GEORGIA KELLY - Utopia or Just Common Sense: The Mondragon Cooperatives and the Enlightened Basque Culture

Event Date: January 28, 2026
Time: 1:00 pm

This program will be Live at the Vintage House, 264 First St. E., Sonoma – Free Event

Utopia or Just Common Sense: The Mondragon Cooperatives and the Enlightened Basque Culture

Sixty years ago, the Basque region of Spain was the poorest area of the country. Today, thanks to a plethora of worker-owned cooperatives that have transformed the economic landscape, the Basque region is the wealthiest province in Spain. What began in 1956 with one cooperative of five people making kerosine stoves grew into nearly 100 businesses and 80,000 worker-owners. Today, Mondragon encompasses a university complex, the third largest bank in Spain, a supermarket chain, the largest Research & Development complex in Europe, and much more. The vision and manifestation of the Mondragon Cooperatives literally transformed an entire region.

The presentation will focus on how this transformation took place, the visionary who initiated it, and how it is thriving 70 years on. We can learn much from this extraordinary accomplishment as well as discuss how we might transform our own communities and country into a more equitable, sustainable, and peaceful society.

Georgia Kelly is the Founder and Director of Praxis Peace Institute. She has organized 13 seminar/tours at the Mondragon Cooperatives and has been an enthusiastic supporter of Mondragon for the past 20 years.

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