International Socialist Organization

The International Socialist Organization, or ISO, has branches across the country. Its members are involved in helping to build a number of struggles: the movement to stop the war on Iraq, fights against racism and anti-immigrant scapegoating, the struggle for women's rights like the right to choose abortion, opposing anti-gay bigotry, and standing up for workers' rights. They are committed to building a left alternative to a world of war, racism and poverty.

[edit] Upcoming Activities

Some of the ISO's activities this semester at UMass will be to help to build anti-war actions on campus, bring independent journalist Dahr Jamail to campus on his Beyond the Green Zone book tour (October 23, location TBA), and organize for their fall conference "Building the Revolutionary Alternative" (11/3 & 11/4 in New York City).

The group meets every Thursday from 7-9pm in the UMass Campus Center. They rotate between organizational meetings and meetings discussing a broader political topic. Their website (below) has more information, or they can be reached at (413) 351-2323 or contact@isonoho.org. You can join their low-traffic, moderated e-mail list to be informed of upcoming meetings and events. Send an email to: announce-subscribe@isonoho.org

[edit] Study Series

In addition to the weekly meetings, this organization runs a Study Series on the Politics of the ISO. It's a 4-week study group covering the basics of Marxism that meets on Sundays from 1-2 pm in the UMass campus center. The first meeting in this series starts on Sunday September 9th. Once the four weeks are over, the series repeats so anyone can jump in and make it through all four meetings. All the meetings discuss readings from the ISO New Members Packet which can be purchased for $6 at ISO meetings and literature tables.

The Case for Socialism This session will tackle all the frequently asked questions about socialism and provide a general Marxist framework for understanding the capitalist system we live in and why socialists look to the working class as the agent of revolutionary change. Some questions that are discussed at this meeting might be: What do we mean by socialism? Is human nature a barrier to socialism? Can capitalism be reformed? What would a socialist society look like? … and any and all questions the group wants to discuss.

Why we need a Revolutionary Party This session will discuss: Why is the ISO building a revolutionary organization in a non-revolutionary situation? How is the ISO organized? What is a Leninist organization? What is a vanguard party? What is democratic centralism? Why does the ISO put a central emphasis on producing and selling Socialist Worker newspaper?

Marxism and the Fight Against Oppression Genuine socialists have always understood that the struggle against all oppression, particularly racism, sexism, and homophobia, must be central to the struggle for socialism. This session will also discuss the history and lessons we can draw from social movements in US history, and why socialists argue that identity politics are a dead end as a strategy for liberation.

The Russian Revolution and the Real Marxist Tradition The Russian Revolution of 1917 is the only revolution in history in which the working class was successful in seizing power and defeating the old ruling class. By the end of the 1920s, that victory had been reversed in counter revolution led by dictator Joseph Stalin. How did workers win power in Russia, how did they lose it what has the impact of Stalinism been on the socialist movement internationally? What does the ISO say about supposedly socialist countries like Cuba? This session will uncover the genuine Marxist tradition—one based on democratic, working class struggle from below.

[edit] External Links

Check out the local International Socialist Organization website for an updated list of meetings, and events.