I actively engage with audiences and end-users outside academia and welcome opportunities to work with social movement activists, artists, and communities.
GLOBAL TAPESTRY OF ALTERNATIVES
I am a member of the facilitation group of the GLOBAL TAPESTRY OF ALTERNATIVES.
The world is going through a crisis of unprecedented global scale engendered by a dominant regime that has resulted in deepening inequalities, increasing deprivation in old and new forms, the destruction of ecosystems, catastrophic climate change, ruptures in socio-cultural fabrics, and the violent dispossession of living beings. However, there is an increasing emergence and visibility of an immense variety of radical alternatives to this dominant regime, contesting its roots in capitalist, patriarchal, racist, statist, and anthropocentric forces. These range from initiatives with a specific focus like sustainable and holistic agriculture, commons’ water/energy/cooperatives/food sovereignty, solidarity and sharing economies, worker control of production facilities, resource/knowledge commons, and inter-ethnic peace and harmony, to more holistic or rounded transformations such as those being attempted by the Zapatista in Chiapas and the Kurds in Rojava. Alternatives also include the revival of ancient traditions and the emergence of new worldviews that re-establish humanity’s place within nature as a basis for human dignity and equality.
The Global Tapestry of Alternatives (GTA) seeks to create solidarity networks and strategic alliances amongst all these alternatives on local, regional, and global levels. The GTA operates through light, horizontal, democratic, inclusive, and non-centralized organizing processes, using diverse local languages and other communication methods. As an organizing process, the GTA expands by weaving with individuals, organizations, and networks, creating complex tapestries. The GTA promotes or joins regional, national, and global encounters when the conditions allow for them, as well as close and synergistic linkages with existing organizations, like the World Social Forum. The Global Tapestry of Alternatives creates spaces of collaboration to learn about and from each other, challenge each other, offer active solidarity whenever needed, interweave the initiatives in everyday actions, and give them visibility to inspire other people to create their initiatives. The GTA facilitates transformative change by supporting struggles and forging new paths that strengthen alternatives wherever they are, hoping to converge into a critical mass of alternative ways to support the conditions for the radical systemic changes we need. A small group of activists from several regions of the world has started the initiative and will help facilitate its loosely knit structure as it takes shape in different parts of the world. The GTA endorsers are encouraged to participate in the GTA Assembly and connect the Global Tapestry of Alternatives with similar initiatives worldwide. Anyone interested in following the evolution of or participating in the Global Tapestry process can email globaltapestryofalternatives@riseup.net.
The Art of Organising Hope (TAOH) 2018
I have been invited to be part of a European project titled – The Art of Organising Hope (TAOH) – after the subtitle of my book The Politics of Autonomy in Latin America: The Art of Organising Hope, where I connect social movements’ Activity with the category of hope, and explore the process of resistance and creation of alternative practices and discourses in Latin America. They were inspired by my project and wanted to do the same in Europe. This TAOH project led by the Artists’ Group Victoria Deluxe, a social, artistic workplace in Ghent, Belgium, produced an inventory of innovative practices and original initiatives breaking with the capitalistic logic of the market and neoliberalism. In their words: “Under the name The Art of Organising Hope, we want to start up a mobilization project. A project arising from the desire to search Europe for discourses and practices that embody alternatives for the existing world order.”
www.theartoforganisinghope.eu/about/.
Read TAOH Interview by Victoria Deluxe
“Europe is bursting with activist and hopeful citizens, but their actions too often remain under the radar. With The Art of Organising Hope we want to connect these islands of hope in Europe, in a way that they can inspire and reinforce each other. This is why, from 8 to 11/11/2018, we’re bringing together eighty European changemakers in Ghent, for an alternative European summit”.
Addressing the Belgium public at the Closing Session of the Art of Organising Hope, New Narratives for Europe, Voourit, Ghent, 11/11/18.
In July 2018 I was invited by run a Summer School titled El Arte de Organizar la Esperanza (The Art of Organising Hope) at the Centre for Rural Development (CESDER) and the Rural Indigenous Network University (UCIRED), Zautla, North Puebla, Mexico.
Founded in 1982, CESDER Mexico is a non-governmental organisation operating in the communities of Zautla-Ixtacamaxtitlán in the North of the State of Puebla, Mexico. They promote specialised professional training at graduate and postgraduate levels using alternative pedagogy and methods based on learning from experience and on conversational processes in a learning community. http://compromisoporlaeducacion.mx/promocion-y-desarrollo-social-a-c-cesder/
The masters involved are Pedagogy of the Subject and Educational Practice, Practical Narratives and Community Work, and Agroecology, Territory and Food Sovereignty.
I took part in a round table discussion, and ran several seminars for 70 master’s students, I engaged in conversations with local people and community developers about how to organise hope, namely how to create concrete alternatives towards a better world where people can co-exist in peace and live with dignity. As part of the Summer School, students put forward their own interpretation of TAOH using narratives, prose, poetry, music, puppet show, performance and artwork. I provided feedback and a musical performance to thank them for their work and the experience at CESDER-UCIRED.
Activity at the Summer school
“I am delighted to have had Dr Dinerstein with us this summer. It is a dream come true. I feel emotional because her ideas about concrete utopia, hope movements and the art of organising hope are helping us to understand both indigenous and non-indigenous people resistance and struggles for our territory, culture in a context of hardship, here in Mexico. Her work helps us understand how to create alternative 'real' worlds in Latin America." Benjamin Berlanga, Director CESDER
In this video, I speak about the summer school and about the success of my book and the movement for change it’s inspiring around the world…
In September 2018, we created the Bath-Bristol-Exeter Standing Seminar on Critical Theory, sponsored by the South West Doctoral Training Partnership.
The aim is to create a longstanding forum for PGR students to debate and engage with critical theories. Students and scholars are reunited by intellectual curiosity and passion for the radical epistemologies stemmed from the Frankfurt School and the Marxist tradition as well as Feminist and post-colonial studies.
The first event -the launch of the BBSSCT- was titled *CRITICAL THEORY TODAY: IN CONVERSATION WITH JOHN HOLLOWAY*. Thus was the kick-starter of a more stable and longstanding collaboration between Bath and Bristol.
I am committed to the creation of a space where all SWDTP students from Bath and Bristol can collaborate to the creation of a strong and healthy research community as well as the joint publication of research papers. Critical theories are at the intersection of students subfields and research projects.
The event we are organising together testifies of this and is the starting point of future endeavours.
I run a British Academy-sponsored Writing Workshop titled Writing for An Other World: Building Transnational Relations in Post-Capitalist, Post-Development and Post-Patriarchal Social Research
I run a British Academy-sponsored Writing Workshop titled Writing for An Other World: Building Transnational Relations in Post-Capitalist, Post-Development and Post-Patriarchal Social Research at the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Mexico, from 17 to 21 September 2018. It was coordinated by Sarah Amsler (University of Nottingham) and Raquel Gutiérrez (Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla).
Workshop convenors: evaluation the workshop and planing what is next…!
MANIFIESTO En defensa del pensamiento crítico y contra el capitalismo académico:
Conscientes del lastre que supone el capitalismo académico en las universidades públicas latinoamericanas -así como en el sur y el norte globales- hablamos en solidaridad con quienes sientan la presión de alcanzar las mediciones de la llamada “excelencia académica”, impuesta desde arriba. Nos pronunciamos a voz en cuello por unas prácticas universitarias concebidas en el encuentro solidario y cocinadas a fuego lento, prescindiendo del frenesí de la acumulación de méritos y publicaciones. Somos parte de un esfuerzo de bricolaje intelectual, fincado en una aspiración por provocar un conocimiento situado en nuestras condiciones particulares, antes que en las de quienes buscan usar nuestra investigación para su propio beneficio y la reproducción de sus jerarquías.
Nos constituimos con juicio crítico, nos comprometemos con la alegría y con la convicción de luchar por una academia que supere la indignación ante una realidad deshumanizante y contribuya al deseo por otro mundo posible. Que apuntale aquellas iniciativas comprometidas con la justicia social y el respeto a los derechos humanos. Y lo hacemos con el cuidado de nuestra casa común, con una lógica de trabajo justa en la que quepamos todas y todos, con una lectura rigurosa de los signos de los tiempos.
Nuestro método es abierto, atento, minucioso, descolonizado, en constante cuestionamiento y políticamente comprometido. Concebimos la investigación, la docencia y la extensión como actividades universitarias centrales. Pero como están expuestas a la correlación de fuerzas de la coyuntura, su sentido político ha de cuestionarse en escenarios como el que vivimos, marcados por una disputa material y simbólica por el sentido de la existencia. Investigamos para erradicar las estructuras de opresión en nuestro continente. Para combatir con nuestra práctica las brechas patriarcales, coloniales y de clase. Y nos oponemos a su reproducción en nuestras aulas y pasillos. Rechazamos las formas de precariedad laboral y la explotación de docentes, investigadores y demás trabajadores de la universidad. En esta academia capitalista, el cuestionamiento crítico puede perder su voz.
Reivindicamos el trabajo académico como espacio para la imaginación, la solidaridad y la reflexión. Esto requiere una comunidad de investigadores con una epistemología crítica en común. Que indague y desafíe los obstáculos más obstinados para la vida plena. Que reconozca a las comunidades de donde venimos y a dónde vamos, con su diversidad de saberes. Apostamos por un derrotero humanista, por la transformación social, por el buen vivir, por una academia llena de arte, de ternura, de crítica, de trato digno y edificante, por un futuro lleno de luz y por una comunidad universitaria portadora de nuestras aspiraciones colectivas.
Invitamos a quienes quieran sumarse a nuestra red de alebrijes a participar de un espacio que busca superar en la práctica cotidiana los límites de un mundo universitario permeado por la lógica de la acumulación y el capitalismo académico. November 2018.
It brought researchers and activists together with writers and journal editors from the United Kingdom to explore strategies for publishing daring ideas that venture beyond dominant epistemologies and forms of expression. It was designed to support newer researchers using critical, feminist and creative methodologies to understand forms of social reproduction and transformation that challenge capitalist, colonial and patriarchal models of theory and development practice.Participants worked with each other as well as with experienced editors of academic journals and representatives of Latin American Council of Social Sciences (Consejo Latinoamericano de Ciencias Sociales) and the Institute of Latin American and Caribbean Studies (Instituto de Estudios de America Latina y el Caribe).
Mining Stories, TAOH Ghent Summit 10/11/18