6th International Conference on Degrowth for ecological sustainability and social equity
Call for academic submissions
Degrowth. Décroissance. Decrecimiento. Decrescita. Post wachstum. Nemnövekedés. Nerväxt. These words represent the ambition for a social and ecological transformation of societies beyond the unsustainable and unjust growth paradigm. 21-25 August 2018 , the 6th International Conference on Degrowth will take place in Malmö, Sweden . This will be a space to advance debates on degrowth among diverse social groups via interconnected and
mutually enriching academic, artistic and activist programmes.
Dialogues in turbulent times is the overarching theme of the conference. It is driven by the aim to stimulate dialogues between and within different geographical regions and worldviews, as well as with critical social theories, natural sciences and social movements.
Therefore, in this call for academic submissions, we list some of the topics that we would like to be discussed at the conference, inspired by the conference’s aims and the main theme. We also look forward to ideas beyond these, which would expand the geographical and thematic scope of degrowth, as well as advance and further substantiate current degrowth debates.
– States
– Critical social theories (e.g. anarchism, feminism, Marxism, postcolonial theory)
– Care, gender and feminisms
– The pluriverse: Articulating alternatives to development
– Politics of degrowth
– Natural sciences
– Climate change, climate and environmental justice
– Indigenous movements
– Technology in a degrowth society
– Money and finance in a degrowth society
– Subjectivities, values, ideals and satisfactions
– Public sector (e.g. transport, healthcare, education)
– Material production (e.g. food, plastics, steel, paper)
– Degrowth in the age of migrations
– Organisational and organising practices
– Art for degrowth
– Expanding geographies of degrowth (especially Nordic countries and the Middle East)
– The future of the European Union
– Ageing
– Spirituality/religion
– War and peace
– Degrowth: culture, power and change
Formats of academic submissions
● Special sessions involve a traditional format of paper presentations with a specific thematic focus sessions with 3-4 presentations and time for discussion.
● Individual papers that are grouped into sessions by the conference organisers
● Participatory sessions encourage reflection on a particular topic using an open format (e.g. discussion workshops, dialogical/reading/planning sessions, walks etc)
● Posters to be displayed in the conference venue during the conference
Submission procedure
Special sessions with paper presentations require an abstract describing the overall session topic and how it speaks to the conference, as well as paper titles and abstracts (max. 1500 words). Deadline: 31 December 2017.
Individual papers and poster presentations require the submission of a paper or poster title and an abstract (250-350 words). Deadline: 28 February 2018.
Participatory sessions comprising other formats require an abstract with information on the topic of the session, how it speaks to the conference and how it will be conducted (max. 1500 words). Deadline: 31 December 2017.
All submissions are to be sent via our online submission system (opens 1 December 2017 ).
The main language of the conference is English, but we will review submissions in other languages also.
For any questions, please contact us at: academic@malmo.degrowth.org
6th International Degrowth Conference for ecological sustainability and social equity
Call for activist proposals
The 6th International Degrowth Conference will take place in Malmö 21-25 August 2018 .
Dialogues in turbulent times is its overarching theme. Our ambition is that the inclusion of a range of social, cultural and activist events draws in members of the community and stimulates a fruitful public debate.
Degrowth is an umbrella term that critiques the centrality of economic growth in
contemporary societies and embraces alternatives that are ecologically sustainable, socially just and stimulate human flourishing. We see the conference as a space to advance debates on degrowth, a meeting place for grassroots groups and also involving broader public. This will be done via interconnected and mutually enriching academic, artistic and activist
programmes. In this call for activists, we therefore invite proposals that include but are not limited to the following activities (i.e. ideas not mentioned in the list are more than welcome!):
• run-up events that would take place throughout 2018 in different locations in the Nordic countries, Europe and internationally, to spread the word about the conference and connect different related activities worldwide.
• degrowth in practice events might involve, for example: organising swaps; workshops on making/repair, agricultural initiatives, technology commons, publishing, waste reduction, reuse, sustainable and just energy; degrowth workshops for kids and elderly people.
• meetings of social movements and grassroots initiatives , especially meetings that stimulate dialogues between different groups
• conference live-streaming and other media support
• co-organising the degrowth demonstration in the city of Malmö (25 August)
• we also invite local groups to get involved as partners in coordinating the conference logistics on the ground (e.g. via organising accommodation, transport, food, volunteers etc)
Submissions period: 1 October – 31 December 2017
Please submit your proposal (max 1-2 pages long), articulating what activity you propose to hold, how it speaks to the conference and how it will be organised. All submissions should be sent to activists@malmo.degrowth.org .
All the proposals will be reviewed by our team and discussed with the people submitting them as they arrive, so please submit as early as you can . The main language of the conference is English, but we will review submissions in other languages also.
6th International Degrowth Conference for ecological sustainability and social equity
Call for artistic sessions and events
The 6th International Degrowth Conference will take place in Malmö 21-25 August 2018.
Dialogues in turbulent times is its overarching theme. Our ambition is that the inclusion of a range of social, cultural and activist events draws in members of the community and stimulates a fruitful public debate.
Degrowth is an umbrella term that critiques the centrality of economic growth in
contemporary societies and embraces alternatives that are ecologically sustainable, socially just and stimulate human flourishing. We see the conference as a space to advance debates on degrowth, a meeting place for grassroots groups and also involving broader public. This will be done via interconnected and mutually enriching academic, artistic and activist
programmes. In this call for artistic sessions and events, we therefore invite proposals that include but are not limited to the following activities. The ideas not mentioned in the list are more than welcome too!
1. We invite artists to propose artistic sessions within 6th International Degrowth Conference.
All forms of artistic expression are welcome (e.g. visual art, theatre, dance, music, poetry, performance art, etc etc etc etc etc). A connection to degrowth is not a requirement, but we would like some of these sessions to engage with it or have a political aspect more broadly.
Participatory formats are most welcome.
2. We invite local groups to get involved as partners in organising artistic events such as:
• exhibitions on degrowth or related themes in Malmö parallel (& prior) to the conference
• film festival on degrowth or related themes in Malmö parallel to the conference
• theatre events on degrowth or related themes in Malmö before or parallel to the conference
• artistic programme for kids during the conference
Submissions period: 1 October – 31 December 2017
Please submit your proposal (max 1-2 pages long), articulating what activity you propose to hold, how it speaks to the conference and how it will be organised. For local groups : please also write what you expect from the partnership with the conference. All submissions should be sent to artists@malmo.degrowth.org .
All the proposals will be reviewed by our team and discussed with people and groups submitting them as they arrive, so please submit as early as you can . The main languageof the conference is English, but we will review submissions in other languages also.
