Quarterly Compost (Spring '25)

We're on a small hiatus at the moment, but we wanted to hop into your stream to celebrate our anniversary and reflect on the work we're doing. Take a short break with us and let us know how you're celebrating May 13th! “Inspired” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) ⁠⁠Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0⁠⁠Sound Effect by Universfield from Pixabay

In this conversation, Carolina and The May 13 Group’s producer delve into the ecosystem metaphor again, discussing its implications in the nonprofit sector, the importance of holistic understanding, and the interconnectedness of various players within the ecosystem. They explore the nonprofit industrial complex as an ecosystem, the role of intention, and the potential for destruction and nourishment within these systems. The discussion also touches on the evaluation theory tree as a metaphor and questions the value of the ecosystem metaphor itself.⁠⁠Episode 13 transcript⁠NotesCOMING SOON!ReferencesCOMING SOON!Music“Inspired” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) ⁠⁠Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0⁠⁠Contact us Website:⁠⁠ https://themay13group.net⁠⁠⁠Email: [email protected] LinkedIn:Carolina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carodela⁠⁠⁠Vidhya: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/vidhyashanker⁠⁠Donate!Raisely

In this episode, host Vidya Shanker welcomes The May 13 Group Podcast producer, Nayantara Premakumar, to explore the metaphor of ecosystems in relation to their work and personal experiences. They discuss the importance of understanding ecosystems holistically, the impact of colonialism and capitalism on land relationships, and the misappropriation of ecosystem language in various fields. The conversation also touches on personal reflections, cultural connections to land, and the need for deeper interrogation of the systems we create and participate in.Episode 2.3 TRANSCRIPT COMING SOON!⁠⁠Notes & References COMING SOON!Music“Inspired” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)⁠ ⁠⁠Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0⁠⁠⁠Contact usWebsite: ⁠https://themay13group.net⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn:Carolina: linkedin.com/in/carodelaVidhya: linkedin.com/in/vidhyashanker/

In this episode, Ramya Kumaran—a scholar and practitioner around imagination, play, and futures—joins host Vidhya Shanker to explore the transformative power of collective imagination for building new worlds beyond the ones we inherited. We challenge listeners to question whose imagination shapes our current realities and discuss The May 13 Group not as a single utopia but rather as a potential portal or protopia—an incremental steppingstone toward better possibilities. We invite listeners to reflect with us on healing, solidarity, and moving beyond survival to shift our perspective and open paths to meaningfully different futures.Episode 2.3 TRANSCRIPT COMING SOON!⁠⁠Notes & References COMING SOON!Music“Inspired” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0⁠⁠⁠⁠Contact usWebsite:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://themay13group.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn:Carolina:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/carodela⁠Nayantara:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/nayantara-premakumar⁠⁠Vidhya:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/vidhyashanker⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Donate to our podcast!⁠

The May 13 Group will be closed from mid-July to mid-August. Our team will be tending to our other gardens, which means time away from email and limited engagement with social media. In the meantime, you can stay connected with us through ⁠our website. If you would like to reach us, you can do so at [email protected] and we will respond when we can after we return in August.

In this episode, hosts Carolina and Vidhya dive deep into collectivism in relation to the (neo)liberal ideology of individualism that underpins the nonprofit/nongovernmental industrial complex and evaluation. We invite Naaima Khan, a strategist and evaluator, to discuss the implications of collectivism in the context of structurally-focused analysis and action. The conversation weaves personal reflections, historical definitions, and critiques of language to explore themes of leadership, accountability, and culture. We discuss the need to shift how success is defined, acknowledging the discomfort that often accompanies true collectivism.Episode 2.2 TRANSCRIPT⁠Notes & References COMING SOON!Music“Inspired” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)⁠ ⁠⁠Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0⁠⁠⁠Contact usWebsite:⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://themay13group.net⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn:Carolina: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/carodelaNayantara: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/nayantara-premakumar⁠Vidhya: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/vidhyashanker⁠⁠⁠Donate to our podcast!

In this episode, hosts Carolina and Vidhya reflect on our first year building a solidarity economy through this podcast. We connect recent topics—collective knowledge-making, individualism, and the idea of an economy—to each other, evaluation, accountability, and resource distribution. We note the years of work ahead, as today's socio-political situation results from decades of deliberate effort, not recent elections. Grateful for your feedback, we commit to being accessible to everyone fighting within the nonprofit industrial complex.⁠⁠⁠Episode 2.1 TRANSCRIPT⁠⁠NotesCOMING SOON!ReferencesCOMING SOON!Music“Inspired” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)⁠ ⁠⁠Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0⁠⁠⁠Contact us Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://themay13group.net⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn:Carolina: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/carodela⁠⁠⁠⁠Nayantara: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/nayantara-premakumar⁠Vidhya: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/vidhyashanker⁠⁠⁠⁠Donate to our podcast!⁠⁠

In this episode, Carolina and Vidhya engage in dialogue with ⁠Justin Laing⁠ of ⁠Hillombo Consulting⁠ to understand the idea of an economy, which is foundational to building a solidarity economy. We delve into the way knowledge—or perhaps narrative—is produced within racial and gendered capitalism and the role evaluation plays for the owning and ruling class. We close with an invitation to imagine what knowledge work could look like, and what individual roles we each may play, in alternative economic structures. Justin can be found at ⁠www.hillombo.net⁠,⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram ⁠@hillombo⁠, and using his name on ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠Episode 1.8 TRANSCRIPT⁠⁠Notes ⁠here⁠References (more ⁠⁠here⁠)⁠Nego Gato⁠; ⁠Olorisha⁠; ⁠Lukumi⁠⁠Mni Sota Makoce⁠⁠Ojibwe Chippewa Tribe⁠⁠American Indian Movement⁠⁠Shawnee Tribe⁠Critical Pedagogy⁠⁠It's the Economy, Stupid⁠⁠Supply & Demand⁠⁠Centrally Planned Economy⁠⁠Elinor Ostrom⁠⁠All Economies are Ultimately Human Economies⁠⁠Political Economy of Economic Policy⁠⁠Economy Studies⁠⁠Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism⁠⁠Eurocentricity⁠⁠National Struggle⁠⁠Feminist Economics Critique to Neo-Classical Economics⁠⁠Collaborate to Co-Liberate⁠⁠Gopal Dayaneni⁠⁠There is No Alternative⁠⁠Clip from “Surviving Progress”⁠⁠Nonprofit Industrial Complex 101⁠⁠Practice & Prospects of Socialism in China⁠⁠Strategic Revolutionary Thought & Legacy of Hugo Chávez⁠⁠Assessing the Cuban Experience⁠⁠What is Racial Capitalism & Why Does It Matter?⁠⁠Origins of the Professional-Managerial Class⁠⁠Cedric Robinson, Racial Capitalism & the Return of Black Radicalism⁠⁠South African Tradition of Racial Capitalism⁠⁠What is the Working Class?⁠⁠Capitalism⁠⁠Why Do We Say that Hegel is an “Idealist”?⁠⁠Idealism or Materialism⁠⁠Democracy & Evaluation⁠⁠John Rawls⁠⁠What is the Capitalist Class?⁠⁠Marxist Theory of the State⁠⁠How America Became Capitalist⁠⁠Origin of Cost–Benefit Analysis⁠⁠Social Darwinism, Race & Research⁠⁠Gramsci & Hegemony⁠⁠Twilight of Neoliberalism⁠⁠Charter Schools, Market Capitalism & Obama’s Neo-liberal Agenda⁠⁠How Free Market Logic Fails in Schooling⁠⁠Market Liberalism Meets Ideological Conservatism⁠⁠Surplus⁠⁠Theory of Change⁠⁠e·val·u·ate⁠⁠What Base & Superstructure Mean in Marxism⁠⁠Marx’s Theory of Class Struggle⁠⁠What Is Liberalism?⁠⁠Important Insights into the Problems of National Liberation & Imperialism⁠⁠Working Poor⁠⁠History of the Tax-exempt Sector⁠⁠On Contradiction⁠⁠Historical Materialism⁠⁠Dialectics, Historical Materialism & Class Struggle⁠⁠Domenico Losurdo⁠⁠Marxism vs Intersectionality⁠⁠Scary S Word⁠⁠State & Revolution⁠⁠Defining Socialism⁠⁠What Do We Mean by Solidarity Economy?⁠⁠Socialism & the Legacy of the Soviet Union⁠⁠Gabriel Rockhill⁠⁠Manifesto of the Communist Party⁠⁠Understanding Left Wing Politics & Capitalism⁠⁠We Didn’t Cross the Border⁠⁠Catherine Liu⁠<a href="https://www.creativeprocess.info/education/audrea-lim-mia-funk

Carolina and Vidhya reflect on individualism and interrogate how it shows up in our personal lives and is built into our work—including NPIC and evaluation’s training, practice, and literature as well as existing field-building and change efforts.⁠⁠Episode 1.7 TRANSCRIPTNotes02:17 “Utopia” asperceived or portrayed by dominating forces11:55 Concentric circles still center the individual and nuclear family, unlike the more web-like nature of many kinship structures around the world, including South Asia and West Africa.21:45 Others may counter that democratic governance structures had existed among peoples in Africa, the Americas, and Asia before the European Enlightenment. See more⁠here⁠.29:22 The programs that Roosevelt and Johnson instituted were systematically eroded throughout the 1980s as “personal responsibility” replaced “rugged individualism.” See morehere.38:36 The setup is that colonial and capitalist destruction of our lands, economies, and social structures leads us to seek opportunities to fulfill our dreams—or simply survive—elsewhere. See morehere.41:37 The artist did not want to ruin her child’s innocence—it was an act of resistance and demonstration of sovereignty to have her child grow up in a way that was not defined by colonization and racism. See morehere.ResourcesThe Origins of “Pull Yourself Up By Your Bootstraps”The Dust BowlHuck's Ironic CircleIndividualism and Opposition to Redistribution in the USThere’s No Such Thing as a “Self-Made Man”BootstrappedThe Role of Complexity Studies in the Emerging “Processual” WorldviewA Processual Approach to Political ViolenceTime and ProcessHistorical Determinism RevisitedSocial, Political and Cultural Dimensions of HealthUnderstanding the Connection Between Political and Social Determinants of HealthBronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems TheorySystems Thinking and RaceKinship pathways: Nurturing and Sustaining Resilient, Responsible, and Respected Indigenous EvaluatorsThe Moral Philosophy of IndividualismIndividualism, Innovation, and Long-Run GrowthIndividualism: A Deeply American PhilosophyPolitical PhilosophyIdeologies of the IndividualDefining SocialismCommunist ManifestoThe Interstate agePlessy’s LegacyLand Acquisition and DispossessionThe Short‑Lived Promise of ‘40 Acres and a Mule’Natural RightsIndividualism vs CollectivismAge of ReasonThe Declaration of IndependenceJohn Stuart MillUnderstanding Power through Advocacy, Organizing, and ActivismLabor MovementThe 5 Basic Steps to Organizing a UnionDirect Action OrganizingThe Right to StrikeHistory of Successful BoycottsWhat Makes a Successful Protest?The Fight for RightsHerbert Hoover SpeechStock Market Crash of 1929From Rugged Individualism to Rugged CooperationRoosevelt and the New DealThe Rise of Antislavery ThoughtsYears of Adventure 1874-1914The rise and fall of Andrew MellonHow Three Families Shielded their Fortunes from Taxes for GenerationsWhy Social Security was the Cornerstone of FDR’s New DealGreat Society Programs, Definition & LBJThe Unusual Ways Western Parents Raise ChildrenNorth American Culture: Undermining BreastfeedingThis is the Closest Thing We’ve Ever Had to a Hillary Clinton Political ManifestoMargaret ThatcherHealth Promotion and the Knowledge-Attitude-Behavior ContinuumSocial ContractExploring African Relational Ethic of UbuntuMarv AlkinEvaluation RootsEvaluation Roots: An International PerspectiveManifest DestinyEvaluation Roots: A Wider Perspective of Theorists’ Views and InfluencesKinnectEmbedding the Graduate Education Diversity Internship Program Within a Larger SystemMusic“Inspired” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) ⁠⁠Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0⁠⁠Contact:⁠⁠https://themay13group.net⁠⁠⁠Carolina:https://www.linkedin.com/in/carodela⁠⁠⁠Vidhya:https://www.linkedin.com/in/vidhyashanker⁠⁠Donate!https://the-may-13-group.raiselysite.com

In this episode, we discuss “The Power of Perspective: Generations of Evaluators Generating Change,” an interactive journey map featured at the 2022 American Evaluation Association conference. Rooted in popular education and critical pedagogy, it highlighted the suppression of critical voices in evaluation and connected participants’ lives to a lineage of resistance within the field. We discuss its development, installation, and reception, along with future plans, including digital platforms, workshops, university curricula, and ‘zines. Efforts to enhance accessibility, including language and disability justice, are part of the ongoing collaboration’s dreams.⁠⁠Episode 1.6 TRANSCRIPT⁠NotesCOMING SOON!ReferencesCOMING SOON!Music“Inspired” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) ⁠⁠Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0⁠⁠Contact us Website:⁠⁠ https://themay13group.net⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn:Carolina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carodela⁠⁠⁠Nayantara: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nayantara-premakumarVidhya: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/vidhyashanker⁠⁠Donate to our podcast!⁠