Partition and Solidarity: Anticolonial Struggles in the “American Century”
Friday, March 6, 2026
University of Washington, Seattle
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Quick Links
- About the Conference
- Conference Program and Schedule
- Registration Information
- Conference Sponsors
- Crude Capitalism Reading Group
- Support Fund
- Contact Us
About the Conference
More than a century ago at the end of World War I, the Allied powers—led by the British empire, the US empire, the French empire, and the Japanese empire—carved up the world, claiming authority over lands and peoples formerly ruled by the German empire and the Ottoman empire. The new world order heralded by the League of Nations was, in reality, a continuation of the old colonial order, with racial distinctions and geopolitical boundaries demarcated along the colonial discourse of “civilization.” But the hegemonic order of “nations,” where empires became “advanced nations” and colonies became “mandates” awaiting further tutelage toward eventual independence, was taking root to shape and contain anticolonial struggles around the world.
Through a one-day symposium in March 2026, we propose to bring together scholars and activists to engage in conversations about anticolonial struggles of the past and the present. We will organize sessions devoted to specific moments and movements, but our overriding objective will be to find unexpected convergences and critical insights to advance ongoing struggles against empire. Even as empires reified nations, nation-states, and racial hierarchies to justify and reproduce colonial rule, how have colonized peoples created diasporic imaginaries, political networks, and solidarity movements to pursue collective liberation?
The symposium will include a keynote address by Adam Hanieh of the University of Exeter (UK), who has been selected to deliver a Walker-Ames public lecture. He is a leading scholar of
Middle East politics and political economy who is framing and exploring the most urgent issue of our current moment. His talk on petroleum and capitalism, including the migrant workers
behind the industry, will stress the inextricable links between global capitalism, colonial rule, and solidarity movements.
The one-day conference will include plenaries and a series of panels and roundtables.
Conference Program and Schedule
All sessions will be held in the Husky Union Building (HUB) on the University of Washington Seattle campus. Schedule to be announced.
Registration Information
Partition and Solidarity: Anticolonial Struggles in the “American Century” is free and open to the public. However, due to space limitations, registration is required.
Registration for the plenaries includes a continental breakfast and a boxed lunch. A donation is suggested, but not required. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Registration will open in 2026.
Conference Sponsors
This conference is organized by the Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies and the Simpson Center for the Humanities.
Crude Capitalism Reading Group
In anticipation of the conference, the Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies is hosting a reading group focused on the book Crude Capitalism by Adam Hanieh. Reading group sessions to be announced.
Reading group meetings will be held in person. Exact locations will be announced. Light meals will be provided.
The first twenty people to register for the reading group will receive a free physical copy of the book, Crude Capitalism by Adam Hanieh. Registration to be announced.
Support Fund
To make a contribution via one of the UW’s additional gift vehicles (securities, wire transfer, planned gift) please contact Tiffany Calverley at (206) 543-0529 or by email calvet@uw.edu.
Contact Us
If you have any questions related to the conference or program, please contact the Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies at hbcls@uw.edu.