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
TinyURL for this post: http://tinyurl.com/6d2gxkh
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.
Thursday 28 April 2011
Wednesday 13 April 2011
The Norwegian oil experience
Irish Left Review have just published Helge Ryggvik's The Norwegian oil experience: a toolbox for managing natural resources?
http://tinyurl.com/norwegianoil
Dr Ryggvik is Norway's leading critical expert on the history and politics of the oil and gas industries. The report, written for social movements, trade unions and NGOs in countries facing the energy multinationals, discusses what can be learnt from the Norwegian experience about how to secure national ownership and control of these resources, the development of the necessary technological base, and how to use the wealth generated for the benefit of society as a whole. It is a remarkable read.
Monday 11 April 2011
Rape threats towards Maynooth student: updates
A series of protests is developing around the police conversation proposing to rape two Rossport campaigners.
In Dublin, a lunchtime protest outside the Dail organised by women's groups and concerned individuals was held on Friday 8th with about 150 people; a Guardian report is here and an Indymedia report here. In Belmullet, the base of the offending policemen (since transferred), a Saturday (9th) afternoon protest was held with around 100 people. There's a report here. A demonstration was held outside the Irish embassy in London on Monday (11th) morning. No reports as yet.
On Wednesday 13th there will be a protest at 5 pm in the Market Square in Castlebar, where the policemen in question have been transferred.
Meanwhile, claims by the Garda Ombudsman commission to independence from the body it is supposedly overseeing are looking increasingly threadbare as campaigners have revealed that of 111 complaints made about the policing of protests in Mayo, only 7 were forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions and none were pursued. As many people have commented this week, the only people likely to face trial over this latest incident are the two women affected.
One of the two women, who has gone public, has called for an independent inquiry and reiterated her lack of faith in the Ombudsman. This call has been supported by Action from Ireland, Shell to Sea, by union officials at NUI Maynooth where she is studying, and by the UCD School of Social Justice. It is hoped that further support for this demand will come over the next week.
In Dublin, a lunchtime protest outside the Dail organised by women's groups and concerned individuals was held on Friday 8th with about 150 people; a Guardian report is here and an Indymedia report here. In Belmullet, the base of the offending policemen (since transferred), a Saturday (9th) afternoon protest was held with around 100 people. There's a report here. A demonstration was held outside the Irish embassy in London on Monday (11th) morning. No reports as yet.
On Wednesday 13th there will be a protest at 5 pm in the Market Square in Castlebar, where the policemen in question have been transferred.
Meanwhile, claims by the Garda Ombudsman commission to independence from the body it is supposedly overseeing are looking increasingly threadbare as campaigners have revealed that of 111 complaints made about the policing of protests in Mayo, only 7 were forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions and none were pursued. As many people have commented this week, the only people likely to face trial over this latest incident are the two women affected.
One of the two women, who has gone public, has called for an independent inquiry and reiterated her lack of faith in the Ombudsman. This call has been supported by Action from Ireland, Shell to Sea, by union officials at NUI Maynooth where she is studying, and by the UCD School of Social Justice. It is hoped that further support for this demand will come over the next week.
Friday 8 April 2011
NUI Maynooth union expresses outrage and supports call for international inquiry
April 8th, 2011:
As members of the academic community in the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, we wish to express our outrage at the comments made by police in Mayo towards Maynooth student Jerrieann Sullivan and another protester who wishes to remain anonymous. Many Maynooth students have taken part in protests at Rossport and elsewhere over the years, and all have a right to do so without fear of intimidation, assault or sexual violence. We add our voice to the call for an independent international inquiry into the policing of protests around the Corrib Gas project.
Dr Colmán Etchingham, Chairperson
Dr Colin Coulter, Vice Chairperson
Maynooth Branch of the Irish Federation of University Teachers
As members of the academic community in the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, we wish to express our outrage at the comments made by police in Mayo towards Maynooth student Jerrieann Sullivan and another protester who wishes to remain anonymous. Many Maynooth students have taken part in protests at Rossport and elsewhere over the years, and all have a right to do so without fear of intimidation, assault or sexual violence. We add our voice to the call for an independent international inquiry into the policing of protests around the Corrib Gas project.
Dr Colmán Etchingham, Chairperson
Dr Colin Coulter, Vice Chairperson
Maynooth Branch of the Irish Federation of University Teachers
Wednesday 6 April 2011
Protests against rape threats by Rossport gardai
In response to the threats to rape and deport protestors by police officers in Erris, discussed here, there will be two protests at opposite ends of the country. In Dublin, there will be a silent protest outside the Dail at 1 pm on Friday 8th April, organised as a solidarity demonstration with Rossport and in support of the rights of women and migrants to protest without fear; more details here.
In Mayo, there will be a protest outside Belmullet garda station, the offenders' base, at 2 pm on Saturday. The organisers write:
"We invite people to join this demonstration called in support of all women and men who have been harassed, threatened and intimidated by Gardaí, especially in light of the recently documented comments about the deportation and rape of two female Shell to Sea campaigners. This is not the first example of Garda intimidation and threats against campaigners in Erris. The recording is a glimpse of the reality of intimidation and violence that has dominated community life since Shell's arrival in Co. Mayo.
The past 11 years have seen repeated instances of physical and verbal assaults against campaigners. A number of these incidences were documented in the Frontline Report of 2010, which was a damning indictment of the collaboration between Gardaí and Shell's private security IRMS. However, despite this report and the 120 citizen complaints to the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission, there has been no change in the policing of the project."
More details here.
Later: A report with pictures of the Dublin protest, which attracted about 150 people at very short notice, can be found here. The Irish Times carried this picture here.
In Mayo, there will be a protest outside Belmullet garda station, the offenders' base, at 2 pm on Saturday. The organisers write:
"We invite people to join this demonstration called in support of all women and men who have been harassed, threatened and intimidated by Gardaí, especially in light of the recently documented comments about the deportation and rape of two female Shell to Sea campaigners. This is not the first example of Garda intimidation and threats against campaigners in Erris. The recording is a glimpse of the reality of intimidation and violence that has dominated community life since Shell's arrival in Co. Mayo.
The past 11 years have seen repeated instances of physical and verbal assaults against campaigners. A number of these incidences were documented in the Frontline Report of 2010, which was a damning indictment of the collaboration between Gardaí and Shell's private security IRMS. However, despite this report and the 120 citizen complaints to the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission, there has been no change in the policing of the project."
More details here.
Later: A report with pictures of the Dublin protest, which attracted about 150 people at very short notice, can be found here. The Irish Times carried this picture here.
Tuesday 5 April 2011
Maynooth student at Rossport: threats of sexual violence by police
Two women, one of them a Maynooth student, were briefly arrested in Mayo last week and their video camera confiscated. The camera, in a separate car, was not switched off and when returned to the women contained not only a recording of what was clearly a needlessly aggressive arrest but also a discussion between two gardai, one a sergeant, in which they joked about deporting and raping one of the women. An Irish Times report can be found online here and an Indymedia report, with access to the full recordings, here.
The use of violence, including threats of violence and sexual violence, in the policing of protest in Erris and elsewhere is nothing new, but that makes it none the less horrifying and outrageous. It speaks volumes about the culture of policing that a garda sergeant, involved in the prosecution of sexual assault cases, could make jokes of this nature in the company of other officers - and that the response to the publication of the camera has not been for the officers in question to be suspended but for the name of at least one of the victims to "leak" from the station to tabloid newspapers. See this well-informed discussion of the garda response to the incident.
In 2009 the Minister for Justice vetoed calls for the Garda Ombudsman to review policing of the Corrib Gas dispute. In 2010 the Frontline human rights defence organisation published the report Breakdown of Trust which again called for such a review. The continued refusal to do so, and other official responses to repeated concerns over the aggressive policing of this dispute, are easily understood by gardai as sanctioning a continuation of such behaviour. Some good commentary by Vicky Conway of Humanrights.ie can be found here. A political analysis of the use of force by the Irish police against protestors, just published in Mercier's Riotous assemblies (eds William Sheehan and Maura Cronin), can be found here.
By contrast with the behaviour of gardai and Ministers for Justice, the courage of protestors who face this kind of intimidation for no personal benefit, in defence of deeply-held beliefs about democracy, environmental justice, community rights, opposition to corruption and the common ownership of natural resources is a powerful example of where common decency and hope for the future can be found.
The use of violence, including threats of violence and sexual violence, in the policing of protest in Erris and elsewhere is nothing new, but that makes it none the less horrifying and outrageous. It speaks volumes about the culture of policing that a garda sergeant, involved in the prosecution of sexual assault cases, could make jokes of this nature in the company of other officers - and that the response to the publication of the camera has not been for the officers in question to be suspended but for the name of at least one of the victims to "leak" from the station to tabloid newspapers. See this well-informed discussion of the garda response to the incident.
In 2009 the Minister for Justice vetoed calls for the Garda Ombudsman to review policing of the Corrib Gas dispute. In 2010 the Frontline human rights defence organisation published the report Breakdown of Trust which again called for such a review. The continued refusal to do so, and other official responses to repeated concerns over the aggressive policing of this dispute, are easily understood by gardai as sanctioning a continuation of such behaviour. Some good commentary by Vicky Conway of Humanrights.ie can be found here. A political analysis of the use of force by the Irish police against protestors, just published in Mercier's Riotous assemblies (eds William Sheehan and Maura Cronin), can be found here.
By contrast with the behaviour of gardai and Ministers for Justice, the courage of protestors who face this kind of intimidation for no personal benefit, in defence of deeply-held beliefs about democracy, environmental justice, community rights, opposition to corruption and the common ownership of natural resources is a powerful example of where common decency and hope for the future can be found.
Monday 4 April 2011
How to build a movement: on organising and activism
A good post by Mark Rudd, ex-SDS organiser and Weather Underground, online here. He talks about what was wrong with the Weather model - which turns out to be surprisingly similar to what's wrong with some of today's more defeatist assumptions - and the value of grassroots organising efforts.
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