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.
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.
Primitivism and Ecofascism
Although some have been surprised by the far right’s enthusiasm for the work of Ted Kaczynski and John Zerzan, social ecology has long warned of both the problematic philosophical assumptions of primitivism and ecofascism. Steve Ongerth describes 6 points of ideological overlap between primitivism and ecofascism.
New online seminar: Frankfurt School Critical Theory
We are excited to announce a new online seminar on Frankfurt School Critical Theory, the famously rich yet challenging body of ideas that has been a foundational influence on social ecology. This seven-session seminar will introduce the core concepts, thinkers, and texts of the tradition, and explore its continued relevance for contemporary political and theoretical questions.
Presentation by Kurdish feminist, Dilar Dirik
Dilar Dirik, a noted international voice of the Kurdish women’s movement, was a keynote speaker at the recent fifth international conference of Trise, the European social ecology organization. Brian Tokar reports.
Social Ecology Pamphlet by Emily McGuire
A lovely illustrated overview of social ecology by ISE student and designer Emily McGuire – available for download!
Forms of Freedom: Dual-Power in Fiji
The following is an edited excerpt from an upcoming article on democratic traditions in Fiji by Glenn Hall that will be published in Harbinger: A Journal of Social Ecology.
Relaunching Harbinger: A Journal of Social Ecology
The Institute for Social Ecology is excited to announce the relaunch of Harbinger: A Journal of Social Ecology – online in late November, 2019!
