Boston College Professor Juliet Schor has an intimate knowledge of social economy—two decades worth of research, 17 years teaching economics at Harvard University, and New York Times best-selling books are testament to this. She has given lectures all over the U.S. and in cities like Paris and London, speaking about the economics of consumer society and the roles that environment, work, family and financial status play in consumer consciousness. On Friday, Feb. 24, Schor will be in Portland, delivering a lecture titled “Jobs, Markets and True Wealth.”
Hosted by the Illahee Institute, a Portland-based, ecologically geared nonprofit organization, Schor’s lecture will fall into place in a series of lectures that fall under the umbrella heading of “Sacred Cows.” The term describes ubiquitous cultural paradigms and practices that, despite the deliverance of mixed results, are resistant to criticism and reexamining, thus retaining powerful societal clout.
The lecture will take place this coming Friday, Feb. 24,at the First Congregational Church in Downtown Portland. The event is $20 and begins at 7 p.m.
Peter Schoonmaker, who leads the Illahee Institute’s research projects while juggling adjunct professorships at Portland State, Linfield College and Oregon State University, said that the lecture series focuses on “looking at a bunch of different systems and processes and icons that we pay homage to, but we really don’t get down to the reality of whether or not they’re working for us.”
He added that he believes that the work Schor has done on social economy “really speaks to the DIY ethic here in Portland—the sense that we have, or that a lot of Portlanders have, that all out economic growth is probably a pipe dream in terms of answering our needs in the long run.”
Schor’s work seems to closely align to the atmosphere in Portland, a city whose citizens emphatically vocalize concern with modes of sustainability and environmental conservation. “I believe that we’re overdue for some sort of new perspective,” said linguistics major Seth O’Malley. “Portlanders definitely seem to be very unified and on the same page, but it’s still very easy to consider Portland as a city to any other major city.”
Residents of one of the Pacific Northwest’s most forward-thinking cities eager for new perspectives on economic and ecological growth might find Schor’s lecture caters to those needs. Schoonmaker pointed out, “The world is already pressing up against its ecological boundaries; we’re consuming as fast as we can and we’re not getting any happier doing that.” He said that not only does Schor inspire and motivate people, she “speaks to us as a community because we seem to get her and she seems to get us.”
Over the past two decades, Schor has published numerous books including The Overworked American: The Unexpected Decline of Leisure, which made such prestigious bestseller lists such as the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune. According to a press release, her latest book, Plentitude: The New Economics of True Wealth, “relies on recent developments in economic theory, social analysis, and ecological design to reveal how innovation, macroeconomic balance, and a new attention to multiple sources of wealth (such as time, creativity, and community) can lead to a healthier environment and higher quality of life.”
Schor has been the recipient of numerous awards. These include such impressive accolades as the George Orwell Award for Distinguished Contribution to Honesty and Clarity in Public Language from the National Council of Teachers of English, and the Leontief Prize from the Global Development and Environment Institute at Tufts University, the latter having been given for expanding the frontiers of economic thought.