John Gaventa highlights the value of empowering others–locals in the community–to conduct their own research and act on their own knowledge against injustice. Follow this link for access to the full-length interview. Recorded October 2021.
John Gaventa describes the concepts of mutual aid and solidarity as exemplified by different interactions of power. He explains that action against injustice is built from the coalition of power within ourselves and power with each other. Together, these fuel the power to challenge oppressive systems, those with power over. He references Marie Cirillo with …
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John Gaventa discusses the “Appalachianization” of rural America, a trend of rising inequality, poverty, environmental damage, and deficit of public services across the U.S. No longer the exception, Gaventa emphaszies injustice in the Clearfork Valley as being relevant to the global stage, too–such as in Mozambique and Nigeria, mineral-rich countries where absentee land ownership and …
The “Appalachianization” of rural America and around the world Read More »
John Gaventa reflects on his early conclusions about the role of quiescence in the Clearfork Valley, recognizing now that he may have under-appreciated ongoing forms of resistance, such as through storytelling, music, and other invisible acts. He pulls on political sociologist James Scott’s concept of “hidden transcripts” to further explain how people may exercise agency …
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John Gaventa elaborates on his previous discussion of quiescence and the three dimensions of power with an introduction of the power cube, a rubik’s analogy he and his colleagues developed to illustrate even more dimensions at play. He explains that in addition to the concept of invisible power at work in society, it’s imperative also …
Seeking to frame the role of quiescence in unjust sociopolitical structures, John Gaventa delineates the intricacies of power across three different dimensions. He cites his Oxford mentor Steven Lukes, author of Power: A Radical View, as a purveyor of the concept of “invisible power”, or the internalization and acceptance of an unjust status quo. This …
John Gaventa describes the British paternalism characteristic of late 19th-century industrialists, a philosophy that harnessed absentee land ownership in pursuit of capitalist economic gain. He references Alexander Arthur, Scottish-born entrepreneur, engineer, and president of the American Association, the British investment group that funded absentee land acquisition and industrial development across the Cumberland Gap, as a …
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John Gaventa clarifies the interplay between surface land ownership and the exploitative acquisition of below-ground mineral rights by large coal companies in Appalachia. He cites The American Association, a British company that at one time owned 80,000 acres across Clairborne, Bell, Campbell, and Whitley Counties in East Tennessee, as a prime example of absentee corporate …
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John Gaventa further describes how the 1977 flood mobilized citizens toward supplementary research into the inequities connected to land ownership, taxation practices, and other local power dynamics. They requested funding from the ARC for what over time developed into the Appalachian Land Ownership Study, an effort that involved close review of courthouse tax records in …
Following a 1977 flood in central Appalachia that left many people displaced, John Gaventa and others at the Highlander Center organized a study to counter conclusions by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), which failed to consider the role of corporate control and land ownership in land settlement patterns. Here, Gaventa delineates the study’s early days …
On the role of corporate land ownership in rural land settlement patterns Read More »
