nika on a4kids
via tweet [https://x.com/Graeber_social/status/1923045313452912954]:
Nika Dubrovsky (@nikadubrovsky ) on behalf of the David Graeber Institute spoke with Alec Patton of @hthunboxed about Anthropology for Kids You can listen to the full podcast here: [https://pnc.st/s/the-project-essentials-podcast/a4e4b7fd/anthropology-for-kids-with-nika-dubrovsky]
high tech high documentary et al
notes/quotes from 25 min podcast:
alec (editor of unboxed): read doe – changed my sense of world.. heart of it: spirit we wish to invoke.. we’re (hth) a project of collective self creation.. ‘what if we treat people from beginning as imaginative intell playful creatures who deserve to be treated as such’.. t
the thing we’ve not yet tried/seen: the unconditional part of left to own devices ness
[‘in an undisturbed ecosystem ..the individual left to its own devices.. serves the whole’ –dana meadows]
there’s a legit use of tech (nonjudgmental exponential labeling) to facil the seeming chaos of a global detox leap/dance.. the unconditional part of left-to-own-devices ness.. for (blank)’s sake.. and we’re missing it
ie: whatever for a year.. a legit sabbatical ish transition
nika: (saw david on tv after got let go from uni) i just googled him and wrote him asking for an interview.. then he left.. he was doing debt book and was sending me chapter by chapter.. that’s when i find out what is anthropology.. and had small son so was thinking a lot about ed.. so how a4kids was born.. convos between david and child
nika: david called a revolution.. not when take over policies but when we change common sense..t
how we gather in a space is huge.. need to try spaces of permission where people have nothing to prove to facil curiosity over decision making.. because the finite set of choices of decision making is unmooring us.. keeping us from us..
ie: imagine if we listen to the itch-in-8b-souls 1st thing everyday & use that data to connect us (tech as it could be.. ai as augmenting interconnectedness)
nika: for me anthropology was the amazing opp to look at world thru eyes of diff cultures (instead of narrow perspective)
nika: his fav/1st book (on kings) – and rest – already have these ideas of diff social arrangements.. so we can build something diff
nika: what i wanted for my kid and all others.. house of culture.. like a free/democratic school.. where child can come and learn whatever they want.. freedom of choosing what you want to study and doing it with the people you chose
nika: to make diff kinds of texts that aren’t prescriptive.. that look eye to eye w children.. it shouldn’t be like children are other.. and have to talk in special language
nika: was producing a lot of books/workshops (art projects) for child and his friends.. after occupy.. changed the public language.. what people were doing there was just trying to talk to each other.. privilege to have this public space where we can do that.. i was asking .. who can speak in assemblies and be heard.. was thinking.. have to have the language.. so visual assembly started .. so could involve everyone.. it’s a more demo spaces.. images are more democratic than talking.. t
total idiosyncratic jargon ness.. via self-talk as data
ie: imagine if we listen to the itch-in-8b-souls 1st thing everyday & use that data to connect us
nika on idio jargon ness et al
nika: aim was how to facil a discussion of how we can be together in a space.. they tried to solve the problems.. ie: migrants, hospitals, et al
how we gather in a space is huge..
nika: people become very practical.. and have a lot of ideas.. as long as don’t have to do some magical political dancing to convince people.. i call it tablecloth.. t download and print.. then just have a bunch of markets.. draw it together.. send a pic of it to us..
city sketchup ness et al
nika: book was sold out in first month.. so another edition coming.. and extensions.. cities/museums/artists made differently.. just a collection.. not imposing anything.. just facilitating discussion.. then 4th book i want to do w michael hudson.. and with peter sahlins (marshall’s son) a book about books.. like what is reading
cities made differently et al
alec: for other teachers who have read doe.. and want students to be thinking about this.. how do you recommend they get started..
nika: i will put more and more online for free.. write and i will write back.. write your own book.. et al.. a project about diff type of ed.. we want to do it from existing spaces..
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be you. 
