How do we effectively combat the economic violence embedded in our economic and political system?
The symposium acknowledges economic violence as its point of departure, recognizing it as the encompassing notion of physical, mental, emotional, social, and environmental harms imposed on individuals and communities by economic factors such as poverty, racism, unemployment, discrimination, homelessness, patriarchy, homophobia, and economic inequality. These harms have brought us to a state of multiple crises as well as possibilities of ruptures with the current structures in place.
While in no way underestimating the severity of these problems, this symposium main focus is not criticism, but on creative problem-solving and alternatives to our present economic trajectory. The emphasis will be on community practices and solutions, including but not limited to cooperatives (worker, producer, consumer), ecologically sustainable practices, mutual aid, unpaid care work, multiracial organizing and others.
We invite you to participate in a conversation of scholars and activists; researchers and community organizations; educators and students; thinkers from across disciplines – social sciences, humanities, arts, sciences – to innovate solutions drawing on the resources of community, culture and cooperation that challenge our conventional understanding of economies and economic growth.
The Symposium is organized by the Department of Economics. It is co-sponsored by the Departments of Race, Ethnic and Gender Studies (REGS); Sociology and Anthropology; the Division of Educational Leadership, Policy, and Foundations; and the Graduate Student Council (GSC) and the Undergraduate Student Council of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.
