Francisco Contreras

Tell us briefly who you are and what you do!
I serve as chair of Solidaritetshuset in Stockholm, a collaborative hub for global justice organizations working for solidarity, human rights, and transformative social change. I'm also the international editor of Parabol magazine. I’m deeply rooted in the global solidarity movement and part of the collective MediaCon that creates multimedia productions that amplify the voices, struggles, and organizing power of grassroots and struggle‑based movements. I'm a sociologist by profession, specialising in international higher education.

Your session Workshop: Building political strategy is focused on participants getting a very concrete strategy output, based on the work of Marta Hanecker. Can you tell us a bit more about Hanecker's work and your relationship to her work – or to her as a person?
Marta Harnecker was a Chilean Marxist intellectual and political strategist whose work focused on translating political analysis into effective collective action. She developed practical frameworks for understanding power relations, defining strategic objectives, and building viable paths for social and political change, making her work widely used by movements and organizations across Latin America.

Like many others in Chile and across Latin America, I grew up reading and discussing Marta Harnecker’s work. Her writing shaped how I learned to think about political strategy – not as abstract theory, but as something rooted in real struggles, collective practice, and everyday organizing.

Who would you recommend this workshop to (organizer/leader, activist, other) and would you say the workshop is specifically suited for long-term or short-term goals – or both?
This workshop is recommended for organizers, leaders, and activists seeking practical tools to develop clear political strategies grounded in real conditions and collective practice.