Next Gathering:

Thursday, May 20, 4-5:00 pm PST

Professor Greg Siegel will facilitate a group discussion of Jonathan P. Eburne's book, Outsider Theory: Intellectual Histories of Unorthodox Ideas (University of Minnesota Press, 2018). If you are interested in participating in this discussion, please contact Tinghao Zhou at tinghaozhou@ucsb.edu

———————————————

Backyard Theory is a reading group dedicated to discussing books and ideas related to contemporary cultural, environmental, and political conditions. The gatherings are intended to engage with writings on an array of issues, including media, art, and politics, systemic racism, climate change, Big Tech, the pandemic, and more.

Backyard Theory is organized by the GMTaC Lab and co-facilitated by reading group participants. Each gathering occurs either online via zoom or outdoors in a backyard, park, or patio space. When outdoors, our meetings are limited to eight people and social distancing measures are required. Participants are expected to access readings on their own, and finish them before we get together. Please come to the meetings prepared to raise questions, engage in discussion, listen carefully, and be respectful of others’ opinions. The goal is for us to be able to reflect collectively on the current moment in the world, and to formulate ideas and tactics for supporting progressive political, socio-economic, and environmental change.

Backyard Theory was initiated by Lisa Parks and Chip Stearns in Missoula, Montana during summer 2020 as a way of bringing community members together during the COVID-19 pandemic to discuss current US political and cultural conditions. Academics and non-academics actively participated. If you are interested in starting your own Backyard Theory group, please contact Lisa Parks: parks@ucsb.edu. There may be small grants available for groups who commit to buying their books via local, independent bookstores.