Beyond Fascism and Neoliberalism With Joy James

Hosted by ds4si, AHA-Lab and Project South

About the Series:

Neo-liberalism or fascism? Us or them? Poetic or practical? Throughout history, it has been the trickster figures who messed with the line dividing this from that, who troubled the certainty of categories. In this moment when so many of us are stiff with fear, rigid with rage, and locked into our positions, we at DS4SI suggest considering something counterintuitive. When it feels like we can’t think and we can’t move, we suggest that “can’t think” and “can’t move” are in fact deeply connected. In this moment, instead of the binaries offered to us, . That range of motion—that movement that breaks a binary—can also help us rethink it. Instead of going harder, locking in, ramping up our righteousness, we need to explore the uncertainty, the not-knowing. The thirdness. The weird, the poetic, the perverse, the liminal.

About this Event:

Throughout history, it has been the trickster figures who messed with the line dividing this from that, who troubled the certainty of categories. Since 2005, ds4si has worked to build tools and a community of practice around exactly such work. Now, in 2025, we find ourselves being told that there are two choices: to fight to defend the neo-liberal state or to succumb to fascism. We draw on a long line of thinking and third ways, and we invite you to join us in expanding our range of motion.

This event will also be available virtually via Zoom. Zoom link will be sent one week before the event date.

About the Speaker:

Joy James is Ebenezer Fitch Professor of Humanities at Williams College. A political philosopher who works with organizers, she is the author of ; , , and .

James has published numerous articles on: political theory, police, Pr*son, and slavery abolition; radicalizing feminisms; diasporic anti-black racism; and US politics; and writes on the Captive Maternal through the lens of “The Womb of Western Theory.” Creator of the digital Harriet Tubman Literary Circle at UT Austin, James is editor of ; ; ; ; and co-editor of . James’s most recent books include: ; . Her edited volumes with Pluto include: ; ; and the forthcoming .

About ds4si:

Situated at the intersections of design thinking and practice, social justice and activism, public art and social practice, and civic/popular engagement, the Design Studio for Social Intervention (ds4si) designs and tests social interventions with and on behalf of marginalized populations, controversies, and ways of life. ds4si partners with communities, artists, and social justice practitioners to imagine, demonstrate, and collectively rebuild places to be more just and vibrant. The people behind the Design Studio for Social Intervention make up a constellation of activists, artists, academics, designers, dreamers, tricksters, organizations, and foundations.

Host or Publisher Design for Social Intervention