Reimagining a World where Justice is Possible
Salddin Ahmed on the uprising against white supremacy sparked by the murder of George Floyd. “The real looters are the 1%, not those who have been robbed of their livelihood. The real thugs are the ruling elites who habitually associate looting and violence with the victims… A world that does not have a place for black people is too small, too stupid, and too violent to be fixed. Instead, it must be reimagined and reconstructed. “
First Arabic Translation of Murray Bookchin’s work now available!
The ISE is thrilled to announce the first-ever translation of Murray Bookchin’s work into Arabic: a translation of “The Communalist Project.”
When We Lose the Ability to Be Shocked, Fascism Has Already Arrived
A pattern of deterioration of the state is now visible from the USA and Brazil to India and Turkey despite the gulf that separates them in terms of political traditions, institutional practices, and constitutional protections of human rights. In each case, the public sphere is continually shrinking under the pressure of a mass movement that shows three incredibly dangerous symptoms: racism, religious fundamentalism, and a populist leader whose popularity among his volkisch base often increases the more anti-democratically he behaves.
“Humans” are not the problem: Reflections on a “useless” documentary
While “Planet of the Humans” makes a few valid points about over-reliance on techno-fixes in general, and the fundamental flaws of biomass energy in particular, it does a serious disservice to those seeking to bring a more systemic and forward-looking approach into the climate movement.
New Social Ecology Comic!
We’re thrilled to share a new comic strip about social ecology and the ISE produced in collaboration with our friends at Ad Astra Comix – take a look!
The Coronavirus Pandemic, Capitalism, and Nation-States
The pandemic has exposed irreconcilable contradictions in the entity of the nation-state and the capitalist world system.
Without vigilant analysis of the present moment and rigorous critique, we will be risking our entire political freedoms for decades to come. If the historical moment is not acted upon, the crisis will become a catastrophe, and the catastrophe could take us back to an even darker age.
Coronavirus: what you need to know
The domination of nature has reached crisis proportions under capitalism, and viral outbreaks are yet another ecological problem. There are ways that we can prevent the spread of these pathogens: wash your hands, disinfect your phone, don’t touch your face and self-quarantine if you exhibit symptoms of being sick. But without addressing the root causes of these issues—capitalism and the idea of dominating nature—these sorts of problems will only worsen. Social ecology offers an alternative vision of what an ecological and socially just world might look like – a world organized around care instead of domination that fosters a reharmonization of humanity and non-human nature.
New Institute of Social Ecology and Communalism (IESC) founded in France
We are pleased to announce the foundation of the Institute of Social Ecology and Communalism in France. Founded in February 2020, the aim of the Institute is to promote the ideas of social ecology and help build a movement in France and elsewhere in the francophone world. If you’re based in a French-speaking country, get involved! Their foundation statement is available below in English, and here in French. We look forward to collaborating together!
Gratitude and thanks to retiring ISE board member Lincoln Van Sluytman
The Institute for Social Ecology would like to thank Lincoln Van Sluytman, who is stepping down from our Board of Directors. Since joining the board in 2014, Lincoln’s wisdom, experience, and generosity have enriched our organization and brought important insights and perspectives to our work.
Donate and Support the Institute for Social Ecology
Dear Friends of the Institute for Social Ecology, We are living in a moment of overlapping social, political, and ecological crises. Authoritarianism and fascism continue to grow, as rising nationalism, racism, and xenophobia undermine democracy across the globe. Meanwhile, the climate crisis is already here, fueling unprecedented wildfires, ocean acidification, climate migration, and a host […]
