The Republic of Our Imagination

-by Diane Wittner, CoProducer

In 1842, English writer and social reformer Charles Dickens visited the United States for the first time. But he was disappointed in America, and in a letter to a friend, Dickens stated, "This is not the republic I came to see; this is not the republic of my imagination." Today, the Backbone Campaign is honored to have as our Movement Matters guest speaker another Londoner who is currently visiting the United States: James Marriott of PLATFORM.

A historian, naturalist, activist, and artist, James Marriott is a founding member and co-director of PLATFORM , a 22-year-old award-winning organization based in London. James and his PLATFORM colleagues campaign against corporations, are guided by deep ecological thinking, and utilize the practice of socially engaged arts. In all three of these areas, they draw inspiration from artists, activists, and thinkers in the U.S. Despite the shadow of the current Administration, in many ways the U.S. remains a republic that feeds the imagination.

PLATFORM works across disciplines for social and environmental justice. PLATFORM combines the transformational power of art with campaigning, and the rigor of in-depth research with an inspiring vision to promote alternative futures. Projects such as Still Waters (1992), Unraveling the Carbon Web (2000- ), and Remember Saro-Wiwa (2005-2008) attest to this unusual approach to social change. James Marriott has co-written two books, Some Common Concerns and the newly released book, The Next Gulf: London, Washington and the Oil Conflict in Nigeria, as featured on Democracy Now!.

For this Conversation, James explored with us how progressives in the U.S. can draw inspiration, against seemingly impossible odds, both from Americans, and from dissident groups outside the U.S., to begin to create the republic of our imagination.

Talking Points:
SUMMARY AND ACTION STEPS COMING SOON