Speaker Index

Frieda Afary is an Iranian-American librarian and translator, producer of the blog Iranian Progressives in Translation and member of the Alliance of Middle Eastern Socialists.

Frieda Afary

Darryl ‘Waistline’ Mitchell is a founding member of The League of Revolutionary Black Workers and a lifelong Marxist and activist. Darryl is the author of numerous books and pamphlets, including Detroit: A History of Struggle, A Vision of the Future and Marxist Glossary (now in its 3rd edition). At the Marxism 2021 conference, Socialist Alternative will be “in conversation” with Mitchell, discussing the history of militant black working-class struggle in Detroit during the 1960s and 70s.  

Darryl ‘Waistline’ Mitchell

Anasse Kazib is a rank and file working-class activist and revolutionary socialist from France. A train guard at the 

train station in the department of Seine-Saint-Denis, on the north-eastern outskirts of Paris, Kazib played a prominent role during the French strike wave of 2019 and has become a well-known figure defending the interests of workers in the French media. He is a member of the Revolution Communist Current (CCR) within the New Anti-Capitalist Party and writes regularly for 

Kazib will be speaking at Marxism 2021 about the political situation in France following the strikes, the pandemic and now the Islamophobic campaign by French President Emmanuel Macron.  

Anasse Kazib

Joaquin Araneda is a part of the leadership of the Movimiento Anticapitalista in Chile. He will be speaking at Marxism 2021 about the student-worker rebellion in Chile last year and the debate over the newly formed Constitutional Convention established in the wake of the rebellion.

Joaquin Araneda 

Tom Bramble is a long-term socialist activist, author and retired academic based in Queensland, Australia. He taught Industrial Relations at the University of Queensland for many years and has authored numerous books and articles on the Australian labour movement. His most recent book, which will be launched at Marxism 2021, is 'Fighting for Worker's Power: Revolution and Counter-revolution, 1917-1956'.

Tom Bramble

Vashti Fox was a founding member of Students for Palestine and the Campaign against Racism and Fascism, and the author of 'The Story of Palestine: Empire, Repression and Resistance'. She will be speaking on 'Fighting fascism in Melbourne in the 1970s' drawing on her original research into anti-fascist organising in Australia. 

Vashti Fox

Michael Roberts worked in the City of London as an economist for over 40 years. He has closely observed the machinations of global capitalism from within the dragon’s den. Since retiring, he has written several books.  The Great Recession – a Marxist view (2009); The Long Depression (2016); Marx 200: a review of Marx’s economics (2018): and jointly with Guglielmo Carchedi as editors of World in Crisis (2018).  He has published numerous papers in various academic economic journals and articles in leftist publications. He will be speaking at Marxism 2021 about the current global economic crisis. 

Michael Roberts

Roz Ward has gained national attention as the founder of the Safe Schools program, an anti-bullying program designed for children and youth. Her dedication to fighting for LGBTI rights has remained throughout relentless attacks on her and the Safe Schools program from conservative personalities and media, and she even faced a  controversial dismissal from her position at La Trobe University in Melbourne. She was only reinstated after a successful public campaign. Roz was of course part of leading the marriage equality campaign, and has said “I will never give up fighting for a more free and joyful world”. She is one of the hosts of the Redflag Radio podcast. 

Roz Ward

Jorge Jorquera is a recently elected Victorian Socialist member of the Maribyrnong City Council. He has been active in socialist politics for many years in Australia and is also a member of Socialist Alternative. Jorge will be speaking at the session "Trabajadores al poder" Chile '73: perspectives on revolutionary strategy and tactics.

Jorge Jorquera

Diane Fieldes has been active since the early 1970s in many campaigns including those for Indigenous and refugee rights. She has written about a range of working-class struggles such as the fight for equal pay and is a member of Socialist Alternative. 

Diane Fieldes

Luis Meiners is a socialist activist and sociologist, and member of the Movimiento Socialista de Trabajadores (MST) in Argentina and the International Socialist League (ISL). 

Luis Meiners

Sandra Bloodworth is a labour historian and socialist activist, based in Melbourne, Australia. She has been involved in radical politics since the 1970s, where she has played roles in the women's, Aboriginal, anti-uranium mining and trade union movements. She is a member of the National Executive of Socialist Alternative and has written on the Russian Revolution, the global financial crisis, women's struggles, working class resistance in the Middle East and Australian imperialism. 

Sandra Bloodworth

Juana Runa is a Bolivian revolutionary and contributor to socialist publication La Izquierda Diario Bolivia. Juana is a member of the Liga Obrera Revolucionaria – Cuarta Internacional (LOR-CI) and Bread and Roses.

Juana Runa

Alessandro Fernandes is a teacher and member of the coordination of Alternativa Socialista-PSOL in Brazil. He will be speaking about the resistance to Bolsonaro's government as apart of a panel on the situation in Latin America.   

Featured Speakers