[Chapter_Fourteen] Permaculture and Justice

[Rachel A. Buddeberg]

I am tempted to let Chris have the last word because there's a big part of me that agrees with what you write, Chris.  But since i am moderating this discussion, i would like to push a bit more... 

As i see it there are two broad justice-related issues:
Incorporating considerations of aspects of justice into our redesign plans of a permaculture.  This would mean that we would (try to) ensure that resources are fairly re-distributed, for example.  This is more future oriented. 
Ensuring that permaculture as it is practiced reflects all aspects of justice. This would mean, for example, that we (try to) ensure that people of all walks of life can learn permaculture.  This would mean that we look at our movement to see if there's anything that inadvertently excludes people.  This is more present oriented. 

There is an interesting dissertation (thesis?) that Danielle Cohen wrote with a critique of the Transition Town movement that reflects my second point.  See http://www.transitionnetwork.org/news/2010-12-20/reaching-out-resilience-inclusion-transition for a short interview and a link to her dissertation (which, btw, is fairly easy to read, especially for academic writing...).  She raises concerns that the Transition Town movement is inadvertently excluding people because of how we talk, when we meet, etc.  

Rachel

On Jan 21, 2011, at 4:33 PM, Chris G wrote:

> Thanks Rachel & Harshall for expanding on your thoughts/ideas. I think there's a hundred interesting threads that could come out of this, and i'll try to specifically respond to what's been said.
> 
> I experience the same heartache when i witness the suffering taking place every day everywhere in the world because of inequality and unbalanced distribution. Many people I know feel the same heartache. Many people in the world are oblivious to it and, like Harshall experienced, it's not their concern, and they're busy trying to keep up and make sure they don't get trampled in the race. There's also a small group of people who wield the most power in this structure. They benefit greatly from it and will do everything in their power to keep the machine running smoothly. They likely believe the world is a very just place and that people who get lost in the shuffle do so because of an inherent fault in their individual character. Unfortunately, this small group of people have the most leverage in writing the laws of their respective nations. They also control the military/police forces who uphold these laws, and will use incredible amounts of violence to sustain their positions. This is simply my own opinion, and for me this is the root of unfair distribution of the things people need to survive. I don't think most people are bad, and I don't think most people would choose to have others suffers. I think it's easier on one's psyche to keep your head down and ignore these realities. 
> 
> In response to Rachel's initial question, I'm not convinced that permaculture can/will ultimately upend this structure and re-distribute resources fairly. I feel that this experiment of civilization will ultimately have to run it's course, and what that collapse will look like is anyone's guess. It could be gradual and mild, it could be quick and devastating. I really don't know. What I think many of us are doing thru these various investigations/re-imaginings, is what evolution has always done on this planet, and that is to create an abundance of new strategies/adaptations to deal with a changing ecosystem which can no longer support the status quo. In this light, I think permaculture and all the other thousands of experiments/movements are completely valid and in fact quite beautiful and uplifting. Which of them succeed and go on to provide the structures/strategies in the future is anyone's guess. For me, it's work that is both terribly exhilarating and crushingly heartbreaking.
> 
>    - cg
> 
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