Wiscon panels

Starting in 2009, at Wiscon 33, there’s been a slow explosion of class(ism)-related panels at Wiscon.  Here’s a history of those panels with links to write-ups of / reactions to each panel.

Wiscon 33 (2009)

“We Do the Work”

SF writers are supposed to be good at building compelling and believable worlds. So why is it so hard to build a world featuring working class characters in working class settings, especially given that a lot of SF writers come from that kind of background? What has worked, for you? What hasn’t? Who clearly hasn’t tried? Who has tried, but failed spectacularly? SF fans have done a good job of demanding better–written women and minorities in SF; what about their working class counterparts?

M: Fred Schepartz, Eleanor A. Arnason, Chris Hill, Michael J. Lowrey, Diana Sherman

“Marxism and Beyond: Assembling a Class Discussion Toolkit”

Talking about class at WisCon is hard. Where should we start? What can we say? Sometimes this discussion goes horribly wrong – how can we avoid that?

M: Chris Wrdnrd, Jane Acheson, Jess Adams, Chris Hill, BC Holmes

Wiscon 34 (2010)

“Class Basics”

Of all the “isms” and oppressions in the United States, class is one of the least explored and least understood, and yet having an understanding of how class issues affect people here and around the world is vital. As with race, ability, and other issues, it is not the job of people who grew up dealing with class barriers to educate the rest of us, but sometimes we find folks who are generous enough to give their time to teaching. If you feel like you don’t know enough about class, classism, and how class background and class privilege inform the world around you, come join us. Serious information, given with patience and humor.

M: Debbie Notkin. Nisi Shawl, Jennifer K. Stevenson, Chris Wrdnrd

“Marxism and Beyond, or Classism 201″

Picking up from from WisCon 33’s Marxism and Beyond 101, this panel discusses class both in theory through Marxist analysis and practice through personal story.

M: Karen Babich. BC Holmes, Alexis Lothian, Polly Peterson, Chris Wrdnrd

“Does the Middle Class Exist, or Is It a Figment of Our Imagination?”

Created when Capitalism supplanted feudalism, the middle class is a relatively new development, and in some ways is an artificial construct. But what does it really mean to be middle class? Perhaps it’s a state of being or a certain level of prosperity, but given the fluidity of its nature, does the middle class even exist, or is it really a glorified strata of the working class? Can SF/F imagine a world that has a real and strong middle class?

M: Fred Schepartz. Chris Hill, Beth A. Plutchak, Talks-with-wind

“How are social classes depicted in SF/F? Can we do better? What are the problems?”

How are social classes depicted in SF/F? Can we do better? What are the problems?

M: Betsy Lundsten. Laurel Amberdine, Cynthia Gonsalves, Theodora Goss, Jef a. Smith

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Of all the “isms” and oppressions in the United States, class is one of the least explored and least understood, and yet having an understanding of how class issues affect people here and around the world is vital. As with race, ability, and other issues, it is not the job of people who grew up dealing with class barriers to educate the rest of us, but sometimes we find folks who are generous enough to give their time to teaching. If you feel like you don’t know enough about class, classism, and how class background and class privilege inform the world around you, come join us. Serious information, given with patience and humor.