Dr. Cara Judea Alhadeff discusses her work and the profound ideas in her book Zazu Dreams: Between the Scarab and the Dung Beetle, A Cautionary Fable for the Anthropocene Era. She explores themes of dream consciousness, cultural and ecological extinction, radical symbiosis, and the concept of apocalyptic parenting as a strategy for social justice and ecological ethics, an antidote to petroleum parenting. The discussion digs into the interdisciplinary ties found in her stories, her collaborative projects, and the communal effort in creating sustainable futures. Dr. Alhadeff also shares her real-life experiences of living for almost a decade in a reclaimed school bus, 'The Love Bus', exemplifying the principles of radical mothering, reuse, collective creativity, and joy amidst systemic challenges.

Dr. Cara Judea Alhadeff is a professor and author of dozens of books and articles on art, philosophy, sexuality, climate justice, life-passion activism, and "petroleum parenting," including the critically-acclaimed Zazu Dreams: Between the Scarab and the Dung Beetle, A Cautionary Fable for the Anthropocene Era, and Viscous Expectations: Justice, Vulnerability, The Ob-scene. Alhadeff’s forthcoming book, Unlearning What We Think We Know (Vernon Press), will be performed during the World Affairs Conference. Her photographs/ performance videos are in private and public collection,s including San Francisco MoMA, MoMA Salzburg, Austria, the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction, and include collaborations with international choreographers, composers, poets, sculptors, architects, and scientists. She has been interviewed by The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Pacifica Radio, NPR, and the New Art Examiner. Alongside Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Vandana Shiva, Alhadeff received the Random Kindness Community Resilience Leadership Award, 2020. In 2022, Alhadeff was nominated for a MacArthur Fellowship. Her theoretical and visual work is the subject of documentaries for international public television/ radio. A former professor of Critical Pedagogy & Performance at UC Santa Cruz and Founder of Radical Art in Action, Alhadeff teaches, performs, and parents a creative-zero-waste life. She and her family live and perform in their eco-art installation, a repurposed school bus. www.carajudeaalhadeff.com

Topics

00:00 Introduction to Dr. Cara Judea Alhadeff
01:35 Exploring 'Zazu Dreams'
04:01 Dreams and Cultural Extinction
06:08 Fractal Democracy and Radical Art
08:39 Sensory Consciousness and Neuroaesthetics
14:50 Interconnected Oppressions and Emancipation
28:05 Ancestral Lineage and Multiculturalism
34:00 Exploring Automatic Behaviors and Consciousness
34:50 Interbeing and Consumer Decisions
36:35 The Impact of Privilege and Capitalist Norms
38:06 Radical Symbiosis and Cultural Conditioning
39:21 Eco-Spirituality and Political Awareness
41:18 Apocalyptic Parenting and Deep Noticing
48:01 The Love Bus: A Journey of Reuse and Respect
54:40 Adapting to Change and Collective Creativity
57:55 Conclusion: Embracing Art and Language

Resources:

Dr. Cara Judea Alhadeff’s Website
ZAZU DREAMS: Between the Scarab and the Dung Beetle, A Cautionary Fable for the Anthropocene Era by Dr. Cara Judea Alhadeff
Zazu Dreams book-to-film animation adaptation
Fractal Flourishing: Jeremy Lent (Sounds of SAND Podcast)
Arab Jewish Mysticism: Hadar Cohen (Sounds of SAND Podcast)
Quantum Listening: IONE (Sounds of SAND Podcast)
Deep Listening: Pauline Oliveros
5Rhythms Dance
Rural Studio: Samuel Mockbee and an architecture of decency
Thrutopian Dreams: Manda Scott (Sounds of SAND Podcast)
An Ecotopian Lexicon edited by Schneider-Mayerson and Bellamy
Challenging Petroleum Parenting
Decolonizing Motherhood
Empire of Normality: Neurodiversity and Capitalism by Robert Chapman
Viscous Expectations: Justice, Vulnerability, The Ob-scene by cara judea Alhadeff
The Love Bus: Beauty & Waste In the Face of Climate Crisis
Facing Apocalyspe by Catherine Keller
Benjamin Lay: The first Revolutionary Quaker Abolitionist
Cara Judea Alhadeff, PhD, Promiscuous Crossings (Substack)
Email Cara

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Radical Symbiosis: Cara Judea Alhadeff

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