Theorist, historian and activist Silvia Federici spoke to faculty and students at the Center for African American Studies on Sept. 25. She is the author, most recently, of Caliban and the Witch: Women, the Body, and Primitive Accumulation; Revolution at Point Zero: Housework, Reproduction, and Feminist Struggle; and Witch-Hunting, Past and Present, and the Fear of the Power of Women.
Federici co-founded the International Feminist Collective, which launched the international campaign for Wages For Housework (WFH). She also is the co-founder of the Committee for Academic Freedom in Africa, an organization dedicated to generating support for the struggles of students and teachers in Africa against the structural adjustment of African economies and educational systems. From 1987 to 2005, she taught international studies, women’s studies, and political philosophy at Hofstra University.Matthew Garrett, assistant professor of English, assistant professor of American Studies, moderated the discussion. Federici discussed theory, activism and the history and future of struggles for the commons.About 60 students and faculty attended the talk.Federici’s talk was sponsored by the Theory Certificate. (Photos by Jack Gorlin ’18)