The two-day workshop and public talks was held at the University of Sussex on the 12-13 September 2014
Event description
The two-day conference aimed to bring Academics and Activists from various parts of the world to join their colleagues in Europe in reflecting upon academic pursuits and forms of knowledge production, and establish working links between those working against the impacts of cuts to university budgets and increasing privatisation of services and the extractive industries, including damage to communities, ecology, democracy and governance. The first day was devoted to discussion of case studies and the second day will be for working on research and campaigning issues geared towards strengthening links upon the more solid foundations of practical link-networking solidarity.
The keynote speaker, renowned scholar Joan Martinez Alier, author of Environmentalism of the Poor (2002), Ecological Economics: Energy, Environment and Society (1990) and other works, was be joined by scholars and activists from Ghana, Ecuador, and India. Workshop were led by members of the organising committee, staff members from Sussex and activists from Sussex and London. Local activists in attendance included representatives of the campaign against ‘fracking’ (extraction of natural shale gas through drilling) in Sussex and members of the London-based campaign group Foil Vedanta (including Zuky Seper, who facilitated the network). The event was attended by several early careers researchers (post-doctoral fellows, temporary and early stage lecturers) from the University of Sussex, from other universities in the region, notably SOAS, and from further afield. Future events and ongoing networking between the participants are hoped to enable other such collaborations to develop in future.
As well as the British Academy, the event was supported by the Holly Hill Trust and the Centre for World Environmental History at Sussex. Professor Simon Schaffer kindly gave his support to the event as a Fellow of the British Academy.
Speakers
Keynote speaker
Joan Martínez Alier (Spain)
- Interview with Joan Martinez Alier
Invited international speakers
Ghana
Obaapanin Adu Oforiwaa
- Straddling activism and academia with pan-african organic scholar-activism in Ghana [PDF 1.56MB]
- Interview with Obapaanin Adu Oforiwaa
Ama Selasie Agbitor
- Women in pan-afrikan community empowerment against ecocide for 'glocal' justice [PDF 2.75MB]
- Interview with Ama Selasie Agbitor
Ecuador
Carlos Zorrilla
- Fear, Loathing and Hope in Ecuador’s Cloud Forest: On the Hardships of Protecting a Little-known Place [PDF 18.14MB]
- Interview with Carlos Zorilla
Carlos Larrea
Columbia
Gwen Burneat
- The Creation of Organic Intersubjectivity through the Circulation of Narrative, Affect and Shared Political Action: An Ethnography of my Research Relationship with the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó [PDF 2.31MB]
- Interview with Gwen Burneat
India
Basanta Kumar Mallik
- Environmental movements in contemporary Odisha: A study of the Niyamgiri Movement
- Interview with Basanta Kumar Malik
Gladsun Dungdung
- A War for Resources in India: Denial and violation of the rights of Indigenous People [PDF 3.10MB]
- Interview with Gladson Dungdung
Minoti Chakravarty-Kaul
Felix Padel
- Activism and Academia: the Politics of Holistic Knowledge
- Interview with Felix Padel
Workshops
Reflective academia (Facilitated by Vinita Damodaran)
Grassroots international solidarity: an alternative to the NGOisation of resistance (facilitated by Miriam Rose and Samarendra Das)
Using social media for mobilization (Facilitated by Mika Peck)
Education and Gender in Activism and Academic Intersections for Cognitive Justice (Facilitated by Kofi Mawuli Klu and Sumana Nandi with Malia Bouattia, Esther Standford-Xosei and Tom Gillespie as Lead-Discussants)
Further downloadable information
Academia and Activism, September 2014 - Final report [PDF 772.44KB]
Academia and Activism, September 2014 - Report [PDF 161.66KB]
Academia and Activism, September 2014 - Abstracts [PDF 127.63KB]
Academia and Activism, September 2014 - Schedule [PDF 79.42KB]
Contact: actacdforum@sussex.ac.uk
Supported by: British Academy, Sussex University, Centre for World Environmental, Foil Vedanta, Holly Hill Trust