The Recovery of the Commons
It is almost a given that the industrialized countries, the North, are the epitome of progress and wisdom. The South, the Third World, is a place of backwardness and ignorance, but it does have lots of resources. The North wants to use those resources to continue to enrich itself. Today parts of the South are redefining and challenging conventional notions of growth and development. There is resistance to the destructive effects of transnational corporations and global capitalism and a new awareness of the value of indigenous knowledge and centuries-old diverse agriculture.
Recorded at Colorado College.
Speaker
Vandana Shiva
Vandana Shiva is an internationally renowned voice for sustainable development and social justice. She’s a physicist, scholar and social activist. She is a founder of Navdanya and Director of the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Natural Resource Policy in New Delhi. She is the recipient of the Sydney Peace Prize and the Right Livelihood Award, the alternative Nobel Prize. She is the author of many books including Water Wars, Earth Democracy, Soil Not Oil, and Oneness vs the 1%. Her latest book is Terra Viva.
John M. Morgan –
Shiva does an excellent job of explaining the history of the theft (and destruction) of the commons by corporate and capitalist forces.
The “tragedy of the commons” is a popular myth created to justify the theft. See:
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2008/angus250808.html
and
http://www.yesmagazine.org/new-economy/the-victory-of-the-commons
John
Armel Patanian –
It’s been a while since I listened to this episode, though I remember looking forward to it because of Shiva’s accomplished career. I also remember that, unfortunately, the further I got into the talk the more aggravated I became. I don’t believe I ever finished it. Her views on agriculture are plain wrong and very anti-science, despite her scientific background. If you do listen to her talk, please consider also looking into the science-based perspective on the issues rather than uncritically believing her views, even if they may compliment your own views of the issues. Steven Novella is a communicator who does an excellent job of representing the scientific perspective. Look for his articles, talks, and podcasts on these issues and on Vandana Shiva herself.
Charles Boyer –
This is 21 years old? Explains why I’ve heard it a few times over the years. Alternative Radio never disappoints, and the Vandana Shiva speech “The Recovery of the Commons” is as relevant as ever. Good to hear it again.
Judith Lopes –
I am not sure which tail end lecture I heard. One thing I feel strongly about is anyone who feels strongly about the environment, our food and the future of our beautiful planet, this is a must listen to.
Bless her. Yes, and thank you.
linda muir –
Excellent work and devotion. Heard it in my car driving home from work. The power of the press….
Jason –
I only heard part of her podcast speech driving home from work, but what I heard made me sit up and listen. Most of what Vandana said had to do with definition of resources and how they are valued in different periods of history. Her most important point was that if profit was the main goal of building massive agricultural areas in the past, they never would have been built. Many agricultural societies never would have existed. We need to remember to keep these things in perspective when capitalism starts dividing up property into seller and smaller areas where people can no longer take care of themselves. The welfare of billions of people is at stake.
Another example is the medical system which attends to all people, or just the wealthy. What happens if the plague breaks out? If the medical system will not help these people they will all die cruel deaths. That is the difference of a socialized medical system and a privatized one, showing the cruelty of what capitalism since the industrial revolution has created.