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Fierce contemplation: meet the nature-loving nuns who helped to stop a pipeline

As fewer women enter convents, what will become of their rich tradition of social and environmental engagement?

Looking back: 12 of Transformation's greatest articles

I'm leaving after three years at openDemocracy. Here are some of my favourite, must-read articles from writers to watch out for.

Gathering and assembling: Judith Butler on the future of politics

A new book from one of the world’s leading philosophers brims with ideas about gender, collective action and insecurity.

How I became a refugee within a day

As a refugee, there is no place I can call home. I've had to accept a life in exile.

Olympians without nations: first-ever team of refugees heads to Summer Games

With 20 million refugees worldwide, the International Olympic Committee announces a new team to make the games more inclusive for people without a nation to call home.

Why I stormed the Tate Modern in protest against violent men

On 13 June over 150 feminist activists mourned the murder and erasure of artist Ana Mendieta. We were there for our sisters who did not survive.

It could be otherwise: contingency and social transformation

There’s no such thing as a permanent present or a future that is fixed.

Nude protests, sex strikes and the power of the taboo

Nonviolent tactics like stripping naked can be highly effective political advocacy, even ending wars, particularly across the African continent.

#BlackLivesMatter makes some people angry. Isn’t that good?

A new wave of activism is rooted in a different spiritual tradition to the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

Four ways mainstream animal rights movements are oppressive

Animal rights campaigns like PETA care more for animals than they do for the lives of marginalized people.

The cyber-age demands a politics of the spirit

As people explore new forms of agency online, where is the politics that can serve their growing sense of possibility?

Why progressives need to take higher states of consciousness seriously

Far from being detached from reality, visionary alternatives to neo-liberalism are the product of deeper and deeper engagement.

Will the Universal Basic Income make us lonely?

A policy that parcels out money to people may maintain, or even exacerbate, levels of loneliness and individualism.

How to stay human

Neoliberalism encourages us to treat every aspect of our lives as if it were on sale in a marketplace: is it an anti-spiritual project?

Why spirituality is the key to a more visionary politics

Progressive renewal lies in a deep recognition that we are not choosing our current lives. An introduction to this week's guest-edited series: spirituality and visionary politics.

This is why using 'they' as a gender pronoun is so important

The 'they' prounoun carries emotional weight, affirms others, and challenges our assumptions about gender.

The life and death of Daniel Berrigan

Celebrating the remarkable life of a renowned peace activist and writer who died on April 30 2016.

Designer activism and post-democracy

For campaigners committed to transformational social change, the unscripted howl of celebrities is a weak peg on which to hang a movement.

Meet the sex workers using art to expose truths about the sex industry

Ahead of the opening of Sex Workers' Opera tonight, these arts activists are fighting the battle for hearts and minds.

Resisting in our free time: the state of civil society today

Young activists attend the CIVICUS International Civil Society Week—and come back disappointed.

Court victory gives momentum to long struggle against London arms fair

Eight people have been found not guilty of using direct action to shut down one of the largest arms fairs in the world.

Ending the silence around German colonialism

At least 300,000 people died at the hands of German colonizers during its empire. These art projects are uncovering colonial histories to understand racism in Germany today.

Why I am an anti-Zionist Jew

The Israeli government deliberately invokes terrorist attacks, rockets, and scary brown men in headscarfs to stoke the population's fear, but I am scared of the racism Zionists use to justify the occupation. Originally published August 2014.

Are refugees really welcome? Inside the fight to save Berlin's Wagenplatz Kanal

The Berlin Senate is trying to replace a refugee-led activist space with a refugee camp. Why?

OUR Walmart: nurturing caring communities for courageous action

By building an alternative culture from within, workers at one of the world’s most exploitative corporations are planting the seeds of social transformation.

Who gets to be an artist? An interview with cultural theorist Hans Abbing

Just why are artists so poor? Hans Abbing explains. 

Are eco-versities the future for higher education?

Transforming learning into a process of liberation sounds great, but what does it mean in practice?

How to decolonise mental health services

UK mental health service providers are still failing to deal with race and ethnicity.

COAL: the Vagina Monologues of climate change

Culture change takes us to some dark and painful places, yet art and music remind us that love and beauty are vital for social transformation.

How an underground hip hop artist and his book club threaten Angola's regime

This week 17 Angolan activists received jail sentences for participating in a book club. Here's why. Português

Transformative democracy: bringing the outside world in

Is there hope for a new politics in European institutions? One insider-outsider says yes.

We need both compassion and confrontation to defeat Donald Trump

Having empathy doesn’t mean backing away from confrontation. It’s possible to extend love to opponents while throwing yourself into the gears of hate.

Banning boycotts: is history repeating itself?

The UK government's recent attempts to legislate against Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions are reminiscent of Thatcher during South African Apartheid.

Politicians don’t live our lives: DIY social action

Where can communities find support and inspiration if they want to establish alternatives to the status quo?

Three myths about sex work that harm everyone

It's not just young girls and big bad wolves. Lies and misconceptions about sex work can hurt women and keep negative stereotypes alive.

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