Smaias Trust
We are an independent research institute committed to the development of agrarian systems in Africa
5th Sam Moyo Memorial Lecture
Theme " Minerals Development: Struggles over Discourses, Polices and Practices"
Presenters: Dr. Yao Graham of Third World Network.
continues next Wed.w/session #9 "Liberation Struggles & the theory of contradictions" discussing Mao's "On contradiction" & Fanon "Spontaneity: Its Strength & Weakness"
Agrarian South Network Dialogue Series – 2021
South Africa at a Crossroads
Post- apartheid South Africa has been characterized by contradictions manifesting themselves in the social, political and economic spheres. Reconciliation policies adopted in 1994 under the banner of the “Rainbow” nation have failed to redress past racial inequities and social injustices. In fact, nearly three decades after the first democratic elections, South Africa faces multiple crises as shown by political polarization within and without the ruling African National Congress (ANC), growing inequalities, poverty and a high unemployment rates, which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Rural and urban protests by the working classes and the peasantry, ever present in the South African body politic in response to the deteriorating living conditions have recently been triggered by the incarceration of former President Jacob Zuma. While this has worsened the political polarization, it has also exposed that the deep underlying socio-economic challenges permeating the country require urgent attention. This dialogue will reflect on the character of the South African state, its national question and contradictions inherent in the society.
Speakers:
Jimi Adesina (PhD) is Professor and the DSI/NRF SARChI Chair in Social Policy at the College of Graduate Studies, University of South Africa in South Africa.
Lyn Ossome(PhD) is a Senior Research Specialist at the Institute for Economic Justice, and Editorial Board member of Agrarian South: Journal of Political Economy. Her research and teaching focus on politics and feminist political economy, in gendered labour, land and agrarian studies, and the political economy of gendered violence.
Ricado Jacobs (PhD) is Assistant Professor in the Department of Global Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His research focuses on the global political economy of urbanization, ecology and agrarian change, with a focus on Africa.
02/06/2021
Coming soon!
20/04/2021
Message from Prof. Amina Mama on behalf of FEMINIST AFRICA's editorial collective http://www.agrariansouth.org/2021/04/20/message-from-the-feminist-africa-editorial-team/ Agrarian South Network
Message from the Feminist Africa Editorial Team – Agrarian South It is with enormous pleasure that we proudly announce that after our 3-year break and relocation to the University of Ghana’s Institute of African Studies, Feminist Africa is once again up and running. We begin our second phase of existence with the long-awaited re-launch issue on a topic of gre...
This Wednesday we're back with our second session of the ASN Study group with a focus on "Slavery, race and caste in capitalist transitions". Texts by Marx, Williams(1994), Jaiswal(1998) & Abdo (1992) constitute part of the core readings
Agrarian South
07/04/2021
ASN RESEARCH BULLETIN- EDITORIAL
Vaccines: global dimensions and local manifestations
This issue addresses the latest debates on Covid-19 by bringing together three important contributions that situate vaccine scarcity and access in a longer structural history of medical monopoly and corporate greed. The unequal global distribution of vaccines brings to sharp focus the situation of low- and middle-income countries who now find themselves in a hopeless scramble against the world’s biggest economies that are, in keeping with their historical trajectories of development, once again engaged in a scientific race of discovery, patenting, and hoarding of vaccines, reflecting both power and geostrategic positioning at the expense of poorer countries. Matrich raises the emergent notion of ‘vaccine nationalism’ which denotes a widespread understanding of the fact that rich countries are hoarding doses far above their needs and leaving low-income countries without recourse. It is a vastly unequal and unfair distribution where, as we see in the contributions in this issue, developed countries such as Canada have acquired vaccines to inoculate its population five time over, and others such as the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand and the EU have acquired enough does to vaccinate their population at least twice. The fact, however, that countries with less resources cannot boast of similar achievements and are likely to continue suffering the devastating health, economic and social consequences of Covid19 cannot be understood outside of the historically unjust, unequal nature of the global system. The social and political dimensions of this problem are also localised, evident in the discriminatory state policies and vaccine roll-out approaches being implemented in various countries of the South which map onto existing social disparities. As Garimella highlights in the case of India where the vaccine drive has been marred by a manipulation of the process, discrimination, and lack of transparency, a response to the question about vaccines has also to respond to the question regarding for whom it is being produced. That is, whether a country can be free from the spread of a virus if the largest segments of its vulnerable populations are not being accounted for. Valiani’s contribution proposes an important lens through which to make sense of vaccine politics at this current conjuncture. She shows that the current divide being entrenched by rich nations to deny sufficient access to most of the world is a problem with much deeper roots in the monopolies created by the medical device, diagnostic industry and pharmaceuticals. It is a long history that begins from the late 19th Century and evolves into a tale of global hegemony that has installed monopoly-driven healthcare against which the only viable alternative is a ‘people-centered, No-COVID strategy’ that centres decommodified universal health care. As Covid-19 continues to ravage vast populations of the globe in tandem with monopoly finance capitalism, all three contributions in this issue alert us to the dire situation being faced by millions of people, and the political task of resistance and mass mobilization that this moment requires. Blueprints already exist, as countries such as Cuba have already been demonstrating models of decommodified, universal healthcare since the onset of the pandemic which show what principled, ideological commitment and political will can achieve in a relatively short period and organised manner. As always, we welcome enquiries and responses, which may be submitted to the editors at: [email protected]
http://www.agrariansouth.org/2021/04/06/asn-february-march-2021-research-bulletin-on-vaccines-global-dimensions-local-manifestations/
ASN February-March 2021 Research Bulletin on “Vaccines: global dimensions & local manifestations” – Agrarian South Theme: Vaccines: global dimensions and local manifestations This issue addresses the latest debates on Covid-19 by bringing together three important contributions that situate vaccine scarcity and access in a longer structural history of medical monopoly and corporate greed. The unequal global distr...
11/03/2021
ASN Study Group 2021 - "Social Formations, Past & Present"
The list of participants has now been finalized.
04/03/2021
CALL FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST IN ASN STUDY GROUP 2021
Theme: Social Formations, Past and Present.
Click the following link for more details
http://www.agrariansouth.org/2021/03/04/call-for-expression-of-interest-in-asn-study-group-2021/
CALL FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST IN ASN STUDY GROUP 2021 – Agrarian South The Agrarian South Network will convene a Study Group on the theme of ‘Social Formations, Past and Present’, to be held from March to November 2021, in fifteen online sessions.
01/03/2021
NEW: Agrarian South Network New Book on Labour Questions in the South is out now. Place your order via https://www.springer.com/in/book/9789813346345.
Edited by Walter Chambati Lyn Ossome
Agrarian Summer School 2021
Alternatives for the South - Liberation, Development and Ecology
25th to 29th January 2021
Panel on "Ecology and Development"
29/01/2021
In less than 3hrs we conclude what has been an enriching Summer School for the presenters & participants. Today's panel is important given the current ecological crisis driven by neoliberal capitalism. We ask-what are the alternative development paths? We will livestream!
28/01/2021
The final one is on tomorrow,29/01/2021. The panel will focus on 'Ecology & Development' and will be streamed live on Facebook. Do join us!
Agrarian Summer School 2021
Alternatives for the South - Liberation, Development and Ecology
25th to 29th January 2021
Panel on 'Gender Relations in the Current Crisis'
28/01/2021
Out soon!!
27/01/2021
Agrarian Summer School continues on Thursday 28/1 with a panel on Gender Relations in the Current Crisis.
Agrarian Summer School 2021
Alternatives for the South - Liberation, Development and Ecology
25th to 29th January 2021
Panel on "Agrarian Transitions in the South"
26/01/2021
Our panel for tomorrow at the ongoing Agrarian Summer School is on "Agrarian Transitions in the South". Do join us at the same time!
26/01/2021
We will be starting in an hour with a livestream on this page.
Page link: https://www.facebook.com/Smaias-Trust-105533148155171
25/01/2021
We continue tomorrow at the same time! Dr. Michael Witter will deliver the 4th Annual Sam Moyo Memorial Lecture on " Caribbean Economic Thought: Advances, Retreat, Current Challenges". See you tomorrow and stay safe!
Agrarian South 10th Anniversary Lecture:
Political Economy and its Fallacies
Why Critiques and Rethinking Matter with Utsa Patnaik
Part of the:
Agrarian Summer School 2021
Alternatives for the South - Liberation, Development and Ecology
25th to 29th January 2021
24/01/2021
24/01/2021
REMINDER: The Annual Agrarian Summer School kicks off tomorrow with a keynote from Utsa Patnaik. This will be followed by a 4th Annual Sam Moyo Memorial lecture to be delivered by Michael Witter on Tuesday. A number of panels on various themes(Agrarian Transitions, Gender & Ecology) will be convened from Wednesday to Friday. All sessions will be streamed live here on Facebook.
23/01/2021
Here are the speakers and presenters for the Agrarian Summer School taking place next week. The Summer School running under the theme " Liberation, Development and Ecology: Alternatives for the South" will be streamed live on Facebook.
20/01/2021
SMAIAS/ASN Summer School 2021 Full Programme.
25-29 January 2021
Sign up on the following link to participate https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_UZCFYL01RBaQM7QnjUtlaA?fbclid=IwAR16W2gLxr7Zu5DovWs23scyT0cwsjMIEx7BLz0dARyIuGXaivthnCh9L8o
20/01/2021
SMAIAS/ASN Summer School 2021: Alternatives for the South - Liberation, Development and Ecology
Dates: 25-29 Jan 2021
Agrarian South 10 Anniversary Lecture w/: 25th
Theme: Political Economy and its Fallacies: Why Critiques and Rethinking Matter
4th Sam Moyo Annual Memorial Lecture w/: 26th
Theme:
Caribbean Economic Thought: Advances, Retreat, Current Challenges
Register here for all the vents https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_UZCFYL01RBaQM7QnjUtlaA?fbclid=IwAR16W2gLxr7Zu5DovWs23scyT0cwsjMIEx7BLz0dARyIuGXaivthnCh9L8o
To be streamed live on Facebook as well
17/01/2021
Do join this conversation tomorrow for a discussion on India's protests challenging neoliberal farm laws. Here is the link https://zoom.us/j/93620074769...
14/01/2021
COMING UP! SMAIAS/ASN Summer School 2021
Theme: Alternatives for the South: Liberation, Development and Ecology
When: 25-29 January
Where: Register on Zoom or follow live on Facebook
Time: C.Mex 07-09:00 ∙ Kingston 08-10:00 ∙ Wash DC 08-10:00 ∙ S.Paulo 10-12:00 ∙ Accra 13-15:00 ∙ Harare 15-17:00 ∙ Dar 16-18:00 ∙ Delhi 18:30-20:30 ∙ Beijing 21-23:00
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∙ Mon. 25th: UTSA PATNAIK, Ag. South 10th Anniversary Lecture
∙ Tue. 26th: MICHAEL WITTER, 4th Sam Moyo Memorial Lecture
∙ Wed. 27th-Fri. 29th, panel sessions (to be announced) on Agrarian Transitions, Gender & Ecology
04/01/2021
Free Access to a section on "Spectres of Crisis, Rays of Hope". on Globalisation and the Pandemic
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2277976020970035
Globalization and the Pandemic - Prabhat Patnaik, 2020 The conflict between the interests of the people and the dictates of finance, which underlies the entire phenomenon of globalization and characterizes the entir...
03/01/2021
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