I am a cultural revolutionary, a person who tries to shape and participate in the values, and the mores, the customs and the style of living of new people who eventually become inhabitants of a new nation and a new society through art and poetry, theater, and music.
Abbie Hoffman testifying at the Chicago 8 Trial (1969)

After decades of wandering in, and building on, the ruins of the revolutions of the 20th Century, we are seeing a cultural shift across the world. In this class we will take a look at some of the changes happening in education/cognition, therapy/emotionality, health care, policing, restorative justice, and, indeed, the making of revolution itself.

Using selected writings of Antonio Gramsci, Murray Bookchin, Fred Newman, Lois Holzman, Paolo Freire, Myles Horton, Richard Gilman-Opalsky, Subcomandante Marcos, Abdullah Ocalan and others, we will explore the thesis that qualitative social transformation and human development is the outgrowth of—and only possible with and through—cultural shifts generated and embraced by masses of people.

“There Is No Revolution Without Cultural Transformation” will involve a weekly video talk by Dan Friedman, assigned readings, online dialogue and Zoom conversations each Sunday.

After decades of wandering in, and building on, the ruins of the "communist" revolutions of the 20th Century, this political-historical seminar will explore the thesis that qualitative social transformation and human development is the outgrowth of—and only possible with and through—cultural shifts generated and embraced by masses of people over an extended historical period.

Zoom Sessions from 12pm-1:30pm Eastern US Time on the following dates:

Sunday July 14th, July 21st, July 28th, and August 4th