The Illinois Humanities Council presents the second program in its series: All-Consuming: Conversations on Oil and Water

CHICAGO – Are oil and water resources to be stewarded and shared or commodities to be bought and sold? Does any person, country, or community own oil and water resources? How do the concepts of ownership and stewardship affect access to oil and water? What questions are raised by the privatization of resources? In "Yours, Mine, Ours, or Theirs?," panelists will discuss ownership and stewardship of oil and water globally through the story of Venezuela’s oil industry and locally through the documentary The Water Front, which examines water privatization as experienced by the African-American community of Highland Park, Michigan.

This event will take place on Tuesday, January 27 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Kasbeer Hall on Loyola University Chicago’s Water Tower Campus (25 E. Pearson St., Floor 15, Chicago). It is free and open to the public, but reservations are required. To make reservations or for more information, contact the IHC by phone at 312.422.5580, email ihc@prairie.org, or visit www.prairie.org/OilandWater.  

The panelists for this program are: Fernando Coronil, Ph.D., Presidential Professor in the Department of Anthropology at City University of New York; Sabina L. Shaikh, Ph.D., Lecturer in Public Policy and the Program on Global Environment at the University of Chicago (moderator); Elizabeth Miller, Director of The Water Front; Marian Kramer, National Co-Chair of the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization who is featured in The Water Front; and Maureen D. Taylor, State Chair of the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization who is also featured in The Water Front.  

"Yours, Mine, Ours, or Theirs? Accessing and Controlling Oil and Water" is presented in partnership with the Loyola University Museum of Art (LUMA) and the Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture at the University of Chicago.

From Fall 2008 to Fall 2009, the Illinois Humanities Council (IHC) presents All-Consuming: Conversations on Oil and Water, a year-long statewide series aimed to increase public knowledge of oil and water issues by engaging Illinoisans in conversations about the individual, regional, and global impact of these two essential resources. Programs will feature scholars, scientists, ethicists, artists, and philosophers as guest speakers. For a full calendar of events or for more information, please visit www.prairie.org/OilandWater or call 312.422.5580.

Upcoming All-Consuming programs in Chicago include "All’s Fair in Oil and Water: Conflicts, Compromises, and Compacts" (March 18, 2009) and "No Silver Bullets: Unintended Consequences of Oil and Water Solutions" (May 2009). Upcoming statewide programs include "Crosscurrents: Ethanol, Oil, and Water in Southern Illinois" and "We All Live Downstream: Whose Water Is It?" (both February 2009).

Lead sponsorship for All-Consuming: Conversations on Oil and Water is provided by the Motorola Foundation and The Boeing Company, with additional support from Illinois American Water. Chicago Public Radio (WBEZ 91.5) and Illinois Channel are the media sponsors.

The Illinois Humanities Council is a nonprofit educational organization [501 (c) 3] dedicated to fostering a culture in which the humanities are a vital part of the lives of individuals and communities. Organized in 1973 as the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the IHC creates programs and funds organizations that promote greater understanding of, appreciation for, and involvement in the humanities by all Illinoisans, regardless of their economic resources, cultural background, or geographic location. The IHC is supported by state, federal, and private funds.

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