The Socialism 2024 conference is sponsored by Haymarket Books and a variety of left-wing organizations and publications. We welcome workshop and talk submissions from both organizations and individuals to be considered for inclusion in the conference program. To get a sense of previous topics and formats, feel free to look at the program from the 2023 conference.
While this year's Socialism Conference will (as always!) feature sessions covering a wide range of strategic, historical, and theoretical topics and we invite your submissions on any topic that you think will be relevant to Socialism attendees, our hope is that our 2024 program will also reflect a special emphasis on Indigenous and anti-colonial liberation struggles, in North America, Palestine, and beyond. We therefore especially encourage submissions related to those topics.
Please read the following if you plan to submit a proposal.
The Socialism conference is a center of political education rooted in ideas, perspectives, and strategic discussion. Although each session at the conference is different, here are some general guidelines to help you formulate a proposal:
We encourage conference sessions that take up theoretical or strategic questions, the history of socialism, anticolonialism, and social movements, as well as the politics of current campaigns and projects. Please refer to our mission statement for more on the aims of the conference.
A typical session consists of speaker(s) presenting for 30 minutes, followed by an hour of discussion and debate from the room (not just questions), and ending with a short, 5-minute wrap-up by the speaker(s) that engages the themes of the discussion.
Other formats for a session are also welcome! These could include interactive workshops, formal debates, and more. We do require all sessions to include a substantial element of audience discussion however, not just a strict Q&A to the panelists.
Talks should generally be aimed at a popular audience, not overly academic, and relevant to issues of social movement strategy, debates on the left, socialist or abolitionist theory and history, or ongoing campaigns.
For sessions with the typical format, we encourage sessions with one to three speakers. More than three speakers usually does not allow enough time to develop ideas fully. Keep this in mind when proposing panels of multiple speakers.
Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee powerpoint or A/V equipment to speakers.
Please note: speakers on submitted panels are expected to cover their own travel and lodging costs and register themselves to attend the conference. A limited number of need-based scholarships will be available.
Socialism is built by the grassroots, and we will do everything possible to give expression to as many ideas and voices as possible. Final composition of all sessions will be determined by conference organizers. We seek to present a well-balanced program, with both political breadth and representation from oppressed groups. Because of this, not all proposals can be accommodated. All are, however, welcome to come to the conference and participate in discussions as attendees.
If you are part of an organization that would like to be involved in the Socialism 2024 Conference, please write to us at info@socialismconference.org.
***The deadline for submissions is May 1, 2024.***
