What follows is the Powerpoint presentation on the economics of $15 an hour of the Economics for Everyone Workshop led by Peter Bohmer and Savvina Chowdhury on April 8, 2015 at Traditions Cafe at Fifth and Water Street in downtown Olympia. We followed powerful presentation by four low wage workers who are active in Working Washington, a statewide group organizing low wage workers. Our next Economics of Everyone workshop is Wednesday, April 29th, 2015 at 7 P.M. at Traditi0ns on “The Anti-Austerity Struggle in Greece and Spain and Lessons for the United States”.
All posts by Peter Bohmer
My talk at Rally Organized by the Badass Teachers Association (BAT) against High Stakes Testing, Feb. 16, 2015
by Peter Bohmer, at Sylvester Park, downtown Olympia at the “Against Toxic Testing” rally.
Political Economy and Social Movements: Race, Class and Gender– Syllabus, Winter 2015
Here is the syllabus for the winter 2015 quarter of the Political Economy and Social Movements: Race, Class and Gender Program that I am teaching with Savvina Chowdhury and Martha Schmidt.
Diverse Ideologies, Fall, 2014
Diverse Perspectives, Philosophies, World-Views.
Political Economy and Social Movements: Race, Class and Gender, Fall, 2014.
by Peter B. September 30, 2014
World views, ideologies (take notes)
Our ideology, perspective, world-view is a framework, a guide for thinking about how society works, how it should work, on human nature, and how to make social change and who will do it. There are competing ideologies, worldviews. There is a dominant one—serves ruling elite…
Read full lecture:
Diverse Ideologies, Fall, 2014
Political Economy and Social Movements–Syllabus, Fall, 2014
Political Economy of Racism, talk given at Clallam Bay Prison, August 20th, 2014
Political Economy of Racism, Outline of Presentation
Political Economy of Racial Inequality: Challenging Racism
August 20, 2014, Pete Bohmer,
For Black Prisoners Caucus at Clallam Bay State Prison
Question? What has changed and what hasn’t changed with regards to U.S. racism over the last 50 years?
I. Introduction
A.“Race” and racism central to understanding the U.S. past and present, e.g. ,immigration
B. “Race” as a social not biological construct, but socially relevant, (story)
C. Changing forms of racism, easier to criticize past than present. …
Resistance and Alternatives in Theory and Practice to Capitalist Globalization and Austerity!
Resistance in Theory and Practice to Global Capitalism and Austerity, September 19, 2014, Gwangju, South Korea
By Peter Bohmer, faculty in Economics and Political Economy,
The Evergreen State College, Olympia, Washington, U.S.A.
Presented at the International Symposium Lecture series, Globalization and Democracy at the at the Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall, Gwangju South Korea, September 19, 2014
I want to thank the organizers of this event for inviting me. It is an honor to be here. I also want to thank the Korean people who have struggled for democracy and for economic justice, who have resisted U.S. militarism and neoliberalism. I am inspired by the heroism of so many in Gwangju in the May, 1980 uprising against the military dictatorship, for the unification of Korea and for self-management . From May 18th-May 27th, 1980, you showed what a participatory democracy could look like. I hope to learn from you about past and current struggles in Gwangju and South Korea and to share my understanding and insights based on 47 years as an activist in struggles against U.S. imperialism, and as a college professor of economics. By economics, I do not mean neoclassical economics which justifies the obscene global inequality of income and wealth and takes capitalism as a given. I consider myself a people’s or political economist which takes as its starting point the needs of all people for food, quality health care, shelter, clothing, education, communication, transportation, meaningful and joyous work, and the ability to live in harmony with nature. Economics should investigate the role of past, present and possible alternative systems in meeting or not meeting human needs. If our current system systematically prevents these needs from being fulfilled, let us imagine and create alternatives. …
Talk given at “In the Face of Repression: Organizing in Spite of the Surveillance State” Workshop, September 6th, 2014, Portland OR
Lessons on Resisting Repression talk given at Portland State University, Sept. 6, 2014, at a day of Workshops organized by Resistance Ecology and Oregon Jericho
“I have been asked to share my experiences and knowledge of government repression with you not to scare you but so that we can deal with it and build stronger and more effective movements today for social, environmental and economic justice, locally, nationally and globally. I want to thank the organizers of this event such as Adam Carpinelli of the Jericho Movement”. …
Changing the World by Building Power from Below as well as Taking and Dismantling State Power
Building Power from Below and Taking Power, Talk given at Left Forum, New York City, May 30, 2014
I argue in this paper that prefigurative politics are an essential part of economic and social transformation. However, on their own, they cannot gain sufficient importance and scale to undermine the dominant capitalist structures. It is necessary to also win the state in order to transform it and end its repressive power. Developing this position is the focus of this paper. Although the examples from this paper are drawn primarily from Latin America and the strategy put forward is most applicable there, it is also relevant for the United States and other societies. What is presented is quite general. The specifics depend on the political economic context within the nation and globally, the political consciousness and organization of oppressed classes and groups, and the nature of ruling class power. …
Building Power from Below and Taking Power
Drawing on recent economic and social change in Latin America, some ideas on strategy for radical transformation of society. “I argue in this paper that prefigurative politics are an essential part of economic and social transformation. However, on their own, they cannot gain sufficient importance and scale to undermine the dominant capitalist structures. It is necessary to also win the state in order to transform it and end its repressive power. Developing this position is the focus of this paper.”
View full talk:
Building Power from Below and Taking Power