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BIJU MATHEW
in the
San Francisco Bay Area
Labor Organizer
Anti-War Activist
author of
Taxi! Cabs and Capitalism in New York City
flyers
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DETAILS OF EVENT
SATURDAY MAY 13, STANFORD, 6-8 PM (event flyers, directions)
A Panel Discussion on Taxi Driver Organizing
featuring
Biju Mathew with
Seyoum Asrat and Kirpal Bajwa (taxi organizers in San Jose)
followed by
a Q&A session
Archeology Conference Center, Bldg. 500, Main Quad (Behind Memorial Church)
STANFORD UNIVERSITY
featuring a discussion of the book Taxi!
as well as a wide array of other related topics including immigrant
labor organizing, globalization, the anti-war movement, and sectarian
politics in the South Asian community
EVENT FLYERS
Stanford Event: May 13, Saturday: HTML flyer (for email); print flyer (Stanford)
THE BOOK
Taxi!
uses the narrative of immigrant labor organizing to provide a rich
commentary on a range of issues - from immigration, gender, race and
multiculturalism to the neo-liberal political economy and the
imaginaries that fuel global cities like New York.
From the Publishers: Taxi! offers
a fascinating glimpse into the lives of New York City’s taxi
drivers from a lead organizer of the Taxi Workers Alliance. The yellow
cab is a striking metaphor for New York City and its exuberant
twenty-four-hours-a-day rush. But just as the city has changed in
recent years, so too has the industry that keeps it on the move. As
Biju Mathew reveals in this fast-paced survey of New York’s taxi
business, just about everything has changed dramatically except the
yellow paint.
An immigrant working class in an industry that pioneered outsourcing,
taxi drivers have a tough job with long hours and low earnings. The
recent fare hike represents a major step forward for them. Behind the
victory is a long campaign by the Taxi Workers Alliance, of which
Mathew is a volunteer organizer, stretching back to the 1998 strike
against the harassment of Mayor Rudy Giuliani. The scale of this
action, with twenty-four thousand drivers participating, was achieved
despite the diversity of a workforce that speaks at least eighty
different languages. Drawing extensively on Mathew’s interactions
with the drivers, Taxi! is as much a critical commentary on
globalization, urban renewal, migration, and multiculturalism as it is
a captivating account of the struggles and triumphs of life behind the
wheel. Buckle up, sit back, and enjoy the ride. [More at http://www.thenewpress.com]
THE AUTHOR
Biju Mathew is an Associate Professor in the College of Business
Administration at Rider University in New Jersey. He is a
member of the
Organizing Committee of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, co-founder
of the Forum of Inquilabi Leftists and Youth Solidarity Summer, and a
member of the Board of the Brecht Forum in NYC. He co-hosts a weekly
radio show called "Global Movements, Urban Struggles"
on WBAI 99.5 FM (NYC). He has written extensively,
spoken and organized around issues such as communalism, immigration,
labor issues, and against the war. He lives in New York City.
SELECTED WRITINGS
The New Dreams of the Yellow Wheels. Biju Mathew, Ghadar Magazine, Nov 1998.
The Politics of Self-Absorption. Biju Mathew, SAMAR Magazine, Issue 16.
Methods of Disorganization: Where have the South Asians Gone?. Biju Mathew, SAMAR Magazine, Issue 17.
Anarchy in the Ranks. Biju Mathew, SAMAR Magazine, Issue 18.
Reading the NCERT Framework. Balamurli Natarajan, Rahul De and Biju Mathew, Gadhar Magazine, Feb 2002.
The Saffron Dollar. Biju Mathew and Vijay Prashad. Himal Magazine, September 1996.
Shift in the Global Anti-War Movement. Biju Mathew, Combat Law, Aug-Sep 2005.
Alternatives for an Alternate Future (Speech at the World Tribunal on Iraq). Biju Mathew, June 2005.
DIRECTIONS
STANFORD (Saturday, May 13, 2006)
Archeology Conference Center, Bldg. 500, Main Quad (Behind Memorial Church)
http://www.stanford.edu/home/visitors/maps.html
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