Toward Another World: Review of Towards Land, Work, and Power

Economic Justice News
Mar 29, 2007
by Tess Hellgren

As a high school senior, I have received plenty of advice about the future, many reminders that this exciting time is my chance to “do great things” and “be a leader of tomorrow.” To me, this encouragement is an inspiration to truly make a difference and enact positive change by contributing to a movement for social and economic justice. Yet I realize that no social movement can be carried by passion alone -- to succeed, inspiration must be matched with understanding and individual commitments coordinated to work toward clear goals. How can this be accomplished? Towards Land, Work, and Power offers a place to start.

The Text in Context

Towards Land, Work, and Power is a guide “by conscious organizers for conscious organizers.” Written by four members of POWER (People Organized to Win Employment Rights), a grassroots organization dedicated to the realization of fair opportunities for low-income workers, its mission is to inspire a more effective movement for social justice by addressing three questions: What is the nature of the current capitalist system? What are the conditions within this system? And who are the forces that have the interest and the capability to make change? Building from a class, race and gender analysis, the authors to connect their own struggles in the San Francisco Bay Area with those of the Global South. By challenging established doctrines and posing valuable questions, Towards Land, Work, and Power aims to encourage a broad-based, anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist, internationalist movement for change.

San Francisco: A Historical Frame for the Present

Beginning with the 1848 Gold Rush, the book traces San Francisco’s development, highlighting how capitalism and imperialism have systematically created current conditions of inequality and segregation. This case study is used to reveal how cities often praise diversity while allowing elites to marginalize minorities in the pursuit of profit. By exposing how greed often motivates economic development, Towards Land, Work, and Power shows how corrupt capitalism can motivate both urban gentrification and skewed international trade agreements.

Capitalism: Friend or Foe?

Having grown up in a staunchly capitalist America, I was taken aback by the authors’ attacks on an economic system that I had never questioned. How could capitalism be so bad when there were success stories all around me? And what viable alternatives could the authors provide -- were they endorsing Soviet-style communism?
What is made clear, through a historical analysis, is that capitalism is a system that feeds off the inequality it creates. To remain powerful in this system, elites have exploited the natural and human resources of the people. Towards Land, Work, and Power does not endorse any specific economic alternative -- nor should it. Each community and nation has its own unique challenges and infrastructure; recommending a single course of action would be inaccurate and inappropriate. What POWER stresses is the necessity of self-determination, of populations speaking for themselves -- it is the people themselves who must challenge the system.

Making Efforts Effective: Convergence of Struggle

So how can a justice movement overcome organizational challenges while incorporating class, race, and gender analyses? It is to this question that Towards Land, Work, and Power directs its final effort. Specifically targeting its audience of conscious organizers, the authors provide a “winning strategy” for a successful social and economic justice movement:
1 Organizations must be more committed to their cause than their own success.
2 Unity among affected populations is necessary if any movement is to overcome pacification by selective concessions (tax cuts, wage increases, etc.) and gain the size and power required for overall success.
3 Progressive organizations must recognize that superficial differences in focus are not divisions but variations of a shared vision.

The authors realize that this level of coordination is made difficult by the many factors at work on both a local and international scale -- but cooperation is necessary if a social movement is to truly succeed.

What About Government?

Towards Land, Work, and Power establishes a basic platform of ideal goals for social and economic justice: healthy neighborhoods, freedom from repression, representative government, and solidarity. While government is mentioned in the list, I was surprised that it was barely mentioned throughout the rest of the text. Personal experiences with city officials and the Democratic Party have taught me that government can be one more method to further social and economic justice. “In order to make change,” the authors explain, “we must be able to assess when the window of opportunity is more open, and we must prepare ourselves to jump through the window when the opportunity presents itself.” Rather than challenging government, harnessing its potential can help bring such opportunities to fruition.

“Another World Is on Her Way”

By challenging entrenched ideas and sparking debate, heightening historical awareness and providing new perspectives, Towards Land, Work, and Power is a valuable addition to the movement for social and economic justice. The authors intentionally raise questions -- their hope is to provide a starting point that “sparks discussion that will lead…towards a long-term strategy” for a successful social movement. By questioning and exploring the book’s complex messages, I was able to recognize both the great challenges and the amazing potential for the future of the movement for social and economic justice. Arundhati Roy describes it this way: “Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.” After reading Towards Land, Work, and Power, so can I.

A Note on Citations

While reading this book, I was periodically distracted by my perceptions of weak sourcing – in my eyes, reliance on Wikipedia and Answers.com undermined the book’s credibility. Upon further reflection, however, my criticism was partially pacified. Much research does come from conventional sources that I automatically trust. While I remained opposed to the authoritative use of open internet sources, I realize that the authors of the book are members of a grassroots organization that is seeking to empower populations usually excluded from representation in social movements. Open internet sources make valuable information easily accessible to the general public; though I would never blindly trust their accuracy, they can be very comprehensive and offer alternative perspectives to academic texts.

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