Capital's Host: A Teach-In with Dr. Conor McCabe

Presented by: Chicago Irish for Palestine

‼️ RSVP to join on Zoom or in-person
😷 Masks please in-person (will have some!)
🌟 Pay what you can - no one turned away  
🎻 Live world-class Irish traditional music
🫖 Free refreshments from Nabala Cafe
✉️ Questions? chirish.mutualaid@proton.me
💗 Funds are mutual aid for the Mahmoud family in Gaza

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The island of Ireland is marketed as the land of a hundred thousand welcomes. But behind the warm 'céad míle fáilte' lies a state built to host profit, not people.

As we've learnt through our efforts toward solidarity with Palestine, Irish officials on both sides of the border often use the language of care and hospitality while enabling very different realities. To understand why, and to develop effective responses, we need to reckon with Irish capitalism.

For this hybrid teach-in, renowned historian and political economist Dr. Conor McCabe will join us via Zoom from Ireland to offer a case study in how imperial entanglements, neocolonial class relations, and global capital have created and continue to sustain an Irish 'comprador state' that wraps capitalist hegemony in the rhetoric of peace and prosperity.

What does it tell us that political independence for part of the island preserved Ireland’s role as a host for systems of profit extraction and war-making on behalf of empire? How have anti-imperialists understood and resisted this dynamic in the past? What crucial work is being done now? What do people outside of Ireland need to know about how we fit into this?

Together, we will explore the material history of Ireland’s relations of production and exchange to better understand where we stand today, how we got here, and what knowledge can help us move forward. Come for sharp analysis linking Irish Marxism with broader anti-imperialist traditions; stay for a free light brunch from Nabala Cafe. Chicago Irish for Palestine is covering the cost of catering to feed our community and support a beloved local Palestinian business and gathering space.

Those who can't attend in person will be in great company on the Zoom, with plenty of opportunity to participate!

The event is 'pay what you can,' with no one turned away. All funds are mutual aid for the Mahmoud family in Gaza.

If you're wondering whether learning about Irish capitalism is worth really a worthwhile way to spend your Sunday morning, that’s probably a sign that definitely is. Bígí linn (join us)!

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About Conor

Dr. Conor McCabe is a research fellow with Queen’s Business School, Queens University Belfast. He is the author of numerous policy and research reports, including Smoke and Mirrors: the Facts about Retail Workers’ Incomes in Ireland (2023); Towards an Anti-Poverty Strategy for Clare (2022); and Hungry Bellies are not Equal to Full Bellies: Exploring Inequality and Deprivation in Ireland (2021). He is also the author of two Irish political economy books: Sins of the Father (2013), and Money (2018). He is also the compiler and editor of The Lost & Early Writings of James Connolly (1889 - 1898), which unveils the formative years of one of the 20th century's most influential socialist thinkers and revolutionary leaders.

Conor works mainly with grassroots political, trade union, artist, and community groups, exploring the dynamics of theory and action for societal change.