Category Archives: Teaching/Lectures

Political Economy of Racism, talk given at Clallam Bay Prison, August 20th, 2014

Talks, Teaching/Lectures, ,

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. …

 

 

Participatory Socialism: There is an Alternative

Talks, Teaching/Lectures, Writings

This is the complete text of the talk, “Participatory Socialism: There is an Alternative!” that  I gave in Thessaloniki, Greece at the A-fest, Festival of Anti-Authoritarians on Thursday,  Sept 9th, 2010.  I give reasons why it is important to have a vision of the society that we want and need. Drawing on the work of Michael Albert and Robin Hahnel, I sketch out the principles and key institutions of a participatory socialist society.  I conclude with comments on Venezuela’s construction of “Socialism For the 21st Century”.

Participatory Socialism: There is an Alternative

Understanding and Responding to the Economic Crisis

Reflections on Current Events, Talks, Teaching/Lectures, Writings

This is the complete text of the talk, Understanding and Responding to the Global Economic Crisis that  I gave in Thessaloniki, Greece at the A-fest, Festival of Anti-Authoritarians on Wednesday, Sept 8th, 2010. In this talk I explain the causes and impact of the global economic crisis. I strongly criticize the austerity policies imposed on Greece by the IMF and European Union and  propose that Greece consider leaving the European Union and repudiating its foreign debt, and in the  longer-run the need for a radical transformation of the Greek economy and society.

Understanding and Responding to the Global Economic Crisis

Understanding and Responding to the Global Economic Crisis, September 8, 2010

Talks, Teaching/Lectures, Writings

Presented in Thessaloniki, Greece, September 8, 2010 at the A-Fest, Festival of the Anti-Authoritarians
We are living in a world where the people of most countries are suffering from high unemployment, heightened job insecurity, continuing and obscene inequalities of wealth and income both within most countries, and between the global North and global South, with widespread hunger and poverty. Most of the corporate and government elites are claiming that the major economic problem right now are large government deficits and government debt; and that government spending for pensions, for public sector wages, and for social programs must be cut back. Greece, which you know much more about than me, in order to get loans from the IMF and European Union is consciously following these austerity policies. By cutting consumer, business and government demand, these inhumane and unnecessary austerity policies are causing the already high unemployment and poverty to worsen and grow towards 15-20% in the next few years with output, GDP, and real incomes and wages also falling…

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Understanding and Responding to the Global Economic Crisis

Lecture: U.S. Neoliberal Agenda for Iraq

Teaching/Lectures

Outline

  1. Iraqi economy

Main sources

Naomi Klein, Baghdad Year Zero, Harper’s, September 2004

. Iraq’s Neoliberal; Institution, Herbert Docena, Foreign Policy in Focus, Sept. 2, 2005

Argues that original project was a laboratory for a totally neoliberal economy, model to spread through middle east

Neoliberal—unregulated capitalism—liberal in 18th, 19th century meaning of the term

Market determination of prices, little public production—privatization of goods and services, Cut government spending—

Low taxes, particularly on capital, free trade,  encouragement of foreign investment, convertibility of currency; no restrictions on capital flows. Pushed by IMF since 1970’s, by U.S. government since early 1980’s. Sometimes called the Washington Consensus.

Theory, efficient, capital, technology inflows, wages and production will rise over time

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Lecture: U.S. Neoliberal Agenda for Iraq

Reflections on Vietnam Anti-War Movement

Teaching/Lectures

Why war, why U.S. lost, Anti- Vietnam movement and lessons

Pete Bohmer, professor of economics—listen to alternative viewpoint

Still little understanding today by most people, confusion—why U.S. fought the Vietnam war–ask class? friends, family;  mistake; well intentioned; press and politicians stopped victory, stabbed in the back, restrained…

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Reflections on Vietnam Anti-War Movement