by Romand Coles
We live in a time when Goliath has acquired the imaginative powers David once exemplified and is wreaking havoc on the most elemental conditions of democracy, economic sustenance, and planetary ecology. Coles offers a rereading of this Biblical story in relation to his extensive work in political theory and community organizing to illuminate how David might defeat this colossus and regenerate a better world. Seeking to provoke reflection and action that is both visionary and pragmatic he offers the image of a ‘political energy smart grid’ to illuminate grassroots democratic engagements that move beyond many typical impasses of progressive politics. Co-creating connections between quotidian practices and dramatic political action is vital to the transformative power of this grid and integral to active hope in our times.
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About the speaker: Romand Coles (Institute for Social Justice, Australian Catholic University) recently moved from Northern Arizona in the US to join the Institute for Social Justice at Australian Catholic University. He is the author of many books, including Visionary Pragmatism: Radical and Ecological Democracy in Neoliberal Times and (with Stanley Hauerwas) Christianity, Democracy, and the Radical Ordinary: Conversations between a Radical Democrat and a Christian. He has been active in myriad forms of grassroots politics and efforts to democratize higher education for decades.
This is part of our regular PEACEtalks program. Find out more about PEACEtalks here.