CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Author and syndicated columnist Naomi Klein will speak Oct. 29 on the University of Illinois campus, on the topic "Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism in Latin America."
Klein's talk, based on her 2007 book of virtually the same name, begins at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of Smith Memorial Hall, 805 S. Mathews Ave., Urbana. The event, part of the CAS MillerComm series, is free and open to the public.
Klein will lay out her view of how Latin America became a laboratory for neoliberal economic ideas such as those championed by Milton Friedman and his "Chicago Boys," starting with the Pinochet regime in Chile. She will argue that military coups and neoliberal ideologues in the region guided the path for the imposition of a new economic model.
Klein, a columnist for The Nation and The Guardian, is also the author of "No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies."
As part of her visit to the campus, Klein is to appear on "Focus 580" on
WILL-AM (580) at 10 a.m. on Oct. 30, and will sign books at noon in the Author's Corner of the Illini Union Bookstore, 809 S. Wright St., Champaign. At 2 p.m. that day, she will participate in a roundtable discussion on social movements and protests in Latin America, held in Room 210 of the Illini Union, 1401 W. Green St., Urbana. Also on the panel will be Fernando Coronil, a professor of history and anthropology at the University of Michigan, and Andrew Orta, a professor of anthropology at Illinois.
Additional information can be found on the Web site for the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (http://www.clacs.uiuc.edu), which is hosting Klein's visit, or by calling Angelina Cotler at 217-333-8419.