Version 3.2

Decolonisation and Degrowth: Degrowth Narratives from the Global South and European Perspective(s)

Donna Andrews (University of Johannesburg), Natalie Bennett (Green member, House of Lords), Arpita Bisht (Erasmus University Rotterdam), Bas Eickhout (MEP, Green group in the EP) and Maritza Islas (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México). Moderated by: Vedran Horvat (Institute for Political Ecology) 

In this debate we want to tackle controversies and contradictions related to the reception and perception of the degrowth in the Global South. While the main principles of degrowth highly resonate and share some direction with various principles and philosophies such as Buen Vivir in Latin America, the language of 'degrowth' is far from ideal when it comes to terms of climate justice, emancipation or right to development. Coined for the developed and industrialised North, the concept of degrowth sometimes appears as an unjust - and again - neocolonial project which could be misused in order to normalise poverty or disable development. With our conversation we will try to unlock the debate which is captured in the tension of conflict between consumption-oriented exctractivism of natural resources and the degrowth narrative often misinterpreted as a new sacrifice or imposed austerity. Last but not least, the panel will also address the role of EU trade and investment policy in the Global South and its responsibility in shaping growth and degrowth debate.

Info

Day: 2023-08-31
Start time: 16:30
Duration: 01:30
Room: ZV-KC-2
Type: Non-academic Session
Theme: Panel

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Concurrent Sessions