Roles of Resistance

John-Henry Harter is a lecturer in history and labour studies at Simon Fraser University. He is an award-winning teacher whose research and teaching focus on both environmental and labour history as well as pop culture. He has published in both academic journals and popular magazines. He lives with his partner and two dogs on the west coast of what we call Canada. When not teaching or writing he is consuming far too much coffee and reality TV.Mark Leier teaches in the History Department at Simon Fraser University. He is the author of four books on labour and left history and a biography of the 19th century anarchist Mikhail Bakunin. An award-winning teacher, his research focuses on questions of political ideology, organization, resistance, and democratic pedagogy.

“I have been waiting for a book like Roles of Resistance for a long time, and I will be using it—in both classrooms and organizing spaces—for even longer. John-Henry Harter and Mark Leier have given teachers and organizers a true gift with these practical activities that empower learners to draw on their own experiences in order to actively analyze fundamental questions of power, possibility, and struggle.” – Jeremy Milloy, associate professor, Department of History, Wayne State University“Roles of Resistance is an essential tool for anyone interested in teaching and learning about capitalism, inequality, and social change. Drawing on the knowledge gained from their many years of teaching, Harter and Leier provide concrete strategies to engage a variety of learners, encourage them to think critically about the world, and show them how and why we must organize collectively to improve it.” – Julia Smith, assistant professor, Labour Studies Program, University of Manitoba“Harter’s and Leier’s Roles of Resistance provides thirteen excellent role-playing exercises, games, and simulations to foster thinking in the classroom about how class and class conflict shape everyday life. Historically informed and theoretically engaged, the game plans are easy to follow and fun, encouraging students to be active participants in learning rather than passive recipients of educational discipline in capitalist society.” – Sean Cadigan, professor, Department of History, Memorial University

• Introduction On Role-Plays, Games, and Simulations PART 1: THEORY AND ALL THAT Candy Trading Game Grades for Sale! Money, Markets, and Grades The Paper Airplane Game Tariffs and Taxes and Boredom, Oh My! PART 2: ORGANIZING Thinking through History: Our Roles in the Labour Movement – Free Speech Fights On the Line: Pickets and Protests at Gainers Fight Back: Facing a Shutdown Role-Play Bashwood Industries: Negotiating Solidarity at the WorkplaceGreenpeace, Class, and SealingPART 3: EXERCISES, GAMES, AND FURTHER RABBLE ROUSINGAy Action PlanCurrency, Commemoration, and CapitalismLearning about Wealth Inequality through Video GamesConclusionNotes