Global to Local
Making the Case for a Shift in Direction
A consistent theme in ISEC's educational work is the need to shift direction - away from dependence on a global economy dominated by huge corporations and supranational institutions, towards economic structures that are more decentralised, diversified, and ecological. One way we disseminate this message is through lectures, seminars, and interviews with ISEC Director Helena Norberg-Hodge. We also organize workshops and conferences on global-to-local initiatives. You can find information on upcoming ISEC public events by checking out our events calendar.
We also bring our message to the public through books, reports, journal articles, book chapters, videos, and even comic books. Our materials are in use in high school and university classrooms from Bulgaria to New Zealand, and have added to the intellectual arsenals of individuals and NGOs in every corner of the world.
By far the most important means of getting our message out has been Helena Norberg-Hodge's book, Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh, and the video of the same name by Programmes Director John Page. More than the story of a remote traditional culture and its breakdown under the impact of development and tourism, Ancient Futures explores themes familiar to people everywhere, North and South. In fact, people from diverse parts of the world - from industrialising Korea to remote Inuit regions of Canada and Alaska - have told us, "this is our story, too". The book and video have been translated into over thirty languages, almost all of them at the initiative of local NGOs or publishers.
ISEC also has a close connection with the British journal, The Ecologist. Founded over 30 years ago by Edward Goldsmith, the magazine has become a leading voice of the European environmental movement. ISEC Directors Helena Norberg-Hodge, John Page, and Steven Gorelick now serve as the Editorial Board for the magazine. ISEC/Ecologist collaborations have included a special issue of the magazine, 'Beyond the Monoculture', devoted to the subject of shifting from global to local, as well as numerous editorials and articles on small-scale ecological farming, on strategies to oppose corporate rule, and on the hazards of megatechnologies.
In addition, ISEC is a founder member of the International Forum on Globalisation (IFG), a group of sixty leading thinkers and activists from around the world. Along with other NGOs, IFG has been campaigning for a new economic and financial 'architecture' - beginning with new multilateral treaties to re-regulate international trade and finance - in order to protect the environment, safeguard human rights, and make local and national economies viable again. IFG has conducted a number of 'teach-ins' to educate the public on 'free' trade, globalisation, and the impact of megatechnologies.
To view a selection of ISEC articles available for free downloading, click here.
For a description of publications you can order by mail, click here.
For videos and audio cassettes, click here.
To view or download ISEC's thematically-organised annotated bibliography, click here.