tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9369892461288519102024-02-21T01:58:25.441-08:00Bluestocking InstituteThe Bluestocking Institute was set up to encourage research and education around global issues of peace and justice.skyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10154448225043132552noreply@blogger.comBlogger117125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936989246128851910.post-18329513151539078692014-04-04T05:23:00.003-07:002014-04-04T05:24:24.711-07:00Migrating the Bluestocking Institute blogFrom now on all Bluestocking Institute blog posts will appear on <a href="http://www.bluestockinginstitute.org/">www.bluestockinginstitute.org</a>. Check there for the latest news and information.Shaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10364424111008696614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936989246128851910.post-7882416210544726012014-03-23T07:07:00.002-07:002014-03-23T07:09:00.902-07:00Review of 'Debt: The first 5,000 years', by David Graeber<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://thenewinquiry.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/blogs_zunguzungu_graeber-383x577.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://thenewinquiry.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/blogs_zunguzungu_graeber-383x577.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
Graeber’s book provides an enlightening 5000 year history of ‘economy’, using the concept of debt to help illustrate the ways that global and local economies have been shaped by historical factors. The underlying theme of his book, I believe, is not strictly ‘debt’, but is the way that ‘human economies’ have turned into ‘market economies’ and the social upheaval and social disconnect that this has caused us. Debt is one, albeit prominent and influential, example of this.<br />
<br />
Originally, Graeber argues, most communities were founded on ‘human economies’, where the primary economic activity was a form of ‘communism’ between family and friends (ie to each according to their need, from each according to their ability), and where human life was of ultimate value. (One of the next books we're looking at, <i>Humanizing the Economy: Co-operatives in the Age of Capital</i> by John Restakis, opens with a similar overview). The economic activities of ‘exchange’ (between strangers) and ‘hierarchy’ (between unequals) were secondary. Through various examples, Graeber shows how war and slavery, propagated by kings/governments throughout written history, has been a catalyst for economic change around the world.<br />
<br />
As armies grew in scale and organisation, it became necessary to find ways to pay soldiers over campaigns that might last for months or years. With the coming of soldiers and their coins into small communities, ‘exchange’ and the quantification of objects of value, slowly became the economic norm. Slavery (which accompanies war), simultaneously allowed for the quantification of human life (which was unthinkable in a ‘human economy’), and together these forces paved the way for market economies to grow. Within these new and emerging market economies, social relations are increasingly quantified, and thus stripped of their true value. It is within this context that ‘debt’ (a market economy exchange activity where obligation is quantified) became a central tool through which the powerful could exert control over people.<br />
<br />
Graeber goes on to explore how debt has been periodically enforced and then relieved, by kings, governments and religious authorities, in response to historical processes. The forgiving of debts, or the inclusion of mechanisms which prevented debts from becoming impossible to repay, was important to continued functioning of society. (On this note, it's interesting to read more about the <a href="http://www.jubileeusa.org/actnow/jubilee-congregations/islamic-resources/islamic-perspectives-on-poverty-and-debt.html" target="_blank">Islamic conception of debt</a>.)Throughout these periods of great empire decline and ascendance debt, as a tool of control, has been slowly infused into our economies, written into our laws, and even embedded into our moral and religious values. <br />
<br />
<i>Debt: The first 5,000 years</i> is a book that's clearly meant to be linked to, and help to support, political action to create structural change. <a href="http://thenewinquiry.com/blogs/zunguzungu/david-graebers-debt-my-first-5000-words/" target="_blank">Aaron Bady </a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" target="_blank">discusses</a>, for example, the connection between <i>Debt</i> and the Occupy Wall Street movement, while <a href="http://www.ephemerajournal.org/contribution/theorizing-debt-social-change" target="_blank">Miranda Joseph argues</a> that Graeber's focus primarily on 'the violence of abstraction' has the potential to undermine a 'movement of the 99%' which recognises differences and inequalities <i>within</i> the movement. Meanwhile, the <a href="http://rollingjubilee.org/" target="_blank">Rolling Jubilee</a> project, which initially attempted to buy and forgive debts (partly as a way to start conversations around indebtedness), is now working to<a href="http://strikedebt.org/act/" target="_blank"> organise debtors and change the economic system</a>.<i> </i><br />
<br />
Graeber ends the book by looking at the latest incarnation of the market
economy and the use of debt in today’s capitalist economic system, the aspects of his work that draw most clearly on his involvement in Occupy and other movements. By
putting our current economic crises into historical perspective, Graeber
makes us think twice about the apparent omnipotence of capitalism, and
helps us to question the role of debt, and indeed the market economy
itself, in our lives and our future.<br />
<br />
by Michelle Hackett and Sky Croeser</div>
skyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10154448225043132552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936989246128851910.post-89953639174293260092014-01-15T04:23:00.002-08:002014-01-15T04:35:17.025-08:00Upcycle Exhibition and Sustainability Fair<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here's a call to get involved, from the organisers of the </span><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.upcycleexhibition.org/" target="_blank">2014 <span lang="EN-US">Upcycle Exhibition and Sustainability Fair</span></a>, <span lang="EN-US" style="color: #10131a;">presented
in association with the Perth Fringe Festival.</span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="ecxMsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;">Beyond recycling,
Upcycling takes discarded resources and reincarnates them as tomorrow's
treasures.</span></span></div>
<div class="ecxMsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span lang="EN-US"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.upcycleexhibition.org/" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-US">www.upcycleexhibition.org</span></a></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;">We are currently inviting: </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #e36c0a; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.upcycleexhibition.org/#%21participate/cszy" target="_blank">Exhibitors</a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;">:</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span lang="EN-US"> </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #131d27;">whether
you are an established artist, hobby recycler or absolute beginner keen to try
repurposing, we'd love to see your creations.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.upcycleexhibition.org/#%21stalls/cm6s" target="_blank">Stallholders</a></span><span lang="EN-US">:</span><b><span lang="EN-US"> </span></b><span lang="EN-US">including handmade,
vintage or upcycled products, along with food and information stalls related
to sustainability</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.upcycleexhibition.org/#%21attend/c24ib" target="_blank">Visitors</a></span><span lang="EN-US">:</span><b><span lang="EN-US"> </span></b><span lang="EN-US">join us </span><span lang="EN-US">at Earthwise in Subiaco</span><span lang="EN-US"> from 2pm on 22 or 23
February 2013 for this FREE event for the whole family.</span><b><span lang="EN-US"> </span></b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;">Please do forward this information to any creative /
sustainability folk who may be interested!</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #131d27; font-size: small;">If you'd
like more information, please see </span><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.upcycleexhibition.org/" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-US">www.upcycleexhibition.org</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #131d27;"> for event
information or to express interest. You can also <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/672615499427794/" target="_blank">join us on Facebook</a>
and check out new Upcycling examples daily!</span></span></span>Shaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10364424111008696614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936989246128851910.post-52596698016281585762014-01-12T03:33:00.001-08:002014-01-12T03:59:13.247-08:00Review of 'The Spirit Level: Why Equality is Better for Everyone' by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett (2009, Bloomsbury Press)<style>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In <i>The Spirit Level</i>
epidemiologists Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett argue that more equal
societies are better off than less equal societies, with reference to a battery
of evidence. Compiling data taken from a range of sources, including the World
Health Organization, the World Bank and the United Nations, they document the
relationship across countries between equality and social outcomes,
highlighting the correlation between inequality and a range of social ills,
including violent crime, obesity, and mental health illness. Recognising that such
relationships could be spurious, the authors examined comparable data for the
fifty states of the US to test whether inequality was related to various social
problems across the two settings. This yielded the same findings, namely that the
lives of individuals in less equal societies are unhappier and unhealthier.
They note that while the increased prevalence of poor health and violence in
more unequal societies is established, their research demonstrates that ‘almost
all problems which are more common at the bottom of the social ladder are more
common in more unequal societies’ (p. 28).</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Wilkinson and Pickett’s study demonstrates that the negative
impacts of inequality are not limited to the poor, but instead are borne by all
of society, meaning that richer societies do not necessarily do
better than poorer societies: ‘the prevalence of poor health and social
problems in whole societies really is related to inequality rather than average
living standards’ (p. 29). On the key issue of causality, the authors emphasise
‘the relationships between inequality and poor health and social problems are
too strong to be attributable to chance’ (p. 150). Pointing to their study
and numerous others they argue, ‘It is very difficult to see how the enormous
variations which exist from one society to another in the level of problems
associated with low social status can be explained without accepting that
inequality is, in an essential respect, the common denominator, and a hugely
damaging force’ (p. 155). </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">This is powerful and persuasive reading. Wilkinson and
Pickett's study challenges proponents of ‘trickle down economics’,
demonstrating that the benefits of economic policies privileging a few will not improve
the lot of a society. <i>The Spirit Level </i>also
speaks in support of ‘post growth’ and ‘degrowth’ movements, asserting that
yes, we are rich enough and that more growth is not the solution, but rather,
more equally distributing wealth. Conspicuously absent from the text is
explicit reference to capitalism (with the exception of publication titles the term appears only once, in a
quote by Murray Bookchin). A more explicit interrogation of the structural
context in which inequality and its related social ills are generated (rather than the authors'</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> <span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">traverses into psychology in explaining
why inequality creates dysfunctiona</span></span>l societies) would drive
home the argument<style>
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</style>, however this remains an important and cogent study. </span></div>
kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03243559765444090470noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936989246128851910.post-80937211776510746702013-12-28T15:14:00.002-08:002013-12-28T15:16:15.938-08:00Labour Rights in the Electronics IndustryThe Asia Monitor Resource Centre has published a new book, <i>Labour Rights in the High Tech Electronics Industry: </i><br />
<div class="with-tabs">
<i>Case Studies of Workers' Struggles in Samsung Electronics and its Asian Suppliers. </i><br />
<br />
The book is a great complement to the Bluestocking Institute's book, <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Lessons-for-Social-Change-Global-Economy-Shae-Garwood/9780739187753" target="_blank"><i>Lessons for Social Change in the Global Economy: Voices from the Field</i></a>, which includes a chapter from AMRC's Sanjiv Pandita and Fahmi Panimbang.</div>
<div class="with-tabs">
<br /></div>
<div class="with-tabs">
Here's a description of the book from the AMRC website:</div>
<div class="with-tabs">
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyHYubR89m_AA7t3Vn8yc2bQ7oQsbP8FfGeb_wl9ZkPwsnuQ8M1orwQXmrErV3-d41BLl8uOejV8lbce5bgmGsI-Wg4NtUuAB5X9dnu0NCjDv_kZCZrZ-ccOlNm_ZTUv4ex0znMG5qRmQ/s1600/Samsung%2520book-%2520cover_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyHYubR89m_AA7t3Vn8yc2bQ7oQsbP8FfGeb_wl9ZkPwsnuQ8M1orwQXmrErV3-d41BLl8uOejV8lbce5bgmGsI-Wg4NtUuAB5X9dnu0NCjDv_kZCZrZ-ccOlNm_ZTUv4ex0znMG5qRmQ/s1600/Samsung%2520book-%2520cover_0.jpg" /></a><i>Labour Rights in the High Tech Electronics Industry</i> describes the struggles of workers fighting for their
basic rights in the electronics industry with a focus on the operations
of Samsung Electronics and its Asian suppliers, including those in South
Korea, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and Taiwan. It
also discusses the overall situation of the electrical appliance and
electronics industries in Japan where workers have been hit hard by
factories relocations.<br />
<br />
This book is dedicated to
all workers who have lost their lives in struggles for their rights, and
to those who have suffered due to occupational diseases and industrial
accidents in South Korea and many other places in Asia and beyond, and
to victims who have died due to cancer from working in electronic
factories. This book also salutes the survivors and their families, who
struggle every day for justice.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.amrc.org.hk/node/1354" target="_blank">You can download the book for free from the AMRC website. </a></div>
Shaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10364424111008696614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936989246128851910.post-64368106835262420822013-12-11T06:12:00.001-08:002013-12-12T11:43:28.508-08:00Lessons for Change in the Global Economy: Voices from the Field<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div>
Our edited collection of chapters exploring approaches to creating change is now available for <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lessons-Social-Change-Global-Economy/dp/0739187759/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1386764656&sr=1-1" target="_blank">preorder</a>. You can get a 30% discount if you preorder the book from Lexington: <a href="https://rowman.com/ISBN/9780739187753" target="_blank">order directly online</a> and enter the promotional code 'LEX30AUTH14' or download the <a href="https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3734990/Lessons%20in%20social%20change.pdf" target="_blank">order flyer</a>.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ftcqY32HL._SY300_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ftcqY32HL._SY300_.jpg" /></a></div>
<div>
<br />
In the face of globalization’s massive social
and economic transformations and the resulting persistent inequality,
activists, labor organizers, and advocacy NGOs are seeking and creating
change beyond the confines of formal state politics and across national
borders. Given the breadth of local issues activists face, the ways they
define the problem and seek redress vary widely. This book provides a
unique perspective on these efforts, gathering into one volume concrete
examples of the implementation of different strategies for social change
that highlight the challenges involved. This provides useful lessons
for those involved in social change, as well as for those studying it.
Contributors to the volume are scholars and practitioners around the
world, and they draw on strong connections with people working in the
field to improve working conditions and environmental standards of
global production systems. This allows readers to develop a more
comprehensive and grounded understanding of strategies for social
change.<br />
<br />
This
book maintains a strong balance between breadth and specificity. It
provides an overview of the themes of social change, which
contextualizes and draws common threads from the chapters grounded in
specific geographic locations and political spaces of change. The
chapters analyze environmental and social problems and the varying
degrees of success activists have had in regulating industries,
containing environmental hazards, and/or harnessing aspects of an
industry for positive social and economic change. Contributors draw upon
different ways of creating change, which include corporate social
responsibility schemes, fair trade regimes, and community radio. By
providing insight into the potential and limitations of actions taken at
different levels, the book encourages a critical perspective on efforts
for social change, grounded in an understanding of how conditions
around the world can affect these activities. </div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Order now: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lessons-Social-Change-Global-Economy/dp/0739187759/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1386764656&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Lessons-for-Social-Change-Global-Economy-Shae-Garwood/9780739187753" target="_blank">Book Depository</a>. </div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
skyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10154448225043132552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936989246128851910.post-33060864015121332102013-11-05T23:33:00.000-08:002013-11-05T23:33:04.634-08:00Annual Report 2012-2013Bluestocking's Annual Report 2012-2013 is now available.<br />Over the past financial year, we presented our second short course on Globalisation, began a Book and Film Club, and had our Lifecycles Book accepted for publication. This financial year aims to be just as busy, with a Writing Circle and a Featured Research Column planned. For more information please see the Annual Report file provided on our Facebook site <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/70161457183/files/" target="_blank">-click here-</a>.Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08062931722326229535noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936989246128851910.post-71561586342407485752013-09-16T03:49:00.000-07:002013-09-16T04:02:32.665-07:00Review of Dingo, Rabbit Proof Fence and a flim clip by Jonathan Safran<style>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">At our last gathering we discussed a
film, video clip and a book about the legacy of colonialism in Australia and
Aboriginal Australians’ struggles for social justice. The book was <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dingo-The-story-Our-Mob/dp/0091837278/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1379228737&sr=8-2&keywords=sally+dingo" target="_blank"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dingo</i></a> by Sally Dingo</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">. It tells the story of the Dingo
family from Sally's perspective as a non-Aboriginal woman, who married into the
Dingo family. The book follows several members of the family as they
live, travel and work in towns and on stations in Western Australia. By
tracing the trials, tribulations and resilience of the Dingo family, the author
exposes the contentious history of Western Australia. </span>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We also discussed the film, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0252444/" target="_blank">RabbitProof Fence</a></span><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0252444/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This extraordinary film follows the experiences
of several Aboriginal children forcibly taken from their parents to be
‘re-educated’ and assimilated into white Australian culture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Similarly to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dingo</i>, the film showcases a broader part of Australian history
through the lives of individual people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>By tracing the personal stories of Molly Craig, Daisy Craig Kadibill,
and Gracie Fields, the film tells the story of the stolen generation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thousands of ‘half-caste’ children were taken
from their families and forced to give up their language and cultural ties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The third item we discussed was a <a href="http://aso.gov.au/titles/tv/john-safran-vs-god-episode-2/clip1/" target="_blank">filmclip by Jonathan Safran</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the clip, a group of Aboriginal people
approach a house in Melbourne with a sign on it that says ‘We acknowledge the Wurundjeri
people as the traditional owners of the land’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Aboriginal actors, directed by Safran, tell the tenants of the house
that they are there to move in since they saw the sign.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is supposed to be a comedic attempt to
expose white people’s empty rhetoric about reconciliation and justice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it misses the mark as the Aboriginal
people in this clip come across as pawns in Safran’s joke. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course symbolic gestures alone are
inadequate to ensure meaningful change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I don’t know that anyone would argue otherwise, but the easy target of
belittling symbolic gestures – such as plaques on buildings, Welcome to Country
ceremonies, etc. – does not mean that these gestures are replaced by bolder,
more meaningful, action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It means that
they are replaced by the silence that pervades much of non-Aboriginal
Australia’s approach to dealing with the history and legacy of oppression that
continues today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would have been far
more interesting to hear from the actors themselves and their take on the
signs, their part in the clip, and Safran’s attempt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This would have, no doubt, contained a range
of responses spanning both comedy and tragedy. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Increasing the range and scope of Aboriginal
voices heard on radio, TV, in movies and in books is long overdue. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Creating the space for people to tell their stories,
what they have endured, and how they’ve survived, such as those highlighted in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dingo</i> and Rabbit Proof Fence, are an
essential part of achieving social justice.</span></div>
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Shaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10364424111008696614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936989246128851910.post-61296237640884278552013-06-27T21:57:00.003-07:002013-06-27T21:57:25.561-07:00Book review - ‘Flight Behaviour’ and the ‘Lives of Girls and Women’<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Whilst there are many obvious differences between these
two novels, there are a few pertinent similarities or connections which make a
joint book review interesting. Barbara Kingsolver’s ‘Flight Behaviour’ takes a
snap shot of a young woman’s life in rural USA during a freak climate change
event: the catastrophically-altered migration path of the beautiful Monarch Butterfly
(a fictional but possible event, according to the author’s research). Alice Munro’s
‘The Lives of Girls and Women’, contrastingly, narrates the progression into
womanhood of a young woman from rural Canada, in a more gradual, biographical
style. The pace and the style of storytelling in the two books are quite
different, but similarities arise when we look into how both authors explore
the opportunities and expectations placed on these young women in their small
country towns. </div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
From the first pages of ‘Flight Behaviour’, Kingsolver
depicts her main character, Dellarobia, as being very unhappy with her current
life- with its rural poverty, mundane daily chores and uninspiring husband. It
is only slowly, throughout the book, however, that we are given to know the
circumstances that led Dellarobia to this place in her life. In highschool Dellarobia
was hailed as a smart girl, with a bright future and college prospects. These
plans were stopped short, though, when she became pregnant in the last year of
highschool. With little other options or family support, she married the child’s
father and assumed the farm-wife life that was set out for her. Munro’s main
character, Del Jordan, similarly, was considered a bright girl, who was
expected to go to college and ‘escape’ the country life. Her plans fell short
when she became infatuated with a less than supportive boyfriend in her final
highschool year and failed to gain a much needed scholarship to college. </div>
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The two main similarities between the lives of these two
women (apart from their names) are, firstly, the limitations that poverty can
place on life choices (eg the need for a scholarship to go to college for Del),
and, secondly, the limitations that society’s expectations can place on the
lives and roles of women. Despite being intelligent girls with college
prospects, both Del Jordan and Dellarobia found their desired futures altered
by their relationships with young men. For Dellarobia, pregnancy meant a quick
marriage and an automatic assumption that college was no longer an option. For
Del Jordan, the expectations of her boyfriend that she was the ‘right’ wife
material (eg one who would naturally give up her study time to have lunch with
his family etc) meant that she failed her scholarship exams. </div>
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While the influence of Del Jordan’s boyfriend’s
expectations was certainly more subtle than the influence of family expectation
for Dellarobia, both stories explore the way that education (and the future
this can bring) is often assumed to be incompatible with the life of a ‘wife’.
These two books, then, raise very interesting questions about the ways that
society’s norms mould not only the lives of girls and women, but also their own
resistance to these pressures. These are themes that, unfortunately, are not
confined to small country towns in North America where these two books are set. </div>
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<br /></div>
Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08062931722326229535noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936989246128851910.post-84102637042588894112013-06-13T19:35:00.001-07:002013-06-13T19:35:44.174-07:00Bluestocking Bookclub – 4th August 2013<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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The second Bluestocking Bookclub get-together will be on
Sunday August 4th at 12pm at The Village Bar in Subiaco. We have a book, a film
and a documentary this bookclub session. The book is Sally Dingo’s ‘Dingo: The
Story of Our Mob’; the film is ‘Rabbit-Proof Fence’; and the documentary is ‘John
Safran vs God: episode 2’. Read and watch any of these, and come along on the 4th
for some discussion, coffee/lunch and a bit of fun.
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<br /></div>
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Details: </div>
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12pm Sunday 4th August</div>
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The Village Bar at 531 Hay St, Subiaco</div>
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RSVP here by Monday 29th July </div>
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<br /></div>
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<u><b>Dingo: The Story Of Our Mob</b></u> </div>
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Author: Sally Dingo. Book review by Goodreads.com</div>
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http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/693927.Dingo</div>
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<br /></div>
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Emerging from her middle-class existence in a sleepy
Tasmanian town a young white woman marries a charismatic actor and the
turbulent Dingo tribe. Lovingly embraced by her new Aboriginal family, they
begin to yarn to her and she begins to write their memories down... This
uplifting story, which spans three generations of an Aboriginal family's long
struggle to find dignity and worth in a culture not their own, has been
embraced by Australians everywhere. …</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u><b>John Safran vs God – Episode 2 </b></u></div>
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Review and clip provided by the National Film and Sound
Archive </div>
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http://aso.gov.au/titles/tv/john-safran-vs-god-episode-2/clip1/</div>
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<br /></div>
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John Safran identifies a tendency among left-wing people
in inner Melbourne to put signs on their houses acknowledging the Wurundjeri
people as the traditional owners of the land. He gets a group of local
Aboriginal people (Lou Bennet, Corleen Cooper, Dennis Fisher, Jermaine Hampton,
Michael Penrith) to help him test the sincerity of this sentiment.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<u><b>Rabbit-Proof Fence</b></u></div>
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Film review by David Stratton</div>
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http://www.sbs.com.au/films/movie/1073/rabbit-proof-fence</div>
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The year is 1931, and, after over 100 years of
colonisation ... Governments faced with what they see as a problem with half-caste
children, establish a policy of removing such kids from their aboriginal
mothers for their own good … [including] three little girls, 14-year-old Molly,
her 8-year-old sister, Daisy, and her 10-year-old cousin, Gracie, from their
mothers in the community of Jigalong. … The resourceful Molly seizes an
opportunity to escape, taking her sister and cousin with her, and the children
begin the long journey north, following the rabbit-proof fence, and pursued by
an aboriginal tracker and a white policeman. … It's an amazing, true story –
and, when we see the real Molly and Daisy, now elderly women, at the end of the
film, it's a truly magical moment … <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>it's
an important, and beautifully made, saga which provides plenty of food for
thought.</div>
Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08062931722326229535noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936989246128851910.post-30807972173972090962013-05-10T02:26:00.001-07:002013-05-10T02:26:53.294-07:00Bluestocking Bookclub 2013<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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From mid-2013 Bluestocking is running a bimonthly
Bookclub. We’ll post up the books 1-2 months in advance and invite everyone to
a discussion session at a café on a Sunday morning over coffee. New book suggestions are more than welcome!</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The first Bluestocking Bookclub get-together will be on
Sunday June 9<sup>th</sup> at 9:30am at Cranked café in Leederville. The books
to read are: Barbara Kingsolver’s ‘Flight Behavior’ and Alice Munroe’s ‘Lives
of Girls and Women’. Read either of these books- or both if you’re feeling
adventurous – and come along on the 9<sup>th</sup> for some discussion, coffee/tea
and a bit of fun. </div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
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Details: </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
9:30am Sunday 9<sup>th</sup> June</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Cranked café at 106 Oxford St, Leederville</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
RSVP here by Monday 3<sup>rd</sup> June </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
See below
for more information on the books, and post your own comments about the
books!</div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
From <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/">www.goodreads.com</a>
:-</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“<b>Flight Behavior </b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
by Barbara Kingsolver </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Flight Behavior takes on one of the most contentious
subjects of our time: climate change. With a deft and versatile empathy
Kingsolver dissects the motives that drive denial and belief in a precarious
world. … </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
Dellarobia Turnbow is a restless farm wife who gave up her own plans when she
accidentally became pregnant at seventeen. Now, after a decade of domestic
disharmony on a failing farm, she has settled for permanent disappointment but
seeks momentary escape through an obsessive flirtation with a younger man. As
she hikes up a mountain road behind her house to a secret tryst, she encounters
a shocking sight: a silent, forested valley filled with what looks like a lake
of fire. She can only understand it as a cautionary miracle, but it sparks a
raft of other explanations from scientists, religious leaders, and the media.
The bewildering emergency draws rural farmers into unexpected acquaintance with
urbane journalists, opportunists, sightseers, and a striking biologist with his
own stake in the outcome. As the community lines up to judge the woman and her
miracle, Dellarobia confronts her family, her church, her town, and a larger
world, in a flight toward truth that could undo all she has ever believed.”</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b>“Lives of Girls and Women </b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
by Alice Munro </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
[A]n insightful, honest book, ‘autobiographical in form
but not in fact’, that chronicles a young girl's growing up in rural Ontario in
the 1940's.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
Del Jordan lives out at the end of the Flats Road on her father's fox farm,
where her most frequent companions are an eccentric bachelor family friend and
her rough younger brother. When she begins spending more time in town, she is
surrounded by women- her mother, an agnostic, opinionated woman who sells encyclopaedias
to local farmers; her mother's boarder, the lusty Fern Dogherty; and her best
friend, Naomi, with whom she shares the frustrations and unbridled glee of
adolescence. Through these unwitting mentors and in her own encounters with
sex, birth, and death, Del explores the dark and bright sides of womanhood. All
along she remains a wise, witty observer and recorder of truths in small-town
life. The result is a powerful, moving, and humorous demonstration of Alice
Munro's unparalleled awareness of the lives of girls and women.”</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08062931722326229535noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936989246128851910.post-84524017226842398162012-10-06T00:02:00.000-07:002012-10-06T00:21:50.363-07:00Cohousing and other innovative habitats<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Having a neighbour babysit, a friend around the corner to drop in for a cup of tea, no noisy cars and choking exhaust fumes, shared dinners, communal gardens... where is this utopia? </span></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">At the September Discussion Group we spoke about cohousing. Cohousing is an intentional community, meaning a group of people plan and manage shared living arrangements that generally comprise private homes and some shared facilities, such as gardens, kitchens and recreational spaces. The idea originated in Denmark in the 1960s by groups of families that were dissatisfied with the existing housing options, and sought to establish a living arrangement that would meet both social and physical needs. The idea has risen in popularity in recent years, particularly in the promotion of 'eco-villages' that also seek solutions to environmental concerns by sharing energy needs and reducing people's reliance on cars for transport.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Australia's cohousing communities are listed on the cohousing <a href="http://www.communities.org.au/">website</a>,
which provides details of the two currently operating in
Perth. <a href="http://www.somervilleecovillage.com.au/">SomerVille EcoVillage</a> is in Chidlow, and is set in 162 hectares. It
comprises 10 clusters of residences, each with a car-free common area at the
centre, and a 20-hectare car-free zone in the centre of the village. Owners can
purchase land in the community and must build their dwellings to specific
sustainability requirements, and the community also has shared gardens, farms,
laundry and living areas. <a href="http://www.pinakarri.org.au/">Pinakarri</a> is in Hamilton Hill, and has a land area of
less than one acre with 15-20 dwellings. It is funded by both public and
private funds, and offers affordable rentals as well as private ownership.
Again, it has shared gardens, farms, laundry and living areas as well as
holding shared meals on a self-rostered basis and a monthly open house
community dinner.</span></span><style>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">These innovative habitats seek to address a range of social
and environmental issues and are based on the premise that by working
collectively individuals can achieve more than they would otherwise. In the
midst of Perth’s current housing crisis, with only 2% of rental properties vacant,
such projects could not be timelier. However, cohousing does not necessarily
have to involve spending large sums of money to buy into a cohousing estate or
even the collective ownership by a group (which can be problematic as a result
of the legal issues associated with shared ownership- this should become easier
if the <a href="http://www.socialbusiness.coop/articles/news/new-national-cooperatives-law-introduced-into-stat">new cooperative law</a> is passed in state parliament). Sharehousing can be a
way of creating intentional communities, with weekly dinners or Mojito Mondays
providing a social event for housemates. Choosing to rent or buy a property in
close proximity to friends, family, and work/study locations is another way of
intentionally designing your living arrangements around social, environmental
and consumption concerns. Taking down fences between properties (obviously with
your neighbour’s consent) is also a means of structuring your living space so
you can share it with others.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">However, these options may not available to everyone,
particularly our newest Australians. The <a href="http://www.firsthomeproject.com.au/index.html">First Home Project</a> is a unique and
inspirational form of cohousing, where a family of three have sought and
received community support and funding to buy a large property that can fit
three families at one time to provide medium term accommodation and an
inclusive community for recently-arrived refugees. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So if neither a 3x1 in Perth’s rolling suburban sprawl or an inner-city dog-box
are appealing or affordable, perhaps cohousing offers some alternatives. </span></span></div>
kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03243559765444090470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936989246128851910.post-87220275099634085922012-08-27T01:22:00.003-07:002012-08-27T01:22:59.227-07:00Discussion Group: Cohousing and other innovative habitats<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span itemprop="description">Suburban
sprawl getting you down? Inner-city living unattractive and/or
unaffordable? Come to this month's Bluestocking Discussion Group to
explore innovative ways to build communities. Our discussion will first
look at the concept of cohousing and its emergence, and examples in both
Australia and elsewhere. We'll then look at "intentional
neighbourhoods" and other efforts to build communities within the
boundaries of standard property rental and ownership regulations, and
also some of the issues facing such ventures.</span><br />
<br />
<span itemprop="description">Location: The Moon Cafe, </span><span class="visible"><span class="fsm fwn fcg">2/323 William Street (corner Newcastle)</span>, <span class="fsm fwn fcg">Perth</span></span><br />
<span class="visible"><span class="fsm fwn fcg">Time: 6pm, Sunday September 9th</span></span><br />
<span class="visible"><span class="fsm fwn fcg">RSVP: in the comments here, or on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/483864788298856/" target="_blank">Facebook event page</a>. </span></span><span itemprop="description"> </span></div>
skyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10154448225043132552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936989246128851910.post-75489019647838513752012-08-15T21:49:00.000-07:002012-08-15T21:49:45.132-07:00Discussion Group: Bluestocking Week 2012
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">Celebrating Bluestocking Week</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> August
2012</span></b></div>
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At the Discussion Group last Sunday we celebrated the start
of Bluestocking Week for 2012, enjoying a delicious dinner and delving into
discussions about what ‘bluestocking’ represents for women, education and
society today.</div>
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Below is a blog by one of our members, ‘Lizzy
Unpronounceable’, with some fascinating insights into the history and
significance of the Bluestocking ‘movement’. Thanks Liz!</div>
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Lizzy’s disclaimer: This post is very brief, and so skirts
around a lot of issues. It is also focused on English and Australian higher
education. History of bluestockings in non-English speaking countries
such as Japan would be pretty fascinating, and I invite others to comment with
any information about such movements. </div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">'Bluestocking'</span></b></div>
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It is ironic that the term 'bluestocking', now used to
exclusively refer to women in academia, was actually coined in this sense in
1756 in reference to a man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Benjamin
Stillingfleet was the first Bluestocking; the term referenced his eccentric
behaviour of wearing his blue woollen stockings to a high society literary
gathering, rather than fine white silk stockings as was expected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The literary gatherings were hosted by
Elizabeth Montagu, a member of the literary elite who was wealthy enough and
well connected enough to encourage the growth of a circle of fashionable
intellectuals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The group (the membership
of which also included Mary Wollstonecraft, Catharine Macaulay, Hannah More,
Samuel Johnson, and Edmund Burke) become known as the 'blue stocking
philosophers' after Stillingfleet's faux pas, and Montagu's house became known
as the 'Blue Stocking Lodge'.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Stillingfleet's blue stockings were taken on as a sort of symbol of
unconventional behaviour, just as the idea of women being interested in and
able to participate in intellectual pursuits was unconventional.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The term came to refer only to women engaging
in intellectual pursuits, and then to women lobbying for (greater) access to
higher education and as a derogatory term for supposedly unfeminine, unwomanly,
and worst of all unmarriageable women engaging in academia and higher education
in conjunction with women's rights more generally.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bluestockings and
women in higher education</b></div>
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Elizabeth Montagu and her intellectually minded friends were
operating at a time when women were completely excluded from higher
education.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Universities were elite
institutions, and higher education was not nearly as accessible in the 18th
century as it is now in the 21st century.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, while men were excluded from the academy on the basis of class
or wealth, women were excluded because they were women.</div>
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Girls were notionally expected to be educated up to a point,
either through the contemporary equivalent of primary and secondary schools, or
home schooling by a parent or governess.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, schooling was limited by the teacher's own level of education
and by the parents' willingness to bear the financial burden, particularly when
the child reached an age where they could start to earn an income.</div>
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There were avenues that women could follow if they were
academically minded, for example enjoying religious and literary scholarship by
joining nunneries, or self instruction through reading their way through
fathers' or husbands' libraries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Girls
could learn vicariously through their brothers when they were home for the
holidays, relying on second-hand information remembered from the boys' own
classes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, until the 1800s, there
were no social structures for girls' continued schooling or for encouraging
women to engage with academia.</div>
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In England in the 1800s, teaching colleges started to spring
up, providing women a way to qualify for one of the only respectable careers
available to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Colleges and
universities started to allow women to attend out-of-hours public
lectures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In America, a number of
colleges admitted women from about 1830 onwards, and women-only colleges like
Vassar and Smith were established in the second half of the century.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Australia, the first universities were established
in the 1850s, and women were excluded from them until 1881.</div>
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Once women were admitted to universities, there was still no
guarantee of equal access to educational experiences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some universities still excluded women from
certain courses, effectively funnelling women into education and home
economics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are examples of
lecturers refusing to lecture when only the female students had bothered to
turn up to class, and of tutors setting different problems for female students,
or marking them differently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oxford and
Cambridge allowed women to matriculate, studying the same degree courses as
men, from the second half of the 1800s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, women were not awarded degrees until 1920 and 1948
respectively.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After winning the fight to
occupy academia, women had to fight to participate in academia.</div>
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A range of bizarre beliefs about women and women's capacity
to learn plagued the bluestocking cause.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One commonly held medical belief was that women's reproductive
'apparatus' would be endangered by the redirection of energy from the ladyparts
to the brain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anti-bluestocking
arguments asserted that the act of studying would lead to a withering of the
womb, and would make women barren, weak or sickly, mentally ill, and possibly
eventually cause death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those whose
education did not rob them of their reproductive abilities and physical and
mental strength were attacked for marrying later in life or not at all, and
anti-bluestocking arguments morphed into concerns about low birth rate leading
to humans dying out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another argument
against higher education for women was a little closer to reality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was little demand for women with
degrees in the labour market, and so what use was a university education to a
women whose post-degree options were often limited to a career in teaching or
homemaking?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For many women, university
life was a brief respite from familial duty, and once the classes ended, so did
their access to the academic world.</div>
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Arguments that supported women's higher education were not
all that enlightened either, and tended to focus on the benefits of an educated
thinking woman to society and to their menfolk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That is, an educated woman would be better placed to pass on that education
to their sons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Education for the
betterment of women as individuals did not seem to be taken as a compelling
argument.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bluestocking and
Suffrage</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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Restricting women’s access to higher education was also a way
of restricting women's access to other freedoms, particularly suffrage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As male student riots in Cambridge in 1897
demonstrated, people were motivated by an underlying fear of gender equality
that manifested in attacks against women's education, women's suffrage, and
even women's right to ride bicycles – all symbols of the freedom and equality
that first wave feminists were fighting for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Arguments against women being allowed to vote often centred on their
supposed inability to think rationally and their childish or uninformed
opinions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Voting while female was a
danger to society, as women were not in a position to know enough about the
world to make meaningful decisions about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Increased equality in higher education was a slippery slope that would eventually
lead to equality in many other areas where men enjoyed privilege.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Give women degrees and soon they would expect
equal access to employment, income, and suffrage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With hindsight, we can now happily say that they
were spot on about that, at least.</div>
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In 1949, women accounted for 20% of all university
undergraduate students in Australia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
government briefing paper from 2003 put women's engagement in higher education
at just over 50%.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, echoes of the
historical bluestocking experience are still evident when looking at the
subject areas that men and women tend to pursue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 2002, women were still more likely to
engage in arts and humanities, and far more likely to pursue education than
men.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Men were slightly more likely to
enrol in physical and chemical sciences, and far more likely to pursue
information technology and engineering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is also true across the globe, as women are vastly more likely to
graduate with a degree in an education area than one in engineering or
computing [UNESCO have released an atlas of global access to education].</div>
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<br /></div>
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In less than 200 years, women have gone from complete
exclusion from higher education to making up more than half of the global
student body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, 19th century
ideas of biological 'fitness' for certain areas of academia still inform both
women and men's choices about higher education.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Women still tend to pursue higher education in traditionally 'feminine'
fields seen as requiring communication and nurturing skills, and are actively
discouraged from pursuing areas that are perceived as requiring 'masculine'
abilities of logic and rational thought or of manual dexterity and
strength.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>'Bluestocking' as a label has
changed from a badge of honour to a vicious pejorative, and back again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Women's education is now seen as an integral
part of economic and social growth, recognising the potential for women as
change agents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Far from bringing about
the end of the human species, Bluestockings started the ball rolling for equal
access to higher education and academia, a cause that we must still actively
pursue.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Further Reading</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="Standard">
Aleman, Ana M. Martinez & Renn, Kristen A. (2003) <i>Women
in Higher Education: an encyclopedia</i>, ABC-CLIO
[http://books.google.com.au/books?id=dqVP7mU5vuEC]</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="Standard">
Carrington, Karry & Pratt, Angela (2003) <i>How Far Have
We Come? Gender disparities in the Australian higher education system</i>,
Information and Research Services, Department of the Parliamentary Library.
[http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/Publications_Archive/CIB/cib0203/03CIB31]</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="Standard">
Eger, Elizabeth (2010) <i>Bluestockings: Women of reason from
Enlightenment to Romanticism</i>, Palgrave MacMillan,</div>
<div class="Standard">
[<a href="http://books.google.com.au/books?id=DRA2uAAACAAJ&dq"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://books.google.com.au/books?id=DRA2uAAACAAJ&dq</span></a>]</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="Standard">
Kamm, Josephine (1965) <i>Hope Deferred : Girls' Education in
English History</i>, Routledge
[http://books.google.com.au/books?id=yW_TWf7RwiMC]</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="Standard">
Robinson, Jane (2009) <i>Bluestockings: The remarkable story
of the first women to fight for an education,</i> Viking. [http://books.google.com.au/books?id=LV7Opc061ZYC&dq]</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="Standard">
UNESCO eAtlas of Gender Equality in Education (2012)
[http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/leading-the-international-agenda/gender-and-education/resources/the-world-atlas-of-gender-equality-in-education/]</div>
Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08062931722326229535noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936989246128851910.post-68272204749184878182012-08-11T05:03:00.004-07:002012-08-11T05:04:54.767-07:00Proud to be a BluestockingThis article was written by Shannon Green and was originally published in the Frederick News-Post on 8 June 2012. Click <a href="http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display_Comments.htm?section=a1&storyID=136709">here</a> for a link to the original article.<br />
<br />
One day while waiting for my daughter's gymnastics class
to let out, I decided to steal a few minutes to read my book. I hadn't finished one chapter when a woman plopped her gym bag on the couch seat next to me and asked, "What are you reading?" I
replied that I was finishing up "The Autobiography of Benjamin
Franklin." She paused and then said, "There's a name for women like you,
intellectual women, blue something or other." I told her that I was not
familiar with any such term. After rummaging in her bag for a moment
she made a hasty retreat. I didn't think a whole lot of the exchange
until I recounted it to my husband that evening at dinner. He encouraged
me to look it up, and thanks to the infinite knowledge of Wikipedia, I
discovered what she was trying to call me: a blue stocking.<br />
<br />
I had
never heard this term before, so I read the entire article. Wikipedia
defines "blue stocking" as an 18th-century term for an educated,
intellectual woman. OK, that's not so bad. But as I read further I
discovered that the term had mostly negative connotations, and the blue
stocking name itself came from the cheaper stockings allegedly worn by
educated women as opposed to the more fashionable black stockings that
were in style. What really got to me was there was only one word in the "See Also" section of the entry. And that word was "nerd." <br />
<br />
Upon
further investigation, I also found that in 1811 an Irish playwright
wrote a play titled "The Blue Stocking" that parodied such women. On the
flip side, I also discovered the Blue Stocking Society. Established in
England in the mid-1700s, the society was a circle of women interested
in the education of their fellow females. They would meet, invite
learned men to attend and discuss the intellectual issues of the day.<br />
<br />
Since
women were not allowed to attend college at that time, meetings like
this attempted to fill the gap in their education. One quote from one of
the most famous Blue Stocking members, Elizabeth Montagu, really struck
a chord with me. In 1743 she stated: "In a woman's education little but
outward accomplishments is regarded ... sure the men are very imprudent
to endeavor to make fools of those to whom they so much trust their
honour and fortune, but it is in the nature of mankind to hazard their
peace to secure power, and they know fools make the best slaves."<br />
<br />
In
the 20th century, some women's groups and colleges have tried to
reclaim the name much the way Revolutionary War soldiers reclaimed the
word "Yankee." Not to much avail, however, since the term is rarely
used.<br />
Now I won't pretend to know the woman's motivation or
intentions when she called me this. Perhaps she didn't mean it as an
insult. Most of my friends think that she did. Whatever her reason, I am
thankful that she did it. <br />
Who knows if I would have ever
encountered this term or learned about these women who so bravely sought
equality and an education?<br />
--<br />
Shannon Green writes from Frederick, Maryland where she still reads in public, no matter what the cost.Shaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10364424111008696614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936989246128851910.post-56426563944240957582012-08-11T04:55:00.003-07:002012-08-11T04:59:02.130-07:00Fairtrade product search<h2>
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on the <a href="http://www.fta.org.au/">Fairtrade Australia New Zealand website</a> to use a great new product search function. Type in a
product type, location or simply browse the many brands of Fairtrade
Certified products available. Generated by <a href="http://fairtrade.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c58b63ac1d582e0c3c22826c2&id=585a121d41&e=897d3883fe" style="color: #00b3d1; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Fairly Local</a>, you too can contribute to the database by submitting locations where you have seen Fairtrade Certified products - <a href="http://fairtrade.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=c58b63ac1d582e0c3c22826c2&id=525af7c60a&e=897d3883fe" style="color: #00b3d1; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">read more here</a> on how to contribute.Shaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10364424111008696614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936989246128851910.post-12160645128803539372012-07-07T01:25:00.003-07:002012-07-07T01:27:21.830-07:00Uranium Mining and Fracking in Australia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This month's discussion group will look at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/171148136348825/" target="_blank">uranium mining and fracking in Australia</a>. For those who can't make the discussion, there are some overviews below. Feel free to add comments if you have questions or opinions to share.<br />
<br />
<b>Uranium Mining in Australia</b> <br />
There have been three main bursts of uranium mining exploration in Australia. The first was in the mid-1940s and 1950s, after pressure from the US and UK governments encouraged the federal government to offer tax concessions. The second came in the late 1960s as nuclear power began to take off, and the third has happened since 2002 (driven, in part, by claims that nuclear power will help to provide an energy source with a lower impact on climate change than coal). <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2486/3891736981_0d2216deb5_d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="an image of a minesite, fenced off, with a 'controlled area' sign in front of it" border="0" height="213" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2486/3891736981_0d2216deb5_d.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of Alberto OG on Flickr</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Opposition to uranium mining has accompanied these developments, with activists concerned about the environmental impacts, the impacts on Aboriginal communities and lands, and the links between uranium mining and nuclear weapons.<br />
<br />
<br />
The Wikipedia entries on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranium_mining_in_Australia">uranium mining</a> in Australia and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-nuclear_movement_in_Australia">the anti-nuclear movement</a> in Australia both provide useful overviews. <br />
<br />
This <a href="http://australianmap.net/">interactive map</a> provides a useful overview of previous, current, and proposed nuclear sites, covering processing facilities and waste storage sites as well as military and mine sites. <br />
<br />
The <a href="http://www.roxstop-action.org/">RoxStop</a> website offers some suggestions on how to take action on uranium mining in Australia, including signing petitions and shifting your super away from funds that invest in uranium mining.<br />
<br />
The <a href="http://lizardsrevenge.net/" target="_blank">Lizard's Revenge</a> website provides information on the upcoming attempt to highlight the problems with the expansion of Olympic Dam. <br />
<br />
For people in Western Australia, the Conservation Council of Western Australia has provided an <a href="http://ccwa.org.au/blogs/wiluna-uranium-information">overview</a> of the problems with the proposed Toro Energy mine at Wiluna. <br />
<br />
<b>Fracking in Australia</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://farm7.staticflickr.com/6037/6321016342_53113e28f9_n_d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://farm7.staticflickr.com/6037/6321016342_53113e28f9_n_d.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from Darth Ambiguous on Flickr</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Fracking is a relatively recent development in Australia: the technology has only become feasible over the last decade or so, and while it has been used quite extensively elsewhere Australia has seen the most rapid expansion of fracking since 2010. Fracking involves using pressurised fluid mixed with sand and a range of chemicals to fracture gas reservoirs so that the gas can be accessed. There are a number of concerns about this technology, including the environmental impacts and the impacts on farmers. <br />
<br />
This article in <i>The Economist, </i><a href="http://www.economist.com/node/21556291">Gas Goes Boom</a>, looks at the development of fracking in Australia, as well as some of the concerns about the environment and effects on farmers.<br />
<br />
Dennis Cooke's <a href="http://theconversation.edu.au/explainer-coal-seam-gas-shale-gas-and-fracking-in-australia-2585">Explainer: coal seam gas, shale gas, and fracking in Australia</a> on <i>The Conversation</i> is also a good starting-point for those wanting to find out more.<br />
<br />
For more on opposition to fracking in Australia, you can visit:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="http://nofrackingway.org.au/">No Fracking WAy</a> (in Western Australia)</li>
</ul>
and <br />
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="http://lockthegate.org.au/">The Lock the Gate Alliance</a> (Queensland)</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>skyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10154448225043132552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936989246128851910.post-78380324084384241362012-06-01T02:40:00.001-07:002012-06-01T02:40:15.089-07:00Democracy in Burma?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Democracy in Burma?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span>Bluestocking
Discussion Group (May 2012)</span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></div>
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At the Bluestocking discussion
group last Sunday, we discussed the promising chain of events occurring in
Burma/Myanmar at the moment. From a strict military regime to fair elections,
all occurring within the space of 2 years, there’s certainly a change in the
air. The questions these circumstances prompted us to ask were: What led to
this change? And: Is it as wide-sweeping and permanent as people in Burma, and
around the world, are hoping for? </div>
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A brief timeline of events can
help to answer some of these questions... though only time will tell if Burma’s
experiment with democracy will continue. (For a more detailed timeline see BBC
news <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12992883">www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12992883</a>
and <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16546688">www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16546688</a>.)</div>
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After colonisation by the
British and invasion by the Japanese in WWII, Burma became an Independent nation
in 1948. Following a short spell of democratic governance, the national
government was removed in a military coup, with the subsequent establishment of
a military-backed ‘socialist’ government (by the mid-1970s). </div>
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Over the following decades,
human rights abuses and international sanctions left Burma’s populace
economically and politically disempowered. While ties with ASEAN countries and
China kept the national economy afloat, there was discontentment on the ground,
with several significant public protests. The two most well-known of these
protests were in the late-1980s and in the late-2000s. One result of the first
of these ‘anti-government riots’ was the house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi, leader
of the opposition party NLD. Aung San Suu Kyi was kept under house arrest (with
brief stints of reprieve) for the next 20 years.</div>
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From the late-1980s to the
late-2000s, the Burmese government oscillated between appeasement and
enforcement: with political prisoners, for example, released and re-imprisoned,
often in response to fluctuating international pressure. In late 2007, however,
public sentiment flared again, with anti-government street protests, most
notably by a large contingent of Buddhist monks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A government crackdown ended the demonstrations,
and in 2008 the government published its new constitution, which favoured the
military and barred Aung San Suu Kyi from contesting elections.</div>
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In 2010, under the new
constitution, elections were held, and the ruling party claimed a resounding
victory amid wide-spread condemnation of the corrupted electoral process. From
these very unpromising beginnings, though, a change can be seen in the
government’s approach. From 2011 to 2012, the new government and president
Thein Sein released Aung San Suu Kyi, suspended construction of a controversial
dam, freed political prisoners, enacted new labour laws, and began ceasefire
agreements with several rebel groups. Most significantly, as far as the
international media was concerned, the government allowed Aung San Suu Kyi and
the NLD to contest in by-elections, in which they won 43 out of 45 seats. </div>
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So where does Burma go from
here? Are these genuine reforms, are they temporary changes to appease
international interests and spark the economy, or is there intern political
power struggles within the government which will determine Burma’s future
reforms? For answers to these questions, we will just have to wait and see. The
NLD is in the government now, but it only holds 43 out of 664 seats. Ceasefires
with the Karen and the Shan appear to be progressing, but there is still little
government commitment to negotiations with the Kachin rebel group. Yet, we have
also seen, over the last few months, some of the most promising changes in
Burma’s undemocratic history- changes that we can only hope will continue.</div>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08062931722326229535noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936989246128851910.post-27873002111672695672012-04-25T02:41:00.000-07:002012-04-25T02:50:47.549-07:00Discussion Group: Kony 2012<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">At this month's discussion group we looked at the Kony 2012 campaign</span><span class="text_exposed_show"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">.</span></span><br />
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<span class="text_exposed_show"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The film: Kony 2012 was </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">created by Invisible Children, Inc. and
released on 5 March. The purpose of the film is to promote Invisible Children's 'Stop Kony' campaign which seeks to make Ugandan war criminal, Joseph Kony, globally known to assist in his arrest. In the film the acts of Joseph Kony are explained through filmmaker Jason Russell's explanation to his son. The film also features Jacob Acaye, whose brother was killed by Kony. In the film Jason Russell promises Jacob that he will do everything possible to 'stop Kony'. The film is approximately 30 minutes and it has received over 100 million views. Following criticisms of the film, Invisible Children Inc. released a sequel video, 'Kony 2012: Beyond Famous' on 5 April. It received much less interest, with only 1.7million views in its first two weeks. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Joseph Kony: Kony is the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). He claims to be a spokesperson of God and a spirit medium. The LRA formed over 26 years ago and according to the film, in that time it has kidnapped over 30,000 children, many of which have been subjected to appalling crimes including rape and mutilation. </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Initially the LRA claimed it was a resistance movement against the central Ugandan government who were viewed as privileging southern Ugandan ethnic groups at the expense of northern ethnic groups. </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The LRA has been classified as a Christian militant group although many commentators argue that it no longer has any ideology or political programme. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The 'Stop Kony' campaign: The purpose of the movie is to raise global awareness of Kony to assist in generating support for foreign military involvement in his capture, such as preventing the cancellation of a US advisory group mission that was deployed by President Obama to assist the Ugandan military. The film suggests that people go to the Invisible Children, Inc. website and send emails to 40 influential people, including 20 'celebrity culture makers' and 12 policymakers. The campaign also involves the 'Cover the Night' action which took place on 20 April. To raise awareness of Kony, the film advocated plastering campaign materials across cities around the world on 20 April. Invisible Children offer posters online and sell action kits that include buttons, posters, bracelets and stickers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Responses: 'Cover the Night' was widely perceived to be a failure. Across the globe the anticipated crowds did not come out, leaving many cities 'unplastered'. The LRA purportedly released a <a href="http://rebelweb.me/lra-reacts-to-kony-2012-video/">statement</a> that condemned the film as 'a cheap and banal panic act of mass trickery to make the unsuspecting peoples of the world complicit in the US rogue and murderous activities in central Africa'. Meanwhile, two US senators put forth a resolution on 21 March condemning Kony and backing the efforts of a combined central African military force to capture Kony. It received bipartisan support from 37 senators. On 23 March the African Union announced that it would send a brigade of 5000 troops from central African countries where Kony is believed to be active, namely Uganda, South Sudan, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo. This force is led by the Ugandan military and has the backing of the US. It is planned to exist until Kony is captured. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Support: Many influential and high-profile people and organisations have supported the film, including Luis Moreno Ocampo, Chief Prosecutor at the ICC; Abou Moussa, Special Representative and Head of the UN Regional Office for Central Africa; Anthony Lake, Executive Director of UNICEF; and Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Support for the film has generally centered on the high degree of public interest that the film sparked. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Criticisms: The film received many criticisms. It was argued to be highly simplistic in that it barely mentioned that Kony and his forces, now much reduced in numbers, are no longer in Uganda. Nor did the film highlight the Ugandan military's earlier use of child soldiers during conflict with the LRA. The film's focus on the capture of one person as a solution to this conflict was also criticized. The film also did not highlight the importance of a Ugandan-led solution in ensuring the longevity of any solution. It was argued to unfairly represent Uganda, given that the country is no longer in a state of conflict. <a href="http://sites.tufts.edu/reinventingpeace/2012/03/10/dont-elevate-kony/">Alex de Waal</a> also argued the campaign glorified Kony, rather than presenting him as a "common criminal and failed provincial politician". The finances of Invisible Children Inc. have also been the subject of controversy, given that they received funding from <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/19/kony-2012-funding-invisible-children-anti-gay-christian_n_1364069.html">anti-gay Christian groups.</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Possible impacts: The 'Stop Kony' campaign clearly sparked a lot of public interest and debate, and spread awareness of the atrocities committed against so many children. Importantly, individuals could unite globally to take action in support of this issue, and this unique feature was most likely the source of strong public interest that it received. </span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The campaign did, however, leave a lot to be desired, evident in the numerous criticisms it received. It didn't lead to the public action that the organisers had hoped for, seen in the failure of 'Cover the Night'. It's not known whether the failure of the campaign to move from the internet to the streets reflected apathy, or rather that people became aware of the campaign's criticisms. If the lack of action followed people's awareness of these criticisms, then the film did have a positive effect by prompting people to engage with this issue.</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span>kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03243559765444090470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936989246128851910.post-35248401716480844482012-04-25T01:16:00.000-07:002012-04-25T02:12:28.824-07:00The ASEAN Civil Society Conference: a ‘people-oriented’ ASEAN?<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<a href="http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2012/04/20/the-asean-civil-society-conference-a-people-oriented-asean/"><span style="font-size: small;">20 April 2012: <i>East Asia Forum</i></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Kelly Gerard<i> </i> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The first of two ASEAN Civil Society Conferences to be held under
Cambodia’s chairmanship took place in late March, alongside the first
ASEAN Summit for 2012. The Cambodian government’s intervention in this event set a new
benchmark for measures employed by ASEAN governments to oust civil
society participation from official discussions. <span id="more-25916"></span>This event presented numerous challenges to Southeast Asian civil society groups, and provides insight into the current state of ASEAN-civil society relations.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The
ASEAN Civil Society Conference has been held eight times under various
titles, and is organised by members of the Solidarity for Asian People’s
Advocacy (SAPA) network. This occurs in consultation with national
civil society groups in the host country and the relevant ASEAN
government where necessary. Consequently, it is considered the ‘genuine’
forum for Southeast Asian civil society organisations to present their
ideas, network, collaborate on common areas and attempt to engage ASEAN
officials on issues of concern.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The event shadows the ASEAN
Leaders’ Meeting and comprises a series of plenary sessions and
workshops where participants discuss regional issues and collaborate in
drafting a ‘People’s Statement’ addressed to ASEAN leaders. Participants
also appoint a civil society representative from each country, who
later participates in an interface meeting with ASEAN heads of state. In
some instances, these meetings have lasted up to 30 minutes, as seen in
Hua Hin in February 2009; at others the host government has not
permitted the interface meeting to take place at all, such as in
Singapore in November 2007. Here, the ‘People’s Statement’ was submitted
to officials in the hope that it would be tabled during their
discussions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">This year’s event presented a number of challenges to
Southeast Asian civil society. The conference was held from 29-31 March
at the Lucky Star Hotel in Phnom Penh, and attracted 1200 participants
from 300 organisations across the region. The first obstacle the
conference faced was the rival ‘ASEAN People’s Forum’ held at the
Chaktomuk Conference Hall from 28-30 March. It was organised by a
Cambodian organisation, Positive Change in Cambodia, which is widely
perceived to have close ties to the Cambodian government. The event was
supported and attended by senior Cambodian government officials, and
some other ASEAN governments also supported the rival event. This was
evident in the transfer of 30 Laotian delegates by the Laotian
ambassador from the ASEAN Civil Society Conference to the ASEAN People’s
Forum. The rival forum also divided civil society participants, who
were forced to choose between groups viewed as independent and those
portraying themselves as wanting to work with governments.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The
second obstacle was the Lucky Star Hotel management’s opposition to a
number of workshops. The management threatened to cut power and padlock
the venue if particular workshops proceeded. These included workshops on Myanmar's current political and human rights situation
and its planned ASEAN chairmanship in 2014, as well as land evictions,
the expansion of mono-culture plantations and the protection of ethnic
minorities’ rights to land. SAPA network members noted that it is
difficult not to believe the Cambodian government had a role in these
prohibitions. These obstacles came on top of delays in gaining access to
the venue, following the slow release of necessary permits by Cambodian
officials.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The third issue was the Cambodian government’s request
that ASEAN member states nominate a civil society representative for
the interface meeting, rather than allow civil society groups to conduct
their independent nomination process. Only the Indonesian and
Philippines governments consulted with independent civil society groups
on this matter, and their representatives subsequently boycotted the
meeting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">These events cast doubt on the credibility of ASEAN’s
commitment to becoming a people-oriented organisation. ASEAN began
promoting its efforts to build a community in Southeast Asia following
the Asian financial crisis of 1997, and after the signing of Bali
Concord II in 2003 the idea of a ‘people-oriented community’ became a
buzzword. This was reinforced by the ratification of the ASEAN Charter
in 2008, which committed member states to democratic norms and to the
promotion and protection of human rights. After 30 years of having
little to no impact on the lives of average citizens in Southeast Asia,
these developments created the expectation of change. But the Cambodian
government’s intervention in the ASEAN Civil Society Conference, and the
support it received from other member states, belie the hollowness of
these commitments.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Through these efforts, the Cambodian government
has also demonstrated it rejects the value of civil society’s
contributions to ASEAN processes. It disregarded their expertise in
numerous areas relevant to the discussions of this ASEAN Summit,
including drug and people trafficking, the plight of migrant workers, the environmental impacts of large-scale infrastructure projects, and
disaster preparedness. The exclusion of civil society groups is likely
to prove costly in the coming decades, both in undermining ASEAN’s
efforts to distance itself from its previous image as an ‘old boys club’
and in not utilising civil society’s expertise in its ongoing reform
agenda.</span></div>
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<br /></div>kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03243559765444090470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936989246128851910.post-83087996190156829062012-03-05T17:20:00.005-08:002012-03-05T17:28:28.154-08:00Discussion Group: Occupy Oakland<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-AU</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp/> <w:dontbreakconstrainedforcedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> 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mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">5:30pm - 7pm Sunday 11th March 2012, Moon Cafe (Northbridge).<br /><br />Welcome to Bluestocking’s Discussion Group series for 2012!</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify">The first Discussion Group of the year will look into the ‘Occupy’ movement which is sweeping the globe. Our very own Sky Croeser has recently returned from Occupy Oakland in the US, and will share with us some of her experiences and insights. </p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify">Come along for a fun, informal discussion! At the Moon Cafe (323 William Street, Northbridge), 5:30pm this Sunday. All welcome. RSVP here.</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"><br /><u>For more information on Occupy Oakland:-</u></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">Over the last few months Sky has been populating her website (and the media) with her accounts of Occupy Oakland, and the broader Occupy movement, including activities here in Perth. This experience has been part research (via Curtin University) and part personal interest for Sky. And, as you can read in the articles below, she has certainly been keeping in the thick of it.<br /></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify">Below is a few links to Sky's blogs, and a copy of her article in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Global Comment</i> concerning her experiences at Occupy Oakland: </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><a href="http://globalcomment.com/2012/whose-streets-claiming-public-space-and-occupying-oakland/">http://globalcomment.com/2012/whose-streets-claiming-public-space-and-occupying-oakland/</a></span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"><u>From skycroeser.net:</u></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"> </p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">“Occupy Wall Street: movements and manifestos”</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><a href="http://skycroeser.net/2011/10/05/occupy-wall-street-movements-and-manifestos/">http://skycroeser.net/2011/10/05/occupy-wall-street-movements-and-manifestos/</a> </span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"> </p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify">“The violence we don’t see”<span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><a href="http://skycroeser.net/2011/11/15/the-violence-we-dont-see/">http://skycroeser.net/2011/11/15/the-violence-we-dont-see/</a> </span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">“Why I’ll be at Occupy Perth (and the protests against CHOGM)” <span style="font-size:10.0pt"><a href="http://skycroeser.net/2011/10/26/why-ill-be-at-occupy-perth-and-the-protests-against-chogm/">http://skycroeser.net/2011/10/26/why-ill-be-at-occupy-perth-and-the-protests-against-chogm/</a> </span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;"> </p><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span> <div class="entry-meta"><span class="author vcard"></span><span class="entry-date"><abbr class="published" title="2012-02-08T05:31:57+0800"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" >Whose Streets? Claiming Public Space and Occupying Oakland</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">February 8, 2012 </span></abbr></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="entry-date"><abbr class="published" title="2012-02-08T05:31:57+0800">- </abbr></span><i style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Global Comment</i><br style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="entry-date"><abbr class="published" title="2012-02-08T05:31:57+0800">Sky Croeser </abbr></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"></i></div> <p>As we marched down the road a man with his face covered in a black bandanna ran up to me and tapped me on the shoulder, pointing to the intersection ahead of us. “The police are up there,” he said, knowing from an earlier conversation that I had to be careful not to get arrested, “you might want to get onto the sidewalk.” I ran up towards the front of the march: police were blocking roads in at least three directions, and I couldn’t see the fourth. A group of people who’d been arrested at Saturday’s Move In Day started walking off down a side street and I joined them, worried that the police would start moving in at any moment.</p> <p>Occupy Oakland has been criticised for taking a more militant tone than other Occupies. The Mayor of Oakland, Jean Quan, has attempted to widen divisions within Occupy by calling on ‘leaders’ of the Occupy movement to oppose Occupy Oakland for its failure to commit to nonviolence.</p> <p><span id="more-22881"></span></p> <p>On January 28th, Move In Day, which was meant to lead to a building takeover to set up a social centre, people brought down home-made riot shields, barricades, and gas masks. For the last six weeks, sections of Occupy Oakland have also been having a ‘Fuck the Police’ (FTP) march every Saturday night, which the Tactical Action Committee <a href="http://occupyoakland.org/ai1ec_event/ftp-march-against-police-brutality/?instance_id=153618">describe as</a> “a militant action” and “not a march intended for people who are not fully comfortable with diversity of tactics” (a phrase which refers to tactics that might include resisting the police and property damage).</p> <p>However, what critics often miss is that the same people who carried barricades at Move In Day go to Occupy events in San Francisco empty-handed. When I went to Occupy Wall Street West in San Francisco on 20th January, I didn’t see any barricades or riot shields, and very few gas masks. The reason for this is clear: activists don’t expect to be teargassed, shot with rubber bullets and beanbag guns, maced, and beaten in San Francisco.</p> <p>The FTP march may make some activists uncomfortable. Honestly, if I wasn’t trying to get a better understanding of Occupy Oakland for <a href="http://skycroeser.net/2012/01/25/mapping-movements/">my research</a>, I may not have attended: it’s not the kind of event I would usually be comfortable with as an activist. But then, I was never teargassed, shot at, or<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfhrmtNXrOk"> kettled </a>until Move In Day, and my interactions with the police have been shaped by the fact that I’m a middle-class white woman living in Australia. I am now more anxious around police than I have ever been before.</p> <p>What the FTP march, barricades and gas masks assert is the right of protesters to be in public space, and the willingness to resist being pushed out of that space. This is a vital right for activists to assert. It is possible for activism to take place in private, or in public only with permission: in rented offices, through letters to politicians or news sources, through decisions to boycott products or buy fair trade, in marches that have been granted permits or ad campaigns paid for by donation. But to believe that activism should be bounded by what is polite, unthreatening, and legal is to accept a system that configures as primarily as consumers, and channels our politics through the funnel of consumption. It means accepting that only those who can afford to speak loudly should be heard.</p> <p>Being present in public space is an important part of activism. It makes it easier for people to stop by and get involved, to watch from the fringes and try to work out what is going on with the movement. It is a small step towards reclaiming the commons, asserting that healthy communities need shared spaces in which people can spend time without participating in acts of consumption. It also forces activists to work out ways to deal with the contradictions we face: to organise across lines of race and class, to build safe spaces for women, for people who are queer, trans or genderqueer, for children, but also to include those who have been pushed onto the street by a lack of mental health and welfare services.</p> <p>Saturday’s FTP march demonstrated that people are willing to stand up to police intimidation in order to reclaim their streets. Many of those there were nervous: some had been arrested on Saturday and held in terrible conditions, others knew that being arrested might get them fired. They marched anyway. There were young people there with their faces masked, but also older people in suits, couples holding hands, people carrying pets, people who had never been to a FTP march before but came because of what happened on Move In Day. As they walked through Oakland I saw people watching from balconies and windows and cars, often waving and smiling. I didn’t see any hostile reactions from those who were watching.</p> <p>I don’t know where Occupy Oakland is headed. In a week, I’ll get on a plane and head back to Australia, where I doubt I’ll be teargassed in the near future. In the meantime, the debates will continue, and activists will keep trying to build a public space for themselves in the face of police confiscations of their property and bad weather.</p> <p>And, as I have heard so many activists say: Spring is coming. Who knows what the sunshine will bring?</p> <p> </p>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08062931722326229535noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936989246128851910.post-4668772792137027082012-01-09T03:09:00.000-08:002012-01-09T03:24:35.693-08:00<span style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:Calibri;font-size:130%;" lang="EN-US" >What does it take to make a difference?</span><span style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:Calibri;font-size:130%;" lang="EN-US" >How do we translate passion into a useful campaign?</span><span style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 102);font-family:Calibri;font-size:130%;" lang="EN-US" >How can we make a big splash on a tiny budget?</span><p style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">Activist Campaign Tools (ACT) is a series of three day courses for community organisers in Perth, WA. Priced for an activist budget, they are designed to provide practical skills and campaign secrets for people trying to improve the world. The courses are designed to provide <b>practical skills and professional training</b> for non-profit organisations, advocates, and anyone working for change!</span></p> <p style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">Three ACT courses are coming up soon: </span></p><span style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><b><span lang="EN-US">CAMPAIGN SKILLS: Freo</span></b><b><span lang="EN-US"> </span></b></span><span style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" >Sunday 29 Jan, 5 & 12 Feb</span><span style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><b><span lang="EN-US"><br />Translate passion into action!</span></b></span><span style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" > Campaign Planning, marketing and media, politics and lobbying, events, activism tactics and people skills.</span><span style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><b><span lang="EN-US"><br />COMMUNITY SKILLS: Perth</span></b><b><span lang="EN-US"> </span></b></span><span style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" >Sunday 11, 25 Mar & 15 Apr <b><span style="color:rgb(225,39,39)">NEW</span></b></span><span style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><b><span lang="EN-US"><br />Build your organisation!</span></b></span><span style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" > Volunteer recruitment and management, fundraising secrets, increase membership, Web 2.0 and Cyber-activism, networking and partnerships.</span><span style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><b><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US">SPEAKING SKILLS: Perth</span></b><b><span lang="EN-US"> </span></b></span><span style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" >Sundays 6, 20 May, 10 June</span><span style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><b><span lang="EN-US"><br />Compelling Communications: </span></b></span><span style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Calibri;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" >Speaking with Confidence, Speech Structure and Content, Vocal Skills, Body Language, Persuasive Psychology, Dynamic Debating, Impromptu Speaking.</span> <p style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">For more details and bookings, visit <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.activistcampaigntools.org">ACT</a> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;"> or call Katrina Bercov at ACT on 9443 7454.</span> </p>kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03243559765444090470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936989246128851910.post-86989794696709010262011-11-11T20:59:00.000-08:002011-11-11T21:02:42.357-08:00Sustainable Food FundraiserStrictly Hypothetical: City Farm Sustainable Food Fundraiser<br /><br />In the spirit of Geoffrey Robertson, Strictly Hypothetical is a truly different night out!<br /><br />Help raise funds for City Farm's inaugural Food Film Festival in 2012, as we sink our teeth into some of today’s juiciest food issues!<br /><br />Follow the adventures of an average Aussie family as they meet our live food panel. Help them decide what to do in the face of delicious dilemmas and percolated problems!<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Eating for a Small Planet</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cows, Carbon, Culture and Climate Change</span><br /><br />25 November<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Darling, What’s for Dinner?</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sustainable, Seasonal, Secure and Shared</span><br /><br />9 December<br /><br /><br />The panel will include:<br /><br />• WA Young Chef of the Year, Matt Stone (Greenhouse Restaurant)<br /><br />• Wholefoods trailblazer and author Jude Blereau<br /><br />• Senator Rachel Siewert and Hon. Lynn MacLaren, MLC for South Metro<br /><br />• Dr Felicity Newman: food culture lecturer and unashamed Jewish mother!<br /><br />• Sustainability pioneers, horticulturalists and radio gardening experts Chris Ferreira and Steve Wood<br /><br />• Vince Gareffa: celebrity butcher and organic meat specialist<br /><br /><br />Bookings Essential: <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.strictlyhypothetical.com">www.strictlyhypothetical.com</a>Shaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10364424111008696614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936989246128851910.post-44370565497601579552011-10-11T23:27:00.000-07:002011-10-11T23:39:47.665-07:00Advocacy Across Borders is Now Available<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7f9SKHNt8dReuS6gs5SbK7kISA_1ix7b6ylCWfdg-Y2ZaN5F_g-daSVoKDxgCxdfx3i0797POgYHp7Hs5shv8eqZjxEHTibJErQXaMVTHfm1qXujFHifaO7xDiBK75OgFdIsJHbL3bWM/s1600/cover.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7f9SKHNt8dReuS6gs5SbK7kISA_1ix7b6ylCWfdg-Y2ZaN5F_g-daSVoKDxgCxdfx3i0797POgYHp7Hs5shv8eqZjxEHTibJErQXaMVTHfm1qXujFHifaO7xDiBK75OgFdIsJHbL3bWM/s320/cover.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662490065867372386" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Advocacy Across Borders: NGOs, anti-sweatshop activism and the global garment industry<span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></span> by Shae Garwood is available from <a href="http://www.kpbooks.com">Kumarian Press</a>.<br /><br />The clothing and textile industry employs nearly 30 million people worldwide, mostly in Asia and Central America. Workers frequently face long hours, inadequate wages, harassment and abuse. While some resist such conditions by joining labor unions, many are prevented from doing so or find it difficult to adjust to transitory manufacturers. Because of these challenges, garment workers have reached out to allies across political borders in order to apply more pressure on garment manufacturers.<br /><br />The transnational anti-sweatshop network is at a critical stage in its development and is due for serious analysis. Advocacy Across Borders reveals the relationships that Northern-based NGOs forge in order to exert influence on powerful actors in the industry. An exhaustive dissection of the strategies of many organizations involved in this extensive network, Garwood’s study points the way forward for civil society actors reaching across borders to advocate for a better world.Shaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10364424111008696614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936989246128851910.post-69255339770094320822011-09-05T04:13:00.000-07:002011-09-05T04:21:28.546-07:00Bluestocking annual general meeting and discussion on the future of NGOs<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwIgH8pelHGekJEkhmQf2U3Vlh47BfEu41SIZB7O50zEsigX2WK3HQRgPMUjYJvOAzA1nZvRvEO-ol9wVwCUIJGdBCq-6akzsns8ZKpIt0vLdiI0gn8MMQKQqSmGuGezIS_KU-OKibD7Q/s1600/image+for+NGO+discussion.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 190px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwIgH8pelHGekJEkhmQf2U3Vlh47BfEu41SIZB7O50zEsigX2WK3HQRgPMUjYJvOAzA1nZvRvEO-ol9wVwCUIJGdBCq-6akzsns8ZKpIt0vLdiI0gn8MMQKQqSmGuGezIS_KU-OKibD7Q/s200/image+for+NGO+discussion.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5648832506557832786" /></a><br />Bluestocking Institute members and anyone interested in joining are invited to attend our annual general meeting on 9 October from 5-7 pm at The Moon Café at 323 William St, Northbridge, WA. We’ll provide an overview of our activities over the last year, vote on new Management Committee members, and discuss future plans. If you would like to nominate for a position on the Management Committee, please send an email to shae@blustockinginstitute.org indicating your interest. Following the official business, we’ll have a brief discussion on the political, economic and social role of nonprofit organisations in Australian society, how those roles are changing, and comparisons with other countries. <br /><br />RSVP to the annual general meeting via email shae@bluestockinginstitute.org or via our Facebook page.<br /><br />For everyone outside of Perth, you’re always welcome to participate in our ongoing discussions via the Bluestocking blog or our Facebook page. We’ll post new information in both places about upcoming topics for discussion, events, and new publications.<br /><br />Here are a few links for our discussion on the future of NGOs:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.economist.com/node/16274145">Click here</a> for an article in The Economist that highlights the changing relationships between NGOs and businesses, and the problems arising from those changing relationships: Reaching for a longer spoon: The disaster in the Gulf of Mexico is straining ties between companies and activists.<br /><a href="http://ccss.jhu.edu/index.php?section=content&view=9&sub=3"><br />Johns Hopkins Comparative Nonprofit Sector Project</a> analyses the scope, structure and financing of the nonprofit sector around the world. <br /><br />The Australia Institute’s report Silencing dissent, which highlights the ways NGOs in Australia are constrained through their relationships with the state.<br /><br />Numerous articles can be found on the website of <a href="http://www.hks.harvard.edu/hauser/">The Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations</a> at Harvard University.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><br />Photo by David Neubert http://www.flickr.com/photos/neubie/2273635564/</span>Shaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10364424111008696614noreply@blogger.com0