Repudiate the Debt think-in, Thursday April 14th

This is another interesting project, as the EU starts to make contingency plans for defaults which critical economists have noted as being on the cards for some time.

Skill Share weekend in Dublin April 1st - 3rd

"A weekend of workshops, talks and films... The purpose of the weekend is to get people from various backgrounds interested in activism and to meet up, get to know each other and learn from activists and others". The programme looks excellent; more details here.

Advance notice: Beyond the crisis: global justice, equality, social movements

Day workshop for activists and researchers
All welcome, admission free.
No booking necessary.

Saturday, May 7th 2011, 9.30 - 6.00
Seomra Spraoi social centre, 10 Belvidere Court, Dublin 1 (off Gardiner St - directions here)

A joint initiative of the MA in Community Education, Equality and Social Activism and the MA in Anthropology and Development, both NUIM


How can we think beyond the immediate pressures of responding to the recession, the IMF/EU bailout, the elections and so on? How has the ground shifted under the feet of social movements in the last few years? Where do struggles for equality and global justice stand now? This event brings together activists and researchers from Mexico, Scotland, the US and Ireland in an open event aimed at thinking strategically and understanding both what is now becoming harder to imagine and what is now becoming possible.


Timetable:

9.30 Arrival / registration / etc.
10.00 Welcome / round of introductions
10.15 John Holloway (Autonomous University of Puebla, Mexico): "Rage against the rule of money"
11.15 Break
11.30 Eurig Scandrett (Queen Margaret University, Scotland): "How can we learn from popular struggles?"
12.15 Kathy Powell (NUI Galway): "Why do people not revolt?"

1.00 Lunch break

2.00 Parallel sessions

- Laurence Davis (independent scholar): "What are we fighting for? On not settling for too little"
- Rosie Meade (University College Cork): "Has culture been bought?"
- David Nugent (Emory University): "Is development a substitute for social change?"
- Aileen O'Carroll (National Qualitative Data Archive): "Does work leave us time for a revolution?"

3.30 Break
4.00 Plenary
6.00 Ends


About the presenters and facilitators:

Laurence Davis is the author of numerous publications on the relationship between utopian aspirations and popular empowerment, including the co-edited volumes Anarchism and Utopianism (MUP, 2009) and The New Utopian Politics of Ursula K. Le Guin's The Dispossessed (Lexington Books, 2005), and a wide range of articles on contemporary anti-capitalist and ecological movements, countercultural and revolutionary politics, and the politics of art, work and love. He is a founding member of the U.K. Anarchist Studies Network, a series editor of Continuum Book's new Contemporary Anarchist Studies book series, and a member of the Steering Committee and media team co-chair of Irish Ship to Gaza.

John Holloway, born in Dublin, is Professor of Sociology, Instituto de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Universidad Autonoma de Puebla, Mexico. He is the author of Change the World Without Taking Power (new ed. Pluto, London 2010) and Crack Capitalism (Pluto, London 2010).

Rosie Meade works in the School of Applied Social Studies, UCC. Her research interests include the politics of community development, cultural democracy and cultural resistance. She has been involved in a number of campaigning and community based organisations in Cork City, including Cork Women's Support Group, Immigrant Solidarity, William Thompson Weekend and Cork Community Artlink.

David Nugent is currently Professor of Anthropology at Emory University, where he directs the Masters in Development Practice. He has done field research in the eastern Canadian Arctic on Inuit subsistence patterns, in east Africa on government-sponsored sorcery eradication, in the Peruvian Andes on state formation and underground political movements, and in the western U.S. on indigenous land and water rights. He is the award-winning author and editor of several books, including Modernity at the Edge of Empire (Stanford University Press, 1997), Locating Capitalism in Time and Space (Stanford University Press, 2001), and (with Joan Vincent) A Companion to the Anthropology of Politics (Blackwell Press; 2004).

Aileen O'Carroll is manager of the Irish Qualitive Data Archive. Her research interests include the sociology of time, life history, work organisation, class and economic sociology. She is currently working on a book about post-industrial working time.

Kathy Powell is an anthropologist based at NUI Galway studying socio-economic change, political culture and political practices in rural Mexico. Her research focusses on hegemonic processes, political rationality and relations of power, and particularly on interrelations between the practices and discourses of clientelist politics and corruption, and between forms of violence, social and political inequalities and identity. Other interests include political ideology, identity and "informality" in Cuba.

Eurig Scandrett is an educator and activist in environmental, peace, gender and trade union issues employed at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh where he teaches sociology and social justice and carries out research into environmental justice movements. He coordinated the Bhopal Survivors' Movement Study and edited Bhopal Survivors Speak: emergent voices from a people's movement (2009, Word Power Books). He was previously Head of Community Action at Friends of the Earth Scotland.

"Ireland's new religious movements" launch

"Ireland's new religious movements" will be launched in Dublin on March 30th at 6.30 pm by Marion Bowman (head of dept. of Religious Studies at the Open University) who will be speaking on "Contemporary Celticity". More details here.

Earth Activist Training 2011

20 August - 4 September 2011 in rural Devon with Starhawk and Andy Goldring: permaculture design, activism and ritual. More details here.

Starting the CEESA MA this autumn

MA in Community Education, Equality and Social Activism

Another world is possible:
learning from each other's struggles

NUI Maynooth Sociology and Adult & Community Education

For decades community groups, the women's movement and other social justice movements have been the driving force behind equality in Ireland, while global justice activists have highlighted the crisis of climate change and neo-liberalism. As crisis hits, cuts and recession bite, social partnership collapses and popular movements grow, what do we already know about how to change the world? This course brings together experienced activists in community education and social movements with newcomers interested in social justice to create new knowledge and develop alternatives. Will you join us on this learning journey?

How can we bring about social justice and environmental survival in Ireland and beyond? This course enables students to think about how to build real alternatives to challenge existing structures of oppression and injustice. It is about developing ordinary people’s capacity to change the world through community education, grassroots community activism and social movement campaigning. In the face of powerful voices telling us that “there is no alternative” but to trust in their expertise and solutions, this course starts from the view that “another world is already under construction”.

The main force behind positive social change in Ireland and globally has always been "people power": those who were not "on the inside", without property, status or power coming together to push for change where it was needed. Community activism, the women's movement, global justice campaigners, self-organising by travellers and new Irish communities, trade unions, GLBTQ campaigning, environmentalism, international solidarity, anti-racism, anti-war activism, survivors of institutional abuse, human rights work, the deaf movement and many other such movements have reshaped our society and put human need on the agenda beside profit and power. Movement participants have developed important bodies of knowledge about how to do this, which are fundamental starting-points for trying to make a better world possible.

What students say about the course:

“The real beauty of this course is the sense that finally you are not alone in your thinking. Not only can you get to open your mind up to all that has been written, but you get to open up to your class group and really learn from each other. In a world where injustice is the norm, there is a sense that there is a whole world of people out there fighting alongside you and that at last, change just might be possible.”

“There are misunderstandings about the word activism… If you are challenging the system and the way it is, then you are an activist, you are not passively existing in the world, you are taking action…”

“The knowledge and experience of activists are valued.”

“A chance to get really detailed feedback on the way you’re thinking about how to change things.”

“It’s a course for practitioners.”

The Departments of Sociology and Adult & Community Education collaborate on this MA to develop thinking about critical pedagogy in community education; power and praxis in social movements; and understandings of equality, transformation and sustainability. Our commitment to the public use of academic knowledge is a long-standing one and we have a wide range of practical experience as well as research-based knowledge. This includes involvement with social movements, community activism and issue-based campaigning; media work and public debate; active involvement in political parties, trade unions and lobbying groups; community education and literacy; development and human rights work. Our student body is very diverse, with a wealth of different experiences and a strong tradition of involvement in community development and social activism.

The course explores three core strands: Critical and praxis-oriented forms of thinking (e.g. in community education, social theory, media literacy, utopian imagination…); Understanding equality and inequality (e.g. in class, gender, race, political economy, the search for good work…); and Power, politics and praxis (e.g. in social movements, community activism, grassroots organising, the politics of social change…)

The course content is all taught from the standpoint of "praxis": the understanding that theory without practice is meaningless, while practice without theory is likely to fail. The basis of our work is dialogue between reflective practitioners, systematically including both these aspects.

What students say about the practical benefits:

“Helps to makes links with fellow activists working in different movements.”

“A chance to challenge and enhance your practice.”

“Puts names on things that you have done and helps to frame your ideas.”

“An opportunity to work collectively.”

“Make friends, networks, comrades.”

“An opportunity to challenge academic norms.”

“A chance to be more objective about your practice.”

Course participants

Both Departments have a long history of attracting students who are concerned about social and global justice and keen to draw on their analytical skills to develop a professional life in these areas, including mature students who have already had such an engagement and want to develop their practice further. This programme is aimed at the needs of this very diverse group. This includes those involved in social movements, community development, adult learning, grassroots activism, workers in NGOs and state agencies, and advocates with minority groups.

The course is geared to bringing together the best of practitioner skills in the field with the best of academic research. Our workshops are not traditional classroom experiences but draw on our community, popular and radical educational practice to bring out and work with participants' existing knowledge. We bring our own lived experience into the classroom, and encourage other participants to do the same, creating a conversation between practitioners in which students are not passive learners and teachers are not unquestioned experts. We also bring in a wide range of outside mentors.

The programme attracts a wide range of students, with very diverse backgrounds, movements and levels of experience. In 2010 - 11, participants included working-class community organisers and radical ecologists, feminists and rural community activists, young graduates and experienced political organisers. We are sure that this year’s intake will be just as diverse.

Students’ experience of the course:

“It’s fun and challenging, constantly changing.”

“Moves beyond/transcends your own organisation or movement. That can help to change your practice as well.”

“Can be fun and interactive and our input feels valued.”

“Challenges your views and perspectives.”

“The lecturers are open to being challenged and to change academic practices.”

“There was a concerted effort towards group development both by the class members and by the lecturers. We were very lucky in our class group dynamic and a willingness for each person to reveal who they really are.”

“The lecturers are deadly too!”

Programme

The course involves two days a week on campus (typically Monday and Tuesday) over two twelve-week semesters, along with independent reading and study which you should expect to take another two days equivalent during the rest of the week. Your thesis, which is usually linked to a movement project you are involved in or developing, typically takes three - four months after the end of classes.

The programme includes core modules in “Praxis and community participation”; “Power, politics and praxis”; “Critical thought and critical pedagogy” and “Understanding equality and inequality”. Along with these students choose one elective module a term, such as “Social movements”; “Participatory action research in social movement practice”; “The market, the state and social movements”; “The politics of feminism and masculinities”; “Power and inequality” and “Sustainable communities”. We also run add-on sessions on topics like “Sustainable organising”; “Critical media literacy”; “Environmental justice”, “Utopias and social movements” and “Digital research methods”. Finally, participants take research modules and complete a thesis, often in an innovative format.

Participants will leave the course with a deeper understanding of how the politics of equality and inequality works in a range of substantive areas. They will have developed the skill of practicing "politics from below": active citizenship, civil society, community education and development, social movements and other forms of popular agency. They will have gained skill as a reflexive researcher, developed their writing and presentation skills and completed a practice-based research project.

Warnings from current students:

“There’s a lot of self-evaluation and self-reflection.”

“Clear your timetable…. Really clear your timetable, take the opportunity to step back from your work.”

“I didn’t realise how much reflection is on the course.”

Contact and admissions

The course website is http://ceesa-ma.blogspot.com. Application is via the HEA’s online PAC system, at http://www.pac.ie. The deadline for applications is May 29, 2011 and the course code is MHA64. The minimum requirement is a primary degree (BA etc.) at 2:2 level, or the equivalent.

Basic information on applications, grants and fees are on this page. For any queries, please contact the Dept. of Adult and Community Education, NUI Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland at adcomed@nuim.ie or (+353-1) 7083937.

Admission is by interview with staff members, and offers of interview are made on the basis of the online application. Your personal statement is particularly important in this, because this is a practitioner course which is geared towards supporting you in developing your own practice. However, you should not feel that you have to have a particular level of experience in order to be accepted on the course. In 2010 we accepted students at all levels, from school-leavers who had just completed an undergraduate degree to mature students who have been active in movements for decades, and this classroom diversity is part of the richness of the course.

A student says:

“The main thing I enjoyed from the course was not what we learnt but how we learned it. For me the mix of people in the class was electric and we all learned so much from each other. In a way I didn’t feel like I was going into ‘college’. This was greatly encouraged from the lecturers who by the way are experts in their fields and are always at hand for guidance, advice and criticism. In a way I even feel awkward calling them lecturers as the whole learning process for me was so far removed from what most are used to in a college setting.

As regards the material, like all reflection and philosophising, one day you could be disillusioned with everything, doubting and questioning everything you ever stood for while the next day you want to take on the world, but what kept it together was the energy and camaraderie and that we were all in it together. I hope courses like this and more importantly the whole critical way of learning together is mirrored in other colleges and institutions. And for those like ourselves who are serious and committed about what we do, there is no time like the present to do this course. I already feel the knowledge I gained and more importantly the network of people I have met will be vital to any campaign or project I will be involved with in the future.”

All-Ireland community campaigns gathering

Are you involved in a campaign in your community?

Join us for an

All Ireland Community Campaigns Gathering

Saturday 26^th of March 2011

10am-5pm

Seomra Spraoi, 10 Belvidere Court, off Gardiner St., Dublin 1

This is a free event

This is an open invitation to all community led campaign groups. By coming together we can share our experiences and find out how we can support each other to win.

You and your group are invited to come together for a day with other community led campaign groups to:

• Learn about each other’s struggles and find common issues
• Share what we have learned in our campaigns & hear from successful ones
• Discuss how we act in solidarity with each other
• Participate in a skills workshop around a common challenge (eg. Dealing with the Media, Dealing with state agencies & the legal system, How to keep your campaign going, Basic tools for working together as a group)

The event is being organised by people active in a number of different campaigns including supporting the community under threat from Shell in Mayo. This event will be a neutral space and the aim is to support each other and share strategies. It is not a space for winning people over to specific campaign agendas or any party political groups.

Venue: Seomra Spraoi, 10 Belvidere Court, Dublin 2. Seomra Spraoi is an inspiring example of a community centre run entirely on donations.

Food will be by donation. Please contact communitycampaignsgathering@gmail.com if you have any special dietary or mobility requirements. Let us know if you will need child care for the day as this can be arranged at the venue.

The venue can hold approximately 50 people.

Please contact communitycampaignsgathering@gmail.com if you have questions, are interested in attending or to book a place.

You can find a copy of the poster here. Please print out and put up, or forward a link to anyone who might be interested.

Hope you can make it,

Jerrieann and Kate

0851141170

0876686644