Free activities and events in New York City

“Radicals in the Professions” reading + discussion meetup

Published: January 4, 2026; Aithor: Julia Sonrisa

Join us for an informal reading group meet-up on the topic of “counter professional” activism, with a chance to explore the archives.

Building from our January 8th talk on 1970s “counter professional” networks, activism, and publishing, this reading and discussion event will be a chance to dive in deeper and collectively explore and reflect on these themes.

As a shared starting point, we’ll read and discuss the reportback from the 1967 SDS conference on “Radicals in the Professions,” which provides valuable insights into understanding the broader debates, issues, and strategies involved in this type of organizing at that time. We’ll also then reflect on the continued relevance or current context of this approach and contemporary efforts or openings today, as inspired by such groups as Architecture Lobby, Planners Network, Beyond Do No Harm Network, etc. For those interested, you’re also welcome to explore the Interference Archive collection, which houses many related materials.

If possible, please read the introduction and at least the first section of the conference report (the first 10 pages)

Additional archival reading that might be of interest:

• In and Against the State — a key UK late 1970s text written from the point of view of those working within the public sector as radicals/socialists
• Community action, counter-professionals and radical planning in the UK — a recent article on the history of this kind of 1970s urban activism and publishing in the UK
• The Professional Managerial Class & The New Left and the Professional-Managerial Class — key 1970s texts from Barbara and John Ehrenreich further exploring these dynamics and contradictions
• The American health empire: power, profits, and politics — a 1970 book based on HealthPAC articles and ideas, written by Barbara and John Ehrenreich
• In the Service of Man: Radical Movements in the Professions — from 1972, though I haven’t been able to access the text in full

Time: 10:30-11:30 am EST

Free!

Registration

Detailed information and discussion of the event.