February 2014 – Anarres Project for Alternative Futures

Blood Avocados, Drug Cartels, and the Crisis of Democracy in Mexico

The majority of avocados in the US come from one single state in Mexico: Michoacan. In recent years, drug cartels have started to terrorize the avocado producers there, murdering them, stealing farms, and exacting protection money from the ones that remain. Many farmers have now formed armed vigilante groups, called autodefensas, that have begun to fight back against the cartels. Last month, the Mexican government sent in the military to avoid an all out civil war.

Professor Joseph Orosco reviews the history and evolution of the current situation followed by Professor Victor Vargas, professor of international relations, and vice president of Academic Affairs, at the Universidad Latin de America in Morelia, Michoacan. Vargas discusses what this situation means for democracy in Mexico and the impact that it has on the US, including American consumers and the legacy of the “War on Drugs”.

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Until the Rulers Obey

Join us for an afternoon discussion with Clifton Ross and Marcy Rein, the editors of the new book Until the Rulers Obey, on Tuesday, March 4, 2014 from 12:00 – 2:00 PM.

Until the Rulers Obey brings together voices from the movements behind the wave of change that swept Latin America at the turn of the twenty-first century. These movements have galvanized long-silent—or silenced—sectors of society: indigenous people, campesinos, students, the LGBT community, the unemployed, and all those left out of the promised utopia of a globalized economy. They have deployed a wide range of strategies and actions, sometimes building schools or clinics, sometimes occupying factories or fields, sometimes building and occupying political parties to take the reins of the state, and sometimes resisting government policies in order to protect their newfound power in community.

This unique collection of interviews features five dozen leaders and grassroots activists from fifteen countries presenting their work and debating pressing questions of power, organizational forms, and relations with the state. They have mobilized on a wide range of issues: fighting against mines and agribusiness and for living space, rural and urban; for social space won through recognition of language, culture, and equal participation; for community and environmental survival. The book is organized in chapters by country with each chapter introduced by a solidarity activist, writer, or academic with deep knowledge of the place. This indispensable compilation of primary source material gives participants, students, and observers of social movements a chance to learn from their experience.

Contributors include ACOGUATE, Luis Ballesteros, Marc Becker, Margi Clarke, Benjamin Dangl, Mar Daza, Mickey Ellinger, Michael Fox, J. Heyward, Raphael Hoetmer, Hilary Klein, Diego Benegas Loyo, Courtney Martinez, Chuck Morse, Mario A. Murillo, Phil Neff, Fabíola Ortiz dos Santos, Hernán Ouviña, Margot Pepper, Adrienne Pine, Marcy Rein, Christy Rodgers, Clifton Ross, Susan Spronk, Marie Trigona, Jeffery R. Webber, and Raúl Zibechi.

See and hear editor interviews, book reviews, and other news on Clifton Ross’s Page HERE and Marcy Rein’s Page HERE

Anarchism and the Occupy Movement with Nathan Schneider

In his talk at Oregon State University on February 24th, 2014, Nathan Schneider – author of Thank You, Anarchy: Notes from the Occupy Apocalypse, based on his reporting for Harper’s, The Nation, and other publications – discussed the origins and development of Occupy Wall Street, a social movement that remains as significant as it is misunderstood.

He also explored the movement’s strategy and spirit, including its little-recognized religious dimensions, both explicit and implicit. He also shed some excellent light on why Occupy chose to not issue broad demands and what the ‘on-the-ground’ concerns were.

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Blood Avocados, Drug Cartels, and the Crisis of Democracy in Mexico

On February 25th, Joseph Orosco will lead us through the development of our current situation. We will then be joined by Professor Victor Vargas, a professor of international relations, and vice president of Academic Affairs, at the Universidad Latin de America in Morelia, Michoacan. He will discuss, via Skype, what this situation means for democracy in Mexico and the impact that it has on the US, including American consumers and the legacy of the “War on Drugs”. There will be time for questions and dialogue.

Transformation without Apocalypse – Episode #11: Ursula K. Le Guin and Kim Stanley Robinson

On February 14th and 15th, the Spring Creek Project sponsored a symposium entitled “Transformation Without Apocalypse: How to Live Well on an Altered Planet”

The final event focused on the power of stories and featured award winning writers Ursula K. Le Guin and Kim Stanley Robinson, in their first ever joint appearance, reading from their own and from each others work.

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Transformation without Apocalypse – Episode #2: Susana Almanza

On February 14th and 15th, the Spring Creek Project sponsored a symposium entitled “Transformation Without Apocalypse: How to Live Well on an Altered Planet.” The second keynote presentation was given by Susana Almanza.

Susana Almanza is the Co-Director of People Organized in Defense of Earth and her Resources (PODER), and is one of three co-chairs for the Southwest Network for Environmental and Economic Justice. She has served on numerous committees including the EPA’s Title VI Implementation Advisory Committee and the City of Austin Environmental Board, and she is a former Planning Commissioner for the City of Austin. She resides in East Austin, Texas. (www.poder-texas.org)

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Transformation without Apocalypse – Episode #3: Carolyn Finney

On February 14th and 15th, the Spring Creek Project sponsored a symposium entitled “Transformation Without Apocalypse: How to Live Well on an Altered Planet” The third keynote presentation was given by Carolyn Finney.

Carloyn Finney is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, where her work explores how difference, identity, representation, and power play a significant role in determining how people negotiate their daily lives in relation to the environment. Finney serves on a number of national boards and committees including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Orion Magazine, and the Center for Whole Communities. http://ourenvironment.berkeley.edu/people_profiles/carolyn-finney/

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Anarchism and the Occupy Movement

On February 24th, Nathan Schneider – author of Thank You, Anarchy: Notes from the Occupy Apocalypse, will discuss the origins and development of Occupy Wall Street, a social movement that remains as significant as it is misunderstood.
He will explore the movement’s strategy and spirit, including its little-recognized religious dimensions, both explicit and implicit.

Schneider has written about religion and resistance for publications including Harper’s, The Nation, the New York Times, The Chronicle of Higher Education and elsewhere. He is an editor of the online literary magazine Killing the Buddha and Waging Nonviolence, a daily source for people-powered news and analysis from around the world. He is the author of “God in Proof: The Story of a Search from the Ancients to the Internet” (http://www.therowboat.com/books/god-in-proof/) and “Thank You, Anarchy: Notes from the Occupy Apocalypse” (http://www.therowboat.com/books/thank-you-anarchy/), both published by University of California Press in 2013.

This event was sponsored by the Anarres Project for Alternative Futures, the Hundere Endowment for Religion and Culture, and the School of History, Philosophy, and Religion at Oregon State University.