In this seminar we will trace the historical origins of Sustainability (across world regions) and Sustainable Development and analyze their different traditions, trajectories, and implementation strategies for transformation. In particular, we will focus on Degrowth as model for a radical social-ecological transformation discuss alternative approaches from the Global South, such as, for example, Radical Ecological Democracy (Eco-Swaraj), the Global Tapestry of Alternatives or Sumak Kawsay (Buen Vivir).
In the first part we will discuss Western and non-Western histories of Sustainability, engage with its ethical (theories of justice), and ontological (understanding of basic concepts such as Natural Capital, relationships between society and nature, economic assumptions, idea of progress…) foundations, and critically analyze the concept of Sustainable Development.
The second part will be dedicated to discuss sustainability and degrowth not only from an environmental perspective, but also from the point of view of social theory: we will discuss the role of economic growth for modern societies and address how the ecological crisis and the crisis of growth impact social cohesion, legitimization of democracies, and the prospects of a good life.
In the third section we will engage with alternative scenarios and proposals for a social-ecological transformation, including, inter alia, Degrowth, Eco-Swaraj, Buen Vivir, and the Global Tapestry of Alternatives.
The material analyzed is interdisciplinary. We will read and discuss it from the point of view of Environmental and Social Philosophy (normative assumptions and implications, theoretical understandings of society-nature relations and social-ecological transformations, critical analysis of implications)
- Dozent/in: Barbara Muraca