Socialism 2026

The Marxism Education Series at Socialism 2026 is a cluster of courses on Marxist theory designed to introduce and deepen the understanding of Marxism for activists and organizers. The four classes (Class, State, Crisis, Socialism) present key concepts of Marxist theory in a capacious way, and build on each other throughout the full MES program. Participants are expected to do the readings (included in a reader to be sent to those registered for the MES) and participate in all four courses starting in the morning on September 4.

Classes will have limited capacity and require registration through a special form (available here). You will still need to register for Socialism 2026 in order to access the conference. 


9:30am - 10:45am: Class
with Michael A. McCarthy
This course will present the basics of what capitalism is and how class works. Topics we will cover include capitalist competition and exploitation, as well as how racial, gender, and migrant status shape the labor market and class position.  

11am - 12:15pm: State
with Amna Akbar
This course aims to explore the role that the state plays in reproducing capitalism and class exploitation. We will explore the ways that capitalists directly shape the state and the ways that capitalism itself indirectly constrains democratic politics, as well as the role of states in imperialism and colonialism. 

1pm - 2:15pm: Crisis
with Michael A. McCarthy
In this course we will explore the ways that capitalism drives crises. First, we will examine the ways economic crisis are products of capitalism. Then we will examine the ways that environmental, social, and political crises are also created by capitalist dynamics. 

2:30pm - 4pm: Socialism
with Eman Abdelhadi
This course aims to understand what Marxists are fighting for. We will explore different experiments in socialism and the anti-capitalist principles, such as freedom, democracy, and equality, that they aim to produce. 

Readings will be sent out a few weeks before the conference.