Post CC and the Geminisenter for Postgrowth Futures collaborate on a new monthly webinar series!
We are proud to be hosting a webinar series starting in September of 2024, and leading up to the 18th conference of the International Society for Ecological Economics and the 11th International Degrowth conference in Oslo 24th to 27th of June 2025. The series will comprise of a total of 7-8 webinars where we share knowledge and discuss interesting topics related to degrowth and post consumption citizenship.
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UPCOMING WEBINARS
December 12th 09:00-10:00
«De-Eurocentrifying» degrowth? Insights from China.
Marius Korsnes (Associate Professor at Norwegian University of Science and Technology), Adrian Ely (Professor at University of Sussex), Dunfu Zhang (Professor at Shanghai University) and Shuhua Chen (Senior Researcher at Norwegian University of Science and Technology)
The notion that degrowth originated in Europe and is now being disseminated globally warrants critical re-evaluation. While terms like décroissance (coined by André Gorz in 1972) may have European roots, the underlying concepts of sufficiency and critique of GDP-driven growth are not exclusive to the West. Responses to the “Limits to Growth”, (also published in 1972) emerged from various world regions and highlighted – inter alia – the importance of innovation for basic needs rather than material consumption. Furthermore, many non-Western cultures, including Confucian and Daoist heritage China, have longer traditions aligned with principles of sufficiency, challenging a Eurocentric framing of degrowth. This webinar explores some of these traditions, considering how growth-critical ideas have traversed between Europe and China and critically examining whether concepts such as degrowth can—and should—be disentangled from their Eurocentric histories.
Past webinars
November 14th 09:00-10:00
Community Economies and Post-Capitalism
Elizabeth Barron (Professor at Norwegian University of Science and Technology) and Bianca Elzenbaumer (President of the cultural organisation Brave New Alps)
The concept of a post-capitalist world implies a world after capitalism, but it does not suggest a structure for economic negotiations in that world. Too much of the debate has focused on the need for a complete replacement of capitalism. Cooperative, ethically based economies have been proposed as one way of taking the economy back from capitalism and helping us move into a postcapitalist period in which capitalism is one part of a diverse array of economies. Community economies, as theorized by J.K. Gibson-Graham (1996), suggests that economic exchange encompasses a wide array of activities, spaces, places, and engagements. In this talk the presenters will introduce this line of scholarly work, and present how it is being activated in various places around the world.
October 17th 09:00-10:00
Overcoming Barriers and Enabling Change Towards Sustainable and Inclusive Wellbeing
Rutger Hoekstra (Associate Professor at Leiden University) and Maria Zinutti (Implementation Lead, Wellbeing Economy Alliance)
There is no lack of ideas when it comes to Beyond-Growth. For at least 50 years, many Beyond-GDP metrics have been proposed and visions of a new economy have been created. Yet implementation of these ideas has been (too) slow. What are the barriers that are keeping these ideas back? What lessons can we learn from the history of institutionalisation of economic growth after the second world war? What role is there from institutions and what role is there for citizens? In this presentation Rutger will present some of the insights from recent reports from the WISE Horizons and MERGE projects (link, link). Maria will present the experiences of the WEAll network to overcome barriers to enable change towards an economy which prioritises Sustainable and Inclusive Wellbeing.
September 12th 09:00-10:00
The rise and fall of growth. Post-capitalist alternatives and possibilities.
Emil A. Røyrvik (Professor at the department of Sociology and political science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology) and Øyvind Hansen (Representative from the political party Rødt)
The problem of growth is a complex question which is deeply intertwined with capitalism as a “way of life”. Frederic Jameson noted that it is easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism. The presentation addresses the constraints and possibilities for viable, desirable, and realistic alternatives to the dominant order and “business as usual”, and how we can go about systematically identifying and assessing the abundance of alternatives already in existence. The question remains whether a profound societal transformation towards post-capitalism is possible in lieu of apocalypse.
DOWNLOAD PRESENTATIONS
Would you like to contribute?
We are looking for speakers or topics for our post-growth webinar series. Please contact Berit Therese Nilsen (berit.nilsen@samforsk.no).
What is Post CC?
The downsides of growth and decades of resource depletion is showing more and more in today's society. Growth is however deeply embedded in capitalist societies steered by market liberalism. Excessive consumption has previously been associated with growth and prosperity. Now, an increasing number of people and communities are looking elsewhere to increase their quality of life and wellbeing at home, work, or in their spare time. These types of initiatives are the ones Post CC wants to investigate more closely.
Through case studies, media, and literature analysis, in addition to more exploratory methods, Post CC will look for what motivates actors and characterise both new and more long-established practices and initiatives that enables ways of living with lower consumption and increased well-being. Or in other words, what enables post consumption citizenship in neighbourhoods, workplaces, and leisure arenas. The research in the project is based on close dialogue, where people's experiences, behaviour, associations, opinions, and attitudes to reduced consumption and wellbeing is investigated.
In addition to a range of qualitative methods, surveys will be conducted at several points in time from the same group of people to identify potential changes in behaviour and opinions. Post CC wants to uncover the kind of resources and infrastructure necessary to support practices of lower consumption. Post CC will communicate and disseminate this knowledge to different groups in society, targeting diverse genders, ethnicities, age groups, and people of various socioeconomic status in addition to policy makers, and the academic community, to spread ideas, knowledge and actions supporting Post Consumption Citizenship on all arenas in life.
