June 26, Webinar: The Experience of Poverty as Subjugation
“When you live in poverty,” anactivist in Boston participating in ATD Fourth World’s latest participatoryresearch project said, “you are always under somebody’s thumb.”
This experience of constantlybeing pushed to the bottom, is what we call subjugation. In the UnitedStates, subjugation comes about as a dominant segment in society exploits andtakes advantage of other people, wielding power over individuals, communities,and sovereign Native American nations. This phenomenon seems inherited from thecultural violence shaped by the darkest periods of our history, from thegenocide of Native Americans to slavery and segregation. It is connected to themyth of the American dream – If you workhard, you will be successful – a dream that is inaccessible for people atthe bottom of the social scale in a country characterized today by its lack ofsocial mobility.
As the American capitalist systemspans the globe, is subjugation growing with it? Is subjugation more than justan American phenomenon, and if so how is it understood elsewhere in the world?What does this mean for those of us working to overcome poverty?
Join us for a webinar on June 26 as we explore subjugation in the U.S. and around the world.
Moderator:
Amelia Mallona participated as a co-researcher in the US Participatory Action Research team for “Multidimensional Aspects of Poverty.” She worked at the School of Professional and Continuing Studies at Springfield College prior to joining the faculty at the School of Education and Social Policy at Merrimack College. Her teaching interests include courses related to life span development and courses that address the socio-historical and cultural context where human development unfolds such as diversity, social justice and ethics. She is passionate about transformative education, and the facilitation of reflection-action leading towards building more caring communities. Amelia’s country of origin is Nicaragua and prior to coming to the United States, she worked as a regional coordinator of community development projects sponsored by the Central American University.
Speakers:
Maryann Broxton of ATD Fourth World isco-director of the US branch of the international Multidimensional Aspects ofPoverty research. A Boston native and graduate of Lesley University, herfirst-hand experience of poverty has combined with her academic experience togive her a unique approach to the study of poverty in America. For severalyears now Maryann has been writing and speaking about the MAP research and onthe importance of changing our understanding of poverty in order to fightpoverty, including joining economist Jeffrey Sachs on a panel at the UnitedNations High Level Political Forum in 2018 and giving guest lectures at HarvardUniversity, Columbia University, Merrimack College, and Fordham University.
Anuradha Mittal, founder and executive director of the Oakland Institute,is an internationally renowned expert on development, human rights, andagriculture issues. Recipient of several awards, Anuradha Mittal was named theMost Valuable Thinker by the Nation magazine. Mittal has authored andedited numerous books and reports. Her articles and opinion pieces have beenpublished in widely circulated newspapers including the Los Angeles Times,the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Bangkok Post, Houston Chronicle, and theNation. Anuradha has addressed the US Congress, the United Nations, givenseveral hundred keynote addresses including invitational events fromgovernments and universities, and has been interviewed on CNN, BBC World, CBC,ABC, Al Jazeera, National Public Radio and Voice of America.
Lenen Rahaman is founder and executive director of MATI, a grassroots NGOworking with people living in poverty in Bangladesh. MATI works to promoteeducation, organic sustainable agriculture, sustainable livelihoods, andwomen’s empowerment through self-determined development. Lenen Rahaman studiedcivil engineering at the University of Applied Sciences in Mainz, Germany, and hasa long time experience working and volunteering in the sector of green movements,ecological sustainability, and building inclusive solutions to poverty. He alsoregularly represents MATI at national and international meetings to share theexperience of rural and urban poverty in Bangladesh.