Talk: Abolish! Abolitionist Perspectives on Prison

The term abolitionism comes from the verb “to abolish.” It describes a political position that opposes coercion and oppression and asks how we might organize society differently. The concept originally emerged from the movement to abolish slavery in the United States. Today, abolitionist scholars and activists advocate for fundamentally questioning policing and prisons—and replacing them with solidaristic forms of collective care and accountability. Abolitionism is therefore not only about dismantling institutions, but also about building relationships, structures, and forms of transformative justice that make change possible instead of punishment.

In this conversation, scholar Melanie Brazzell and activist Doris Dede discuss abolitionist perspectives on prisons. Topics include transformative justice, community-based approaches to safety, gender-based violence, and solidaristic alternatives to punishment and exclusion. The discussion is complemented by an audio contribution from Syrus Marcus Ware, whose installation Fire is Burning (draw nearer) will be on view at JVA Rennelberg during the festival.

Melanie Brazzell’s academic and political work focuses on transformative justice, particularly in relation to gender-based violence. Melanie has published two books on the subject: What Really Makes Us Safe? A Toolkit for Intersectional Transformative Justice Beyond Prisons and Police (edition assemblage, 2018) and, together with the RESPONS Collective, What to Do About Sexualized Violence? A Handbook for Transformative Work with People Who Use Violence (Unrast, 2018).

Doris Dede is an activist and sociology student. She works as an empowerment trainer in the fields of migration and asylum, with a focus on women-specific issues as well as the strengthening and networking of women with experiences of forced migration. She is also a member of Women in Exile e.V., a self-organized initiative of refugee women that advocates for the rights of refugees and gender justice through a distinctly feminist, anti-racist, and anti-colonial vision.

Dr. Syrus Marcus Ware is Assistant Professor at the School of the Arts, McMaster University, exploring social justice frameworks and Black activist culture. He is a Vanier scholar, visual artist, activist, curator, and educator, with works presented across Canada and internationally. Ware is part of the Black August Arts Residency Collective, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter–Canada, curator of the That’s So Gay show, and author of numerous papers, articles, and books. He is co-editor of the best-selling “Until We Are Free: Reflections on Black Lives Matter in Canada” (URP, 2020).