Version 3.2
Degrowth in practice VS academia?
Following the dynamics of alter-globalist movements, Degrowth started in France in the beginning of the 2000's when a group of adbuster activists met with Global South and Global North academics and intellectuals radically criticising the imperialist concept of development and epistemologically rejecting utilitarianism in social sciences. In 2002, they published a special edition on S!lence: sustainable and convivial degrowth. This publication was very successful and a new movement emerged. It was first highly active in activism and also practices. Pierre Rabhi, also dealing with agroecology, tried to participate in the 2002 presidential election. A political party was created. Civil disobedience actions were organised against car races. In 2008, was organised the first international academic degrowth conference in Paris. It was the beginning of an international movement, mostly driven by academics. If the degrowth activism, degrowth in practice kept on going, in particular around local citizen initiatives, in resistance but also nowtopians dynamics in the ZAD in Notre Dame Des Landes or anti-extractivist movements for example, degrowth has mostly been visible for its academic and book publications. For a lot of new comers, in particular in the non latin world, is often perceived and criticised as only an academic movement.
This session suggest to first analyse, how from a radical epistemological critics to academia, how from an activist, experimentation in doing movement degrowth could have become mostly perceived or dominated by academics. Secondly, it proposes to explore how all this experience, in activism and practice, can feed degrowth the movements and narratives and strengthen its credibility, robustness.
The session will be organised as a participatory round table offering large space for audience contributions.
With:
- François Schneider (R&D, Can Decreix).
- Logan Strenchock (Researcher at Central European University and organic farmer at Zsamboki biokerty, Cargonomia)
- Orsolya Lazanyi (Action-Research expert, Cargonomia, ESSRG)
Facilitator: Vincent Liegey (Cargonomia, co-author of Exploring Degrowth).
Info
Day:
2023-08-30
Start time:
16:30
Duration:
01:30
Room:
ZV-8-1
Type:
Special Session
Theme:
Degrowth as a political project?
