Historical Patterns of Change and the Possibility of Optimistic Agency. By: Sohail Inayatullah. Optimism is hard to maintain in many societies today, especially when the future envisioned in the 1960s – what the macrohistorian Immanuel Wallerstein calls “the social revolutions of the 60s” – of a green, gender-equitable, peaceful, and progressive society, seems to be facing a major setback. Theories from thinkers like Sarkar provide insight into these patterns. He argued that the end of the capitalist era can be observed through multiple signs: extreme exploitation, growing inequality, and the rise of the billionaire class.

From August 1st through August 6th a group of activists, co-op developers and permaculturists gathered for an Economic Democracy Training with the Prout Research Institute in Marshall, North Carolina. As the inaugural in-person program, and with a newly constructed building, the training was a warm welcome to a group of 17 individuals, and focused on studying the principles and application of the Progressive Utilization Theory, or Prout, as a way to achieve economic systems change.