As part of its renowned squat scene and history of educational struggle, Barcelona is home to many free universities.
These are usually in squatted social centres (abandoned buildings occupied to meet the needs of the neighbourhood) and hold a range of activities, from tranvestite theatre to debates on primitivism. The aim of the project is to create a revolutionary space of learning where the difference between teacher and student is blurred and the subject matter, duration of the class, entry requirements etc. are chosen in self-organised groups interested in social change rather than by antiquated power structures serving only the needs of the rich.
The universities aim to provide a space for anyone interested where they can sit and chat without the obligation to buy anything, "a free space for all".
Check the blog for upcoming free university events!
divendres, 6 de novembre del 2009
dimecres, 4 de novembre del 2009
The Free Universities this week- Activities
Activities in:
La Rimaia (Casanova 17)
La Teixidora (Marià Aguilló 35)
Barrilonia (Rambla del Raval)
La Rosa Negra (Roser 30, metro Paral.lel)
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) Cerdanyola Campus.
Thursday 5
UAB- Alternative party. 1400-late.
La Rimaia- Arts Workshop open. 1700-2000.
La Rimaia- Talk: Crisis and Anticapitalism. A vision from a Marxist perspective. 1730.
La Teixidora- Supper in support of Mexican prisoners. 2100-2200.
Friday 6
La Teixidora- Sexual bric-a-brac workshop. 1000-1400. ENROL BY EMAIL - lateixidora@gmail.com
La Teixidora- Politically Correct Abusers. 1800.
La Teixidora- Theatre piece about domestic violence. 1930-2230.
(La Teixidora will have food available)
Saturday 7
La Teixidora- Analizing gender on the internet with theatre techniques. 1000-1200.
La Rosa Negra- Bike Repair Workshop. 1630.
La Teixidora- Talk: Sexuality and HIV in the classroom. 1700.
La Teixidora- The history of the LGBT struggle. 1900.
Barrilonia- Anti-Repression fundraiser for 58i+ legal fees
La Teixidora- Big gay party. 2200-0300.
(La Teixidora will have food available)
Sunday 8
La Teixidora- Workshop: "Degenerate yourself" (held by the Barcelona Gay Collective). 1200.
La Teixidora- "Performative Subversions". 1700.
La Teixidora- Chat: "Tran-Intersex, the construction of an illness". 1900.
Monday 9 START OF THE GLOBAL WEEK OF ACTION
La Rimaia- Class: Electricity. 1800-2000.
La Teixidora- Theory Assembly. 1930.
Tuesday 10
UB (Rectorat) - 58i+ press conference. 1000.
UB (Psychology faculty) - 58i+ chat and fundraiser. 1300.
UB (Raval campus) - 58i+ chat and fundraiser. 1400.
La Rimaia- Class: Photography. 1800-2000.
UB (Psychology faculty) - 58i+ chat and fundraiser. 1300.
UB (Raval campus) - 58i+ chat and fundraiser. 1400.
La Rimaia- Class: Photography. 1800-2000.
La Rimaia- Class: Electricity. 1800-2000.
Wednesday 11
La Rimaia- Class: Electricity. 1800-2000.
La Rimaia- Social Centre Assembly. 2000.
UB (Medicine clinic) - 58i+ chat and fundraiser. 1900.
UB (Medicine clinic) - 58i+ chat and fundraiser. 1900.
UB (Pedagogy hall Room 1o2, first floor) - 58i+ chat and fundraiser. 2000.
The library and tearoom in La Rimaia are open everyday from 1600-2100.
dimecres, 28 d’octubre del 2009
"La Rimaia"
Since it was squatted last June, a lot has happened to number 17, Carrer Casanova. The building, having been abandoned for four years, has now been transformed into a social centre comprising of a Moroccan style tea room, a public library, a wifi access point, a cinema cum debating room and a host of classrooms where a range of subjects are taught for free.
The project is being developed with the aim of creating a free space in which knowledge can be shared and the problems of the city confronted by the neighbourhood
dissabte, 23 de maig del 2009
22nd May: Alternative University
This week the University of Barcelona's Raval Campus has held an alternative university, the initials of which in Catalan spell ULL (which also means "look!").
ULL was set up as a student-organised university, "we decide what we want to learn and when". Furthermore, the creation of a space for thought in the university is a response to the creation of the EHEA (European Higher Education Area), that is to say: the submission of knowledge and learning to capitalist logic. The students "are taking the university onto the street and the street into the university".
The programme of events included:
- Chat-debates on the fragmentation of knowledge
- The showing of a documentary in construction about the student movement
- A stand-up lesson on mythology
- Chats about the student movements in France, Colombia, Mexico and Argentina
The week of events ended with a party to raise funds to pay the movement's legal fees.
ULL was set up as a student-organised university, "we decide what we want to learn and when". Furthermore, the creation of a space for thought in the university is a response to the creation of the EHEA (European Higher Education Area), that is to say: the submission of knowledge and learning to capitalist logic. The students "are taking the university onto the street and the street into the university".
The programme of events included:
- Chat-debates on the fragmentation of knowledge
- The showing of a documentary in construction about the student movement
- A stand-up lesson on mythology
- Chats about the student movements in France, Colombia, Mexico and Argentina
The week of events ended with a party to raise funds to pay the movement's legal fees.
Posters and graffiti all over campus publicised the event: on the programme the slogan reads "Close your eyes and look"
Raval campus has been recently redecorated by various student groups. This reads:
"In their democracy there are only 2 kinds of consensus:
The consensus of silence
and that of repression"
The poor person on the right is being fed timetables, punctuality, control and manipulation.
"In their democracy there are only 2 kinds of consensus:
The consensus of silence
and that of repression"
The poor person on the right is being fed timetables, punctuality, control and manipulation.
divendres, 22 de maig del 2009
21st May: Professors and Admin. Personnel Protest
Against the application of the Bologna Process, the entire university community is organising and acting. A rally of "PDI-PAS" (teaching and investigative personnel and administration and services personnel) took place today at 7.30pm outside the Catalan parliament.
Around 200 participants gathered outside the building to give a letter to the Catalan president, José Montilla. The letter asks Montilla to hold dialogue with PDI-PAS regarding the Bologna Process reforms to the university. The letter complains that the new laws have been introduced without discussion with those that will be effected and will lead to a university which creates "workers who are experts at silence, dependent, adecuate to the laws of the market". They also handed in ten petitions against the Bologna Process together with thousands of signatures procured from around Spain.
>>See the original of the letter on the website for the PDI-PAS assembly (in Catalan)<<
Around 200 participants gathered outside the building to give a letter to the Catalan president, José Montilla. The letter asks Montilla to hold dialogue with PDI-PAS regarding the Bologna Process reforms to the university. The letter complains that the new laws have been introduced without discussion with those that will be effected and will lead to a university which creates "workers who are experts at silence, dependent, adecuate to the laws of the market". They also handed in ten petitions against the Bologna Process together with thousands of signatures procured from around Spain.
>>See the original of the letter on the website for the PDI-PAS assembly (in Catalan)<<
Subscriure's a:
Missatges (Atom)