On the Road with JunctRebellion

#JunctTour is coming! Remember the story of JunctRebellion at Left Forum? Well, our intrepid Road Scholars Debra Leigh Scott and Chris Labree are getting ready to take their show on the road. Help us get the word out about the Homeless Adjunct Tour. 


I'll be following them from here, blogging, tweeting, Facebook updating. Making it happen will take a group effort: we need your help too. Spread the word. Share ideas. This is adjunct taking matters into their own hands ~ talking back, taking action, reaching out to adjuncts, contingent faculty, precarious academic knowledge workers everywhere. 

Debra writes, 

Understanding Society: Civil society in a globalizing world

This post on Understanding Society, a sociology blog caught my eye ~ no mean feat as many feeds as I have in my reader. However, this blog always gets an extra look because the articles are interesting, relevant and imminently readable. A hard to beat combination, too rare in much academic writing.

This post on civil society is especially relevant because of recent initiatives, adjuncts taking matters into their own hands: NFM's new health insurance initiative; Anna Spiro's one woman (now two) "A is for Adjunct" awareness campaign; 'Junct Rebellion's Adjunct Emergency Fund; 2012 summit on contingency ~ and because it landed in my reader while I was working on a piece about adjuncts taking the initiative to connect with other adjuncts and adjunct/contingent faculty groups, start self-help initiative.

Now I think the topic needs to be developed into a series. The adjunct condition is part of globalization and the global precariat. I'm sure there are other adjuncts. individuals and groups, out there working on initiatives, and I want to hear from you

"An important component of western political theory since Locke and Rousseau is the notion of civil society—the idea of a society in which members have a variety of cross-cutting activities and associations, and where the state is not the sole source of social power. On this conception, a civil society is one that is characterized by multiple associations, free activities and choices by individuals, and a framework of law that assures rights and liberties for all citizens. It is a society with multiple forms of power and influence, minimizing the potential for exploitation and domination by powerful elites or the state. And it is a society in which citizens have developed a sense of mutual respect and consideration for each other. The fact of civil association serves to enhance the strength of collective identities among citizens, by building new loyalties and affiliations."

Understanding Society: Civil society in a globalizing world

Organizing for Power, Organizing for Change

Lisa Fithian has been working for nonviolent social change since the mid 1970’s. A student, labor and community organizer on a broad range of issues over the years, she writes,

"I am so glad you found this website, Organizing for Power, Organizing for Change. It’s full of information, resources, photos, stories and more from past movements, campaigns and actions. I hope it will be useful to you as an organizer, student, activist, journalist or researcher.

This website is based on the notes I use for training. They reflect lessons from 35 years of organizing. I feel very privileged for all the opportunities I’ve had to learn. Weaving together work within and between the student, environmental, labor, immigrant, anti-war and global justice grassroots movements has made me a very wealthy woman (not financially unfortunately!).

These training notes are now divided up onto tabs corresponding to what I call the “building blocks” for change."

Read more at Organizing for Power, Organizing for Change