Centering People in the Economy: Worker Cooperatives and the Solidarity Economy in Barcelona

Are worker cooperatives and the solidarity economy viable tools for revolutionary change in a neoliberal, capitalist system? I approach this question by considering the arguments of utopian socialists, scientific socialists, and anarchists from the Industrial Revolution and the influence of these on the theory of the solidarity economy today. These theoretical perspectives are compared to the reality of members of worker cooperatives in the solidarity economy in Barcelona. The experiences of worker cooperative members are elucidated through focus group discussions and participant produced drawings. A comparison of worker experiences with theory shows worker cooperatives can be spaces for practicing equitable workplace relations but are ineffective in widespread change in isolation. In Barcelona, worker cooperatives have federated with the intention of creating a solidarity economy. Even though there has been significant impact on the local government, it is unclear whether this type of federation will gain enough economic strength to replace capitalism. To achieve this goal, worker cooperatives should unite with broader worker struggles in order to build political power for the working class

Information Literacy for Branch Campuses and Branch Libraries

Although information literacy objectives are a constant, teaching methods and pedagogy must be structured differently in different teaching-learning environments. The Libraries of Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) created a new model of library instruction for its branch libraries and branch campuses, based on the embedded or college librarian model. Librarians for music, science, education, and the IUP Northpointe campus have been integrated into the instruction and curricular activities of those locations, some of which include distance education programs. While this model has logistical and political challenges, it has proved beneficial in improving information literacy for both faculty and students, and for providing visibility, opportunities, and recognition for library faculty

Information Literacy for Branch Campuses and Branch Libraries

Although information literacy objectives are a constant, teaching methods and pedagogy must be structured differently in different teaching-learning environments. The Libraries of Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) created a new model of library instruction for its branch libraries and branch campuses, based on the embedded or college librarian model. Librarians for music, science, education, and the IUP Northpointe campus have been integrated into the instruction and curricular activities of those locations, some of which include distance education programs. While this model has logistical and political challenges, it has proved beneficial in improving information literacy for both faculty and students, and for providing visibility, opportunities, and recognition for library faculty

RGS6, RGS7, RGS9, and RGS11 Stimulate GTPase Activity of G i Family G-proteins with Differential Selectivity and Maximal Activity

Regulator of G-protein signaling (RGS) proteins are GTPase activating proteins (GAPs) of heterotrimeric G-proteins that alter the amplitude and kinetics of receptor-promoted signaling. In this study we defined the G-protein alpha-subunit selectivity of purified Sf9 cell-derived R7 proteins, a subfamily of RGS proteins (RGS6, -7, -9, and -11) containing a Ggamma-like (GGL) domain that mediates dimeric interaction with Gbeta(5). Gbeta(5)/R7 dimers stimulated steady state GTPase activity of Galpha-subunits of the G(i) family, but not of Galpha(q) or Galpha(11), when added to proteoliposomes containing M2 or M1 muscarinic receptor-coupled G-protein heterotrimers. Concentration effect curves of the Gbeta(5)/R7 proteins revealed differences in potencies and efficacies toward Galpha-subunits of the G(i) family. Although all four Gbeta(5)/R7 proteins exhibited similar potencies toward Galpha(o), Gbeta(5)/RGS9 and Gbeta(5)/RGS11 were more potent GAPs of Galpha(i1), Galpha(i2), and Galpha(i3) than were Gbeta(5)/RGS6 and Gbeta(5)/RGS7. The maximal GAP activity exhibited by Gbeta(5)/RGS11 was 2- to 4-fold higher than that of Gbeta(5)/RGS7 and Gbeta(5)/RGS9, with Gbeta(5)/RGS6 exhibiting an intermediate maximal GAP activity. Moreover, the less efficacious Gbeta(5)/RGS7 and Gbeta(5)/RGS9 inhibited Gbeta(5)/RGS11-stimulated GTPase activity of Galpha(o). Therefore, R7 family RGS proteins are G(i) family-selective GAPs with potentially important differences in activities

The poetics of justice: aphorism and chorus as modes of anti-racism

This article revisits accounts of the black radical tradition as a critique and alternative to institutionalised modes of knowledge and learning, reprising Harney and Moten’s concept of the undercommons to think about the constraints of the university and the possibility for thinking differently together. The deployment of linguistic and conceptual difficulty as a tactic of political speech is linked to Sutherland’s discussion of Marx’s poetics, leading to the suggestion that the repetitive interspersing of poetic or theoretical fragments in the public speech of social justice actors operates to create a shared rhythm that establishes mutuality. The piece ends with a discussion of the refashioning of Audre Lorde as a voice punctuating the assertion of anti-racist and intersectional consciousness via social media

Finding a Way: More Tales of Dyslexia and Dyspraxia in Psychophysical Actor Training

This article proposes a radical paradigm shift for actor training and voice training. Using heuristic practice-based research findings, the article highlights how progressive education methods at the heart of psychophysical actor training dysconsciously discriminate against students who are dyslexic and/or dyspraxic learners. It discusses the psychological and cognitive impact of experiential learning models on neurodiverse acting students and challenges the widely held “truths” in this training. The article draws on the philosophical framework proposed by Jacques Rancière in his discussion of the emancipatory pedagogy of Joseph Jacotot, The Ignorant Schoolmaster, to offer an alternative perspective on actor training that starts from an assumption of equality, rather than a position where equality is a distant objective. The author argues that it is possible to reject a hierarchical expert-novice approach to training and implement a process of collaboration with students as fellow artists. The article reviews the position of knowledge within psychophysical training, and the author rejects the use of a universal language of experiences. The author proposes that, by trusting the student’s ability to learn what is needed, actor trainers can adopt a position of ignorance in relation to a student’s own self-knowledge. Finally, the author incorporates this work into a revised vocal pedagogy that embraces neurodiversity and effectively engages all students’ will to learn with full attention

The twilight of the Liberal Social Contract? On the Reception of Rawlsian Political Liberalism

This chapter discusses the Rawlsian project of public reason, or public justification-based 'political' liberalism, and its reception. After a brief philosophical rather than philological reconstruction of the project, the chapter revolves around a distinction between idealist and realist responses to it. Focusing on political liberalism’s critical reception illuminates an overarching question: was Rawls’s revival of a contractualist approach to liberal legitimacy a fruitful move for liberalism and/or the social contract tradition? The last section contains a largely negative answer to that question. Nonetheless the chapter's conclusion shows that the research programme of political liberalism provided and continues to provide illuminating insights into the limitations of liberal contractualism, especially under conditions of persistent and radical diversity. The programme is, however, less receptive to challenges to do with the relative decline of the power of modern states

Constitutivism

A brief explanation and overview of constitutivism

Towards mentoring as feminist praxis in early childhood education and care in England

Following our contribution to a study of mentoring in seven European countries, we explored epistemological and ontological inconsistencies within mainstream mentoring systems and their regulated practice in England. We considered how feminist mentoring praxis can unsettle conceptualisations of mentoring relationships and challenge inequity in the early education systems and the practice of teaching young children. Predominantly female, early childhood educators suffer from low status in England, and their working lives may be controlled and policed through inequitable systems. On entering the workforce, trainees encounter a reductionist policy milieu where mentoring structures and normative assessment arrangements contribute to inequity. Mentors play pivotal roles in inducting trainees into their worlds of work with young children. Mentoring relationships can determine whether trainees accept the status quo. Principles derived from feminist praxis enable mentors to practise an ‘engaged pedagogy’, co-constructing knowledge, subverting hierarchies and contesting taken-for-granted aspects of policy and practice