Submitted by Fred Hewett
On May 17, 2015, Professor Charles Derber of Boston College will deliver the second annual Edward and Ruth Roseland Memorial Lecture at the Boston Ethical Community.
Derber is a graduate of Yale University and holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. He has taught sociology at Boston College since 1980.
Professor Derber has produced a lengthy list of books and articles, not only for scholarly journals, but in the popular press, as well. He is a frequent contributor to The Boston Globe, Tikkun, and WBUR’s Cognoscenti, among many others. His work has been translated widely, around the world.
Derber’s work focuses on social justice in the United States. He has written extensively on problems with capitalism, economic inequality, the militarization of the economy, globalization, climate justice, and the growing power of the corporation in American society.
His book, Corporation Nation (1998), documents the ascendancy of the corporation as the dominant institution in American life. This important work delves into the phenomenon of corporate infiltration into the federal government. He describes how corporations have acquired new public powers and unprecedented influence in determining the nation’s political agenda. This book anticipates the crisis in campaign financing precipitated by the Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. FEC decision in 2010.
Most recently, Derber published The Disinherited Majority: Capital Questions — Piketty and Beyond. This work picks up where Thomas Piketty’s influential Capital in the 21 Century leaves off, examining the social and political implications of Piketty’s book.
Charles is familiar to BEC members, having spoken to us on several occasions over the years. His last visit was in September of 2013, at which time he addressed us about his book Sociopathic Society. This time, we are honored to have him as the speaker for the second annual Edward and Ruth Roseland Memorial Lecture.
Ed and Ruth Roseland were longtime members of the Ethical Society of Boston. Both were very active contributors and much valued by the Society. The annual lecture pays tribute to their efforts to further the goals of the organization. The memorial lecture is supported by their son, Mark Roseland.
So, please mark your calendar for May 17. Professor Derber will be sharing his thoughts on the current state of society, including political, economic, and environmental issues and concerns.