Università & Militarizzazione in Palermo and in Messina

This weekend, we continue to talk about the relationship between #university and #militarisation, about #war, the intermingling of research and the military sector, and the ethics of university practice. This time in #Sicily!

– #Messina, Friday 1/12/23, 6:30 pm at the University of Messina with the excellent Antonio Mazzeo of the Observatory against the militarisation of schools

– #Palermo, Saturday 2/12/23, 5:30 pm at the Casa della Cooperazione with the fantastic Gabriella Palermo and Silvia di Meo (Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/6867626453297921)

Both events will be in Italian.

Book: https://www.ibs.it/universita-militarizzazione-duplice-uso-della-libro-michele-lancione/e/9791280495372

 

Palermo
Messina

Beautiful presentations and debates in Turin on the Academy and the defense sector

What a beautiful evening yesterday in Turin! Among the hundreds of books in the wonderful Libreria Comunardi , we took the time to discuss my short essay on #university and #militarisation

With Francesca Governa, Luca Rondi of Altreconomia and Ada of Cambiare Rotta Torino and a lot of people, from many different realities, who are fed up with the spread of the military in our individual and collective lives.

The next day, I was also invited into an autonomous student assembly at Palazzina Einaudi, where, in a space occupied by students, we discussed the same issues. Moving forward!

Book: https://www.amazon.it/Universit%C3%A0-militarizzazione-duplice-libert%C3%A0-ricerca/dp/B0C44VM66Y

Review of Università e Militarizzazione on il Manifesto

IT

Il Manifesto ha pubblicato una bella recensione del mio libro Università e Militarizzazione sul numero di oggi, 11 novembre. Gennaro Avallone, che ringrazio di cuore per averla scritta, dice:

È evidente l’utilità di questo libro, che riavvia, dopo troppo tempo, l’attenzione sul rapporto tra università e mondo militare, sollecitando un lavoro di inchiesta collettiva, con l’obiettivo di capire quanto l’industria militare sia attiva negli atenei e ne stia orientando ricerca e logiche di pensiero.

La recensione si può leggere, in Italiano, a questo link:

https://ilmanifesto.it/ce-chi-vuole-mettere-la-divisa-agli-atenei/r/eSsvFjR3Kcyk1a2Xu9Htk

 

ENG

Il Manifesto published a nice review of my book University and Militarisation in today’s issue, 11 November. Gennaro Avallone, whom I thank sincerely for writing it, says:

‘The usefulness of this book is evident, as it restarts, after too long, the attention on the relationship between the university and the military world, soliciting a collective enquiry work, with the aim of understanding how much the military industry is active in the universities and is orienting their research and thinking logics.

The review can be read, in Italian, at this link:

https://ilmanifesto.it/ce-chi-vuole-mettere-la-divisa-agli-atenei/r/eSsvFjR3Kcyk1a2Xu9Htk

Two public events in Bologna today 3 Nov: on housing (with PLAT & Lab) and on universities and the military

Today in Bologna, two moments for collective discussion on #housing, #domicile, #housingjustice & #war, #militarisation, #university.

– 2:30 pm, “Housing: a crossroads of struggles” an event co-organized by PLAT – Platform for Social Intervention and Beyond Inhabitation Lab (www.beyondinhabitation.org): https://www.facebook.com/events/1376025483313577/

– 7:00 pm, discussion based on my text #University and #Militarisation published by Eris Edizioni, at Libreria modo infoshop: https://www.facebook.com/events/2655636501260834

All welcome!

Free books from Verso to understand Israel’s military industrial complex and current violence in Gaza

The shameless, violent continuation of the Israeli colonial project in Palestine leads to feelings of anxiety, powerlessness, and fear punctuated by anger and a deep sense of historical injustice.

Many are standing against the current destruction of Gaza, by occupying public spaces and demostranting dissent through direct actions (both practices are increasingly difficult in the current Western doxa). At this juncture, I believe practicing resistance means also studying. Studying to understand why, as many have recalled, the history of this conflict did not start on October the 7th. Studying to have the tools to grasp how the Israeli settler colonial project is the root of all evils in this matter. Studying as a practice of radical care toward ourselves and our Palestinian brothers and sisters, but also toward the people dissenting from within Israel.

To this end, Verso Books has put together an excellent list of free resources, which I believe should be circulated wide and large.

“These resources challenge much of the zionist ideology concerning the origins and identity of the contemporary state of Israel, as well as offering a clear history of the occupation, Israel’s military industrial complex, and this latest explosion of violence in Gaza.”

You can find the whole package here: https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/blogs/news/solidarity-with-palestine-free-resources-and-further-reading?_kx=wZvGXonOK0nuhkyiKHFjAvw7nEatlJ9K-eWPvSJEoIgIY4aPS3oz8fOZfrNDVb-E.SNgHad

In solidarity.

Università e Militarizzazione – My short book on the relationship between the Academy and the Military out now

My short book on the relationship between the Academy and the Military sector is out now in Italy. The book is written in Italian, and it is published by ERIS Edizioni, a leading independent publisher in the country (with which I have also published my ethnographic novel on homelessness, more than a decade ago).

The book is the result of two years of direct engagement and study around the link between Universities and the ‘defense’ industry in the West. Albeit this is not my primary research interest, I have decided to dwell into this topic out of my activism against a business relationship between my Department at the Polytechnic of Turin and Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (you can find more about that saga here, here or in this recent interview). The aim of this work is to speak to students and concerned academics to widen our collective understanding of processes that are reducing our capacity to learn and study in a critical and radical way.

Although this first attempt is in Italian, in collaboration with one of my researchers, Ms. Patrícia Nunes-Gomes, we are already working on a much-expanded version in the English language.

Below, you can find a short summary of the book in Italian, and the links to the first public conversations around it. Finally, you can order it directly at ERIS or at any bookstore in Italy and beyond.

Università e Militarizzazione

ISBN: 9791280495372

In Europa e in occidente la sfera civile e quella militare sono sempre più interconnesse. Questo processo coinvolge anche le università, che sempre più offrono servizi al cosiddetto mondo della “difesa”. In questo saggio Michele Lancione offre una guida per affrontare una semplice domanda: qual è il problema del rapporto tra Università e Militarizzazione, e come possiamo investigarlo ed eventualmente combatterlo?

A partire da una profonda conoscenza del sistema statunitense ed europeo e grazie alle sue esperienze nel Regno Unito, in Australia e in Italia, l’autore ci illustra diversi casi emblematici come il programma Human Terrain System statunitense, i nuovi strumenti di finanziamento alla ricerca militare italiani, e la collaborazione tra Frontex e il Politecnico di Torino. Ma racconta anche di pratiche di resistenza con le quali si cerca di combattere l’avvicinarsi tra l’Accademia e il Militare.

Questo è un primo spunto per una controcultura del rapporto tra Università e Militarizzazione, attraverso la quale soprattutto il corpo studentesco possa lottare per sottrarre la ricerca, lo studio e gli spazi dell’Università da industrie fondate su violenza, dolore e morte.

Michele Lancione è professore ordinario di Geografia Politico-Economica al Politecnico di Torino. Si occupa di lotte abitative, homelessness e approcci liberatori al tema della casa. È co-fondatore del Radical Housing Journal e co-direttore del Beyond Inhabitation Lab, nonché attivo in campagne di ricerca e attivismo contro la violenza del regime di frontiera europeo. Con Eris ha pubblicato Il numero 1, un romanzo etnografico sulla condizione dei senza dimora a Torino.

Le prime presentazioni:

– Roma: Esc Atelier oggi, 13 ottobre, ore 18: https://www.facebook.com/events/1002753280947952
– Napoli: Libreria Tamu, martedì 17 ottobre, ore 18: https://www.facebook.com/events/1077095309953547
– Bologna: Libreria modo infoshop, venerdì 3 novembre, dettagli a seguire
– Torino: martedì 21 novembre, dettagli a seguire
– Messina: venerdì 1 dicembre, dettagli a seguire
– Palermo: sabato 2 dicembre, dettagli a seguire
– Firenze: CSA nEXt Emerson, sabato 16 dicembre, dettagli a seguire

 

 

Stop Border Violence – European Citizens’ Initiative, sign now

New European Citizen Initiative to #Stop #BorderViolence

Today “we call for appropriate regulations to ensure that Article 4 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights is applied effectively”

Sign our petition https://eci.ec.europa.eu/032/public/#/screen/home

Info in ENG: https://www.stopborderviolence.org/

Info in ITA: https://www.ilmediterraneo24.it/editoriali/stop-alla-tortura-alle-frontiere-delleuropa/?amp

Launch event tonight, Centro Studi Sereno Regis in Turin – see below.

Stop Border Violence!
Abolish Frontex!

Abolish Frontex International Action Day

Why we need to #AbolishFrontex now: https://abolishfrontex.org/how/

List of demands – please circulate: https://abolishfrontex.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ENG_Abolish-Frontex-demands.pdf

On fighting to keep Frontex outside of our Universities, two of my recent interviews:

Follow the campaign on Twitter @abolishfrontex