Posts in Cultural Strategy
The Edges in the Middle, III: Báyò Akómoláfé and Indy Johar

Indy and Báyò consider our modern crisis as one of the self – a particular version of the objective and singular self that creates space for violence and waste. If we perceive the world through dead and objective things, as Indy supposes, then that is what we become.

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RACHEL CARGLE on a Renaissance of Our Own /332

Rachel envisions a collective renaissance that centers on intergenerational conversation. Renaissance is not just for the future, it is for all of us together in this moment and beyond. Rooted in trust, how might we reimagine this world together?

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KIMBERLY ANN JOHNSON on Pleasure as Pathway /331

Kimberly discusses the depths of pleasure and the dimensions of healing, especially paying attention to the often untended somatic nature of sexual boundary repair and the complicated nature of what we bring into sexual relationships. 

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The Edges in the Middle, II: Báyò Akómoláfé and V

Báyò and V dance and reveal portals of possibility that edge us towards deep change. Discussing the Congo as both place and portal, Báyò and V focus on V’s work with City of Joy, a transformational leadership community for women survivors of violence.

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JENNY ODELL on the Attention Economy [ENCORE] /330

We look at how the attention economy takes on a new meaning in the digital age and the anxiety we experience in a consumer-driven society. Jenny Odell shares the brilliance of doing “nothing”, tending to the ecological self, and growing deeper forms of attention through a commitment to bioregionalism.

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JOHN A. POWELL on Institutions of Othering and Radical Belonging [ENCORE] /329

john a. powell explores the frameworks of “othering and belonging” and "targeted universalism," as well as ideologies of supremacy, global dislocation, rethinking citizenship, and lastly, how we can co-create shared visions and practices of humanity that bring us back into belonging.

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The Edges in the Middle, I: Báyò Akómoláfé and john a. powell

Articulating both the harsh realities of modern day division and the simultaneous reality of our connection to each other and to the earth, Báyò and john examine what it means to be “other” and to invite in the “monstrous” and the “strange.”

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TYSON YUNKAPORTA on Unbranding Our Mind [ENCORE] /328

Tyson calls us to unbrand our minds and deeply interrogate where we are sourcing our thoughts from, the ramifications of becoming a trauma-obsessed society, and how to identify environments for emergence.

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MORGAN CURTIS on Transmuting Ancestries of Exploitation /327

Ayana and Morgan dive into the need for repair, healing, and acknowledgement as we face the historical roots of modern inequity. This heartfelt and expansive conversation calls for us to unlearn the ways racial capitalism has taught us wealth should be passed down.

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GABES TORRES on Journeying Together /326

Gabes lucidly describes the ways our individual health and well-being is dependent upon our connections and the structures of the societies in which we reside, bringing us into conversation about interdependence and the abundance that our communities can foster when we move beyond a scarcity mindset based in individualism and profit. 

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MALCOLM HARRIS on the Globalization of Forgetfulness /324

Malcolm offers well-rooted thought touching on the history of Stanford University, the internet, Palo Alto’s military connections, and reveals the values of understanding our material realities and the structures that support society as it stands.

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FRANCESCA LIA BLOCK on Finding Rhythm Through Word /323

Moving through the depths of empathy, pleasure, and presence, Francesca considers passion as a practice of gratitude to the world around us and offers us an escape from mindless distraction through the power of imagination and literature.

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SAMUEL BAUTISTA LAZO on Handmade Futures /322

Samuel Bautista Lazo brings listeners into an insightful conversation on the value of craftwork that connects us to the past and plants seeds for the future emphasizing the radical act of creating connection and meaning with the objects we need to sustain life.

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ALYNDA MARIPOSA SEGARRA on Life on Earth /321

Alynda speaks on the complexities that come with wanting and needing to run away from oppressive systems while simultaneously confronting what is happening right in front of us, emphasizing the urgency of action and compassion as we work to end systems of detainment and punishment.

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JOSUÉ RIVAS on Throwing a Glitch in the Social Media Matrix /320

Josué invites us to challenge extractive and colonial lenses by embracing the overwhelming force of the creative urge. How might we break apart from the constant pressure of social media to envision the new modes of creation and creativity that these stories need in order to be told? 

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TRICIA HERSEY on Deprogramming from Grind Culture /318

Tricia Hersey joins Ayana to unwind the complicated ties of exhaustion and exploitation. Tricia’s words serve as incantations against the brainwashing of grind culture as she and Ayana investigate the systems that benefit from keeping us stagnant. 

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TIFFANY LETHABO KING on The Black Shoals [with brontë velez], Part Two /316

Part two of the conversation between brontë and Tiffany spans further inquiry into shoals, the physical desire to belong to Earth, agency, eros, spiritual correction, the pleasure and potential of failure, and that which cannot be translated, but instead has to be experienced or co-witnessed to be understood.

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TIFFANY LETHABO KING on The Black Shoals [with brontë velez], Part One /315

brontë and Tiffany explore sacred laughter, Black and Indigenous feminism, sexuality, liberation, ceremony, and protocol. This simultaneously intimate and expansive dialogue allows us to rethink the stories and structures we’ve been told regarding Black and Indigenous relations.

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THENMOZHI SOUNDARARAJAN on Annihilating Caste Systems /314

Speaking to the ways that carrying the trauma of caste manifests within the body, Thenmozhi emphasizes the importance of slowing down to process the grief and pain caused by mindless oppression. She offers important context to the conversation about caste, emphasizing the ways caste discrimination manifests within global schemes of technology and power distribution.

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DORI MIDNIGHT on Spinning Webs of Support /310

Dori discusses magical and liberatory practices, ancestral Jewish healing traditions, and the necessity of reclaiming Judaism from Zionism in the name of collective liberation. She shares sweet stories of garlic and cedar, the generosity of belonging, and the blessing of our collective and intricate work.

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