A project examining how creative methods within abolitionist reading groups can enhance engagement and reduce barriers to participation in political education on abolitionist issues.
Project Title: Reading and Practising Abolition
Lead Researcher: Dr Rachele Girardi
Research Centre: Centre for Communities and Social Justice
Funder: Seed funding from Centre for Communities and Social Justice
Project Value: £1670
Project Duration: 12 January 2026 - 31 July 2026
Project Overview
Reading and Practising Abolition is a pilot project developed in partnership with Abolitionist Futures, a collective of community organisers and activists in Britain and Ireland, centred around abolitionist thinking and practice. The project examines how creative methods within abolitionist reading groups can enhance engagement and reduce barriers to participation in political education on abolitionist issues.
Objectives
- Explore the use of creative and arts-based methods within abolitionist reading groups and their relevance in advancing engagement with abolitionist scholarship and political education
- Reduce barriers to participation by developing more accessible, inclusive, and collaborative ways for students, staff, and community members to participate in discussions about abolitionist issues
- Build a partnership with Abolitionist Futures, which can support community engagement and the co-production of research outputs and educational materials for both academic and activist audiences
Key Activities
The project has involved three monthly reading group sessions held at the University of Greenwich, facilitated by members of Abolitionist Futures.
These sessions invited community participants to engage with key abolitionist texts through a range of creative and arts-based activities around the following themes:
- Introduction to Abolition – Feminist, queer and anti-racist abolition
- Police, prisons, borders and state violence
- Transformative justice and everyday abolition
Collaborators
Abolitionist Futures: https://abolitionistfutures.com/