Make Affluence History : Panel Discussion July 13, 2006

AFFLUENCE & INEQUALITY:

ACKNOWLEDGING THE PAST, RETHINKING THE FUTURE
Far from being a feature of naturally operating orders, the vast disparity characterizing today’s social gradient is a consequence of centuries of economic oppression. Commonly held conceptions of affluence and poverty are problematic in that they often negate the direct relation between excess wealth and inequality. Solutions to the problem of inequality must address the historical processes which have created a dramatically polarized world of affluence and poverty. By emphasizing the roots of inequality and revaluating our responsibilities as consumers and community members we are better able to create effective social action.

· How is affluence linked to issues of poverty?

· Does the prevailing discourse on poverty perpetuate negative stereotypes?

· How does it obscure our understanding of the roots of poverty and inequality?

· What solutions can a focus on the historical dimensions of poverty/affluence provide for the eradication of inequality?

PANEL DISCUSSION FEATURING:

Paul Hamel: an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the U of T and is on the Advisory Council of the Centre for International Health. He has published papers concerning children in Palestine as well as on the homeless in Toronto and teaches ‘Global Health and Human Rights’ at the undergraduate level. Paul is currently the President of Science for Peace, a Canadian NGO concerned with issues of peace, justice and sustainability. He is also a current board member for the Centre for Social Justice.

Beth Jones: Received an M.A. from OISE in Economics and Popular Education. She co-chaired the board of Nellie’s women’s shelter, and sat on the Steering Group for the Metro Network for Social Justice, working intensively with their Economic Literacy Working Group. She co-founded ‘Moving the Economy’, an organization that promotes the economic advantages of sustainable mobility. She is currently writing a memoir titled “Dirty Work: True Confessions of a Neurotic Environmentalist.”

Leslie Jermyn: an anthropologist by training, a teacher by nature and a writer by design. She combines some of these interests as a university lecturer and has taught for the University of Toronto, Trent, American College (Singapore) and the University of Pittsburgh. She researches and writes about global issues such as the environmental and human consequences of the shrimp industry, oil consumption and modern slavery. She has published in the UK, Canada, Germany and the USA and is a founding member and the current president of GlobalAware Independent Media Organisation.

Thursday July 13, 2006 from 6-8pm

Location: Cumberland Room, International Student Centre

33 St. George St., University of Toronto

Light refreshments will be provided

Free admission, everyone welcome

mah@globalaware.org

Official Website: http://www.GlobalAware.org