Parkland blog
Welcome the Parkland Institute's blog. Here, we feature writers and researchers associated with the Parkland Institute writing about topics of interest to Albertans.
Conference Posts | December 01, 2008
Summary of Megan Boler’s Keynote
Megan Boler's Keynote on Friday night, titled "Reframing the story: media tactics and interventions, digital dissent, and satire," offered an overview of social media practices and how digital media producers and authors use Web 2.0 tools for activism aims and to inject dissent into corporate-owned media landscape. As the summary of her talk describes, "In an age of proliferating media and news sources, who has the power to define reality?
Today, the “social web” - epitomized by blogs, viral videos, and YouTube - creates new pathways for truth to emerge and makes possible new tactics for media activism. What is the appeal of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report and “fake news”? How is digital media changing social activist practices?" Just before her talk, Dr.Boler spoke on CBC Radio One in the Edmunton studio with host Rod Kurtz. The audio of her keynote presentation, as well as her powerpoint presentation, are now on-line on her speaker page - Go there!
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Conference Posts | November 19, 2008
Net Neutrality
"Net Neutrality" was introduced by several speakers, including Megan Boler, as an issue of concern for social movements that have quickly come to rely on internet for mobilization. This is a short introduction to what it's about.
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Conference Posts | November 18, 2008
“Reframing the Story / Digital Dissent” Powerpoint
Megan M. Boler's Powerpoint presentation from her keynote speech. Download it!
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Conference Posts | November 18, 2008
Video of Tariq Ali
A complete video of Tariq Ali's talk is now on YouTube - click here to be taken to it.
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Conference Posts | November 17, 2008
Debating the possibilities of Obama
I spent a month before the election immersed in critical progressive commentary about Barack Obama. I promised to some fellow conference-goers I'd post the most relevant articles here. Most of these try to answer the objection that Obama is a neoliberal, not a progressive, that there's "no difference" between Obama and McCain and therefore, "no hope." It's not as if these objections aren't true, but these articles ask instead what possibilities exist for us.
Rather than understanding the Obama narrative of change as something "fake" that we have to scrape away to get to "real" political reality, these articles talk about what could happen if we appropriated and "occupied" that space of hope. I think these discussions are relevant to conference-goers because they are the same possibilities we talk about when we talk about culture. We often ask ourselves if our cultural "interventions" have any "real" effect, or if they detract from "real" organizing.
So, I find myself thinking these pieces as being more than articles about Obama, but as meditations on our major conference theme, as well:
Tim Wise - Good, and Now Back to Work: Avoiding Both Cynicism and Overconfidence in the Age of Obama
Jodi Dean - "Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, or, the worst is getting what one wants"
Michael Albert - “An Interview I Would Love To Read” (imaginary interview with Obama that takes place on January 2, 2011)
Cynthia Peters - “Doubtful About Presidents, Optimistic About Us”
I’ll reproduce here Peters' article here, as it's only viewable by ZMagazine sustainers in its original web page (please remember to tip http://www.zmag.org if you like it).
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Conference Posts | November 17, 2008
Conference Photos
Photos from the conference are now online at Flickr, which is a photo-sharing website that allows users to make comments, add favourites, and connect with each other. General Conference Photos (49 images) Tariq Ali (30 images)
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Conference Posts | November 17, 2008
Obama-rama
Another recurring topic that was common to several of the speakers over the weekend, was the recent electoral success of Barack Obama, the President Elect of the United States. The grassroots movement to get him elected, which included heavy use of social media and online networking, was what got most of the young people involved who voted for him while demonstrating the power of tools like Facebook, blogs, Twitter, and MySpace.
The fact that he was successful in getting elected probably should not be taken as an indication as to whether or not he will be successful in effecting the change he promises. However, if he wants to keep the same level of support, he doesn't have much of a choice. Not an easy position to be in, for sure.
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Conference Posts | November 17, 2008
Tweeting on Twitter
As an avid user of social networking, I was interested that several of the speakers at this weekend's conference spoke about Twitter.
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Conference Posts | November 16, 2008
What the Right Does Right
Heather-Jane Robertson spoke about how the Right gains ground, and what the Left can learn from it.
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Conference Posts | November 16, 2008
Spreading Our Progressive Visions
David Thompson ended his workshop (Foundation of Framing – Deeper Than Magic Words) this morning with an interesting topic: Spreading progressive visions and values.
There are many different ways for us to share our values. Some of them seem pretty straightforward, like just speaking with others in social situations.
Here are some ideas based on feedback that was given during the discussion period. Speech has power and we can pay attention to our words. Letters to the Editor can be written, while connecting with other groups and pooling resources, both intellectually and in terms of resources. I can definitely add a few ideas here. As an independent media producer, one of the sayings I use most often is: “become the media.”
Contribute to progressive websites (or start your own). Design a small zine (independent publication) and leave it strategically around town. It doesn’t have to be expensive – some of the most powerful zines are created using markers and photocopy machines. Get on social networking sites online and use them to connect and organize. The revolution can begin with you.
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Conference Posts | November 16, 2008
We recorded everything!
We got all the sessions recorded, and will be posting them very soon! If you haven't noticed, you can browse the audio we have by clicking on the "Conference audio" link on the right. Or check out the audio via this link.
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Conference Posts | November 16, 2008
Saturday was a windy, blustery kind of day
Thinking on the marks of colour we make in the world.
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Conference Posts | November 15, 2008
Social Networking - Connecting in More Ways Than One
Social media is a way to collaborate and work together for progressive goals. Even video games have a place in this world of new media. There is good news for people who like to spend time in front of a computer screen communicating with others while presenting a look into their own worlds.
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Conference Posts | November 15, 2008
Politics and Popular Culture
Popular culture surrounds us. How it is used and interpreted can depend on one's political affiliation, as well as what kinds of mediums are used to convey a message.
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Conference Posts | November 15, 2008
Activist Art - Citizen Art - Street Art
Ian Mulder is a local artist who is an expert at putting art in public places. His presentation showcased examples of public and street art around the world and throughout history, and explained the relevance and implications of such work in various contexts.
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