May Day Rooms Sept 1 2026

Metabolic Marxism: Or, how to change sex under capitalism

Since the publication of Transgender Marxism (O’Rouke & Gleeson, 2021) there has been an increase in books, journals, and essays seeking to consider transsexuality through marxist theory. Considering the intensification of anti-trans rhetoric and legislation as a tool for right-wing politics, this informal group will discuss the utility of marxist analyses for the reproduction of trans life. This session will focus on the relation between social reproductive theory and eco-marxist thought as lenses to analyse the formation of gender and sex under contemporary capitalism. Together we will read and discuss Jordy Rosenberg’s ‘Afterword’ in Transgender Marxism, with a focus on the concept of ‘metabolic rift’ in relation to autopoetics and identity.

Hosted by Rowan Powell and Francis Whorrall-Campbell