August/September 2008 Archive 

Starting young At the tender age of 13, Sonia Azad is already something of a veteran peace activist, having set up an anti-war campaign for children, as well as making two documentary films. She talked to Andrea D’Cruz about what inspired her to get involved

A walk in the hills Once Raja Shehadeh would lose himself in long walks across the open countryside around his home in Ramallah on the West Bank. Israeli settlement in the Palestinian occupied territories has put a stop to that, with paths closed and the relaxing rambles turned into a challenge often marred by shootings, unpleasant encounters and threats of arrest for daring to walk in a land that has been claimed by strangers

The ‘f’ word: from ’68 to ’08 ’68-’78-’88: from women’s liberation to feminism, edited by Amanda Sebestyen, was published at a moment ‘when feminism became uncool’. Ten years on, it became a key text on women’s studies courses – its tales from feminists of various backgrounds documenting the many layers and differences woven into the women’s liberation movement. Fast forward to 2008, and some of the contributors met at Housmans bookshop in London. We present edited extracts from that discussion to open a debate on feminism today, introduced by Hilary Wainwright and with a summary of current feminist activity by Andrea D’Cruz

Aug/Sept 2008 contents

Drawing back the curtain Wherever he has found himself – with the freedom fighters in the mountains of northern Iraq, as a prisoner in an Iranian jail, and now filling a whole room at the Imperial War Museum – Osman Ahmed has always gone on drawing. He spoke to Amanda Sebestyen about his passionate journey to make his art bear witness for the hidden people of Kurdistan

What’s this place? In towns and cities across the country, activists are reaching out to local communities with a new style of ‘rooted’ politics. Paul Chatterton reports on the UK’s ‘autonomous social centres’

Paul Mason’s Booktopia Paul Mason picks the eight books he’d take to the ends of the earth with him

A colourful revolution The People’s Republic of Stokes Croft, a public art project in a rundown district of Bristol, is attempting to harness the creativity of local graffiti artists to transform the area for local residents. Does it offer an alternative to the usual business-led model of urban regeneration? David Matthews investigates

Grist to the radical Mill At a time when the need for champions of both freedom and equality, civil liberties and state regulation of the economy is as great as ever, it is worth reading or rereading John Stuart Mill. Anthony Arblaster explains his importance for socialists and radical liberals in this discussion of a recent political biography

Guerrilla guides: making the news Want to get your campaign noticed? Symon Hill provides a ten-step guide to media-friendly activism

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