Beyond the Limits of Nature: A social-ecological view of growth and degrowth
ISE board member Eleanor Finley has a new article titled Beyond the Limits of Nature: A social-ecological view of growth and degrowth. Part of the series Ecology after capitalism, it draws on Bookchin’s work to interrogate the limits of the degrowth perspective and contrasts it with social ecology’s analysis of post-scarcity and ecological development.
Radical Politics in a Reactionary Time
by long-time ISE faculty member, Peter Staudenmaier, who also teaches at Marquette University in Milwaukee.
Accelerationism… and Degrowth? The Left’s Strange Bedfellows
ISE affiliate Aaron Vansintjan has written an engaging article that analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of two of the most widely discussed political tendencies on the left today, Accelerationism and Degrowth, exploring their political priorities, vision, and blind spots.
“Bookchin and Marx;” Reid Kotlas from the 2016 Annual Gathering
We are happy to present “Bookchin and Marx,” a paper delivered at this year’s ISE annual gathering by Reid Kotlas, a member of the Platypus Affiliated Society. Platypus is an international project “for the self-criticism, self-education, and, ultimately, the practical reconstitution of a Marxian Left” which hosts reading groups and publishes the journal The Platypus Review. In recent years Platypus […]
Enroll Now – New Flexible Online Course!
Our first online course Ecology, Democracy, Utopia was a great success! In response to high demand we are now offering a self-directed course featuring the same video lectures, readings, and discussion forums but without the fixed time commitment of a weekly seminar. This allows for more flexible participation; you can start the course at any time, at your own speed, and according to your own schedule.
Chaia Heller – Beyond Electoral Politics: Moving the Left Toward Communalism
“In November 2016, U.S. leftists will be offered up a blue and red pill provided by the matrix of our own failing democracy. Candidate #1 (let’s call this the blue pill) will be deemed the lesser of two evils, the greater of which is candidate #2 (the red pill). But what if, after responsibly choosing the pill determined to be less evil (an act of damage control), leftists then set their sights on going off their meds—that is, what if they aimed to leave the state matrix altogether? Local communalist politics, such as those outlined by Murray Bookchin’s theory of social ecology, beckon to leftists and offer a way to transcend the state by creating a confederation of directly democratic communities.”
16 Year Anniversary of A16 IMF/World Bank Protest – Bringing Democracy Home
ISE faculty and students were key organizers and active participants in the alterglobalization movement. To commemorate the 16th anniversary of the “A16” action in Washington D.C. and the important role played by Social Ecologists in this movement, we’re posting the widely-read Bringing Democracy Home pamphlet that helped give the movement its political flavor. Although written 16 years ago, its insights remain as relevant as ever.
French Translation of Post-Scarcity Anarchism now available
A complete French translation of Murray Bookchin’s classic Post-Scarcity Anarchism is finally available thanks to Vincent Gerber and Écosociété press. Bravo et merci! You can order copies of Au-delà de la rareté: L’anarchisme dans une société d’abondance here.
An organic revolutionary in South Korea
by Grace Gershuny Last October I had the opportunity to deliver a talk at a conference in Goesan province, South Korea. The Regional Conference on Marketing & Innovation in Organic Farming was co-sponsored by IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements) with the Goesan provincial government. My presentation, co-authored by former IFOAM President Katherine DiMatteo, […]
Carmelo Ruiz: Is food really becoming scarce?
To celebrate the publication of the brand new edition of Frances Moore Lappé and Joseph Collins’ classic book, World Hunger: 10 Myths, we offer a new article by our Puerto Rico-based colleague, Carmelo Ruiz: That food is becoming scarce because demand and population growth are outstripping supply is an article of faith that is rarely […]
