Theme: Living Local in a Global World

The world has been growing more and more interconnected for centuries, but the pace of that globalization has increased exponentially in the last 25 years. Our efforts as individuals, groups, and societies have been consumed by learning how to and developing strategies for surviving and thriving in this globalized world. These strategies have most often taken the form of leveraging the expanding opportunities resulting from globalization and attempting to shield ourselves from others. Simply stated there has been much good and much harm from globalization, and different voices will argue for more of one or the other. At our event, we are not so much concerned with evaluation of those phenomena. Rather we are concerned with what is important and different about the local, about local places and communities. Not as a rejection or denial of globalization, connections, and virtual communities. But as something separate and distinct despite the interconnections. In particular, we will talk about local government, local finance, and local communication. We will interlace these talks with experiences, examples, and performances with a distinctly local character. Our event is a conversation and exposition on the present and future of living locally in a global world.

Stone Theatre
1310 Railroad Avenue
Ruston, Louisiana, 71272
United States