Designing Radical Walking Tours
Course Description
Have you ever thought about leading your own radical walking tour to share with friends the significance of places and histories in your city? Leading and participating in a radical walking tour is not only educational but fun and always memorable. A walking tour provides a concrete sense of places, people, and histories.
This course will walk you through the conceptualisation, research and logistics of a radical walking tour, and hear ideas and experiences from other participants across Asia.
- Class Starts on October 12, 2026
- Class Length: 1.5 hour Per Session
- Session Schedule: 5 Online Weekly Sessions
- Course Fee: USD$60 (Regular Price) / USD$40 (Students/Workers/Unemployed)
- If you are in financial difficulties and would like to apply for a fee waiver, please email us at convenor@labourschool.org, and a decision will be made by the course facilitator.
- Class Size: Class Limited to 10 Students (*first come first serve)
Registration Ends October 11, 2026
Course Starts on October 12, 2026
Course Facilitator
Kevin Lin is the Managing Editor of Asian Labour Review, and a Co-Convener of Asian Labour School. He writes about labour movements in China and Asia, and is interested in building international labour solidarity. He is a co-author of China in Global Capitalism: Building International Solidarity Against Imperial Rivalry (Haymarket 2024)
Class Time (Timezones in Asia)
- 5:00pm: Pakistan
- 5:30pm: India/Sri Lanka
- 5:45pm: Nepal
- 6:00pm: Bangladesh
- 6:30pm: Myanmar
- 7:00pm: Indonesia/Thailand/Cambodia/Vietnam
- 8:00pm: Hong Kong/Taiwan/China/Philippines/Singapore/Malaysia
- 9:00pm: Japan/Korea
Class Project
The course involves participants actively designing a radical labour walking tour.
Weekly Class Schedule
Session 1 (Oct 12, 2026): What is a radical walking tour?
- What a radical walking tour? Have you joined one?
- Why do you want to do it? What would like you to show?
- What are the key elements of a radical walking tour?
Session 2 (Oct 19, 2026): What is the narrative?
- What is the story you want to tell? E.g. the story of workers’ strikes, the story of labour migration, the radical history that has been forgotten etc.
- What is the point of the story? What is its relevance? Why would people want to learn about this story?
Session 3 (Oct 26, 2026): What are the locations, peoples and histories?
- Which places will be covered in this walking tour? How do these places help tell the story? Who are the people who lived or are living here? How can their experiences and perspectives be incorporated?
- How to conduct research on these places? E.g. visiting, reading, speaking with people
- How do you curate and “use” the locations? E.g. standing outside only, walking inside and through the place, talking to people there, tasting working class food or drink, or what other ways to “experience” the place?
- Who should be speaking with in those locations? What reciprocal relationships can you build with the people and places?
Session 4 (Nov 2, 2026): How to write the script?
- What and how much information to provide? How to avoid too much talking, while also providing sufficient context?
- How to make it engaging? Something unexpected, surprising, moving and making people think
- How to make it more interactive and participatory? What tools to use beyond words?
Session 5 (Nov 9, 2026): How to arrange the logistics?
- Do a walk yourself, and ask the following questions:
- How is the experience? Does it take too long (it always takes longer than expected with a group, and longer with their questions), and would people feel comfortable walking and standing or sitting in certain places?
- Write instructions: what to bring e.g. comfortable shoes, umbrella, sunscreen, water etc.? What to be aware of? Interpretation? Promotion?
- Getting started on your first tour!
To contact us: convenor@labourschool.org
