394) Vijay Prashad: Reviving collective life and scaling small gestures of care

“Where is the space for a collective life? If you yell at the planet and say, ‘Why aren’t you acting collectively?’ You don’t understand this social system. This economic system has stolen collectivity from people.”

In this episode, we welcome Vijay Prashad, an Indian historian, editor, and journalist. Vijay begins by sharing about the turning points in his life that led him to focus his work on unraveling the various atrocities visited upon people in the world. With a recognition of the power of media narratives, he goes on to address how both mainstream and independent media perpetuates the limiting view that democracies are driven primarily by participation in electoral politics. Offering alternative inspirations, Vijay shines a light on examples of grassroots movements in Brazil, India, and China, where ordinary people have taken matters into their own hands to occupy unused lands to grow food and practice small gestures of community care.

Rather than asserting blame for the numerous challenges everyday people face when trying to become more engaged members of society,  however, Vijay points out the various systemic factors making organized action more difficult. Ultimately, Vijay calls for reviving our collective lives through rebuilding confidence and capacity—leaving us with an empowering invitation to start creating the future, now.

(The musical offering featured in this episode Don’t Ask Me by RVBY MY DEAR. The episode-inspired artwork is by Luci Pina.)

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