prison system in Canada.

* “Everything you were never taught about Canada’s prison systems” explores what the writers call an “urgent human right crisis”. Their research highlight the relationship between crime rate and incarceration, living conditions, and targeted populations.

* In “Why Indigenous Women Are Canada’s Fastest Growing Prison Population”, we learn the stories of indigenous people and their experience with the prison system.

Links to the readings:
> http://www.intersectionalanalyst.com/intersectional-analyst/2017/7/20/everything-you-were-never-taught-about-canadas-prison-systems
> https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/5gj8vb/why-indigenous-women-are-canadas-fastest-growing-prison-population

Although we are no longer physically meeting as a group, we still operate on occupied, unceded Lekwungen territory. Our next meeting will be held on our private Jitsi server on Tuesday, July 14th at 7pm PST.
Jitsi is open-source software that is fully encrypted end-to-end, and which does not track your IP address. In the time when it seems like everyone’s falling for the most insecure communications platforms motivated solely to collect, sell and trade in your data, we created our own Jitsi instance as an infrastructural countermeasure.

If you are interested in participating in this week’s reading circle, please contact varc[at]victoriaanarchistreadingcircle.ca introducing yourself to confirm your place in the shadow-cabinet list and obtain access to the meeting.

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