Talking About a Revolution

Yassmin Abdel-Magied brings her characteristic warmth, clarity and inquisitive nature to the concept of 'the private and public self' and 'systems and society' that form the two halves of this collection.

In 'The Private and Public Self', Yassmin explores resistance and revolution from the perspective of the individual. She provides a hearty defence of hobbies, explores what it means to be Black across contexts, and shares the personal challenges around her activism and leaving Australia. Between meditiations on friendship and laments on petrol cars, Yassmin interrogates what it means to organise for social justice as a Muslim, and when you aren't sure where you belong.

In 'Systems and Society', through discussion on the meaning of citizenship, cryptocurrency and unconscious bias, Yassmin charts how her thinking on activism, transformative change and justice has evolved. She brings an abolitionist lens to social justice work and, recalling her days as a young revolutionary, encourages younger generations of activists to decide if it is empowerment they are working towards, or power. In all these essays, written with the passion, lived experience and intelligence of someone who wants to improve our world, the concept of revolution, however big or small, is ever-present.