The invitation is now open to participate in the 8th International Degrowth Conference “Caring Communities for Radical Change”, that will take place in the Hague, Netherlands, between 24-28 August 2021. 

The invitation is now open to participate in the 8th International Degrowth Conference “Caring Communities for Radical Change”, that will take place in the Hague, Netherlands, between 24-28 August 2021. The conference aims to connect activists, artists, academics, practitioners, students, and general public to create an open platform for discussing ideas and practices which can ensure wellbeing for all within the Earth’s limits.

If one word could describe 2020, that word could be ‘change’. Nothing has been the same for most people globally since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. It confronted us with our vulnerabilities and interdependencies, but also with our potential for transformation through care: transformation of ourselves, our relationships, and our economies. That is why the conference is centered around caring communities and positive impacts they generate.

As the Call for participation states: “The restless expansion of our economies is causing unprecedented crises and threatening our very existence. How do we confront the contradictions between endless economic growth and the ecological boundaries of our planet? What kind of society would ensure a good life for all, without wealth and power being hoarded by the few? How can we enable a just transition that halts over-extraction, over-production and over-consumption? Degrowth is a movement and a research field that explores these fundamental questions and proposes solutions confronting the roots of today’s crises. With our overall theme, Caring Communities for Radical Change, we highlight that care – through solidarity and justice – is central to degrowth as a collective project promoting sustainable, decolonial, feminist and post-capitalist modes of flourishing.”

You will find more information about the conference in the  Call for participation. And you can submit your proposals directly here, in English, Dutch or French. The call will close on March 15.

You are invited to share it within your networks and join next August.

For more information you can contact: [email protected].

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Cover image: Mycelium mandala, by Degrowth NL 2021. The mandala is an age old symbol of wholeness. Our mycelium mandala represents the vegetative part of a fungus; it is known for being full of life – connecting a rapidly developing underground system. Mycelia play a crucial role in the decomposition of old forms of life. They decompose dead organic matter, making nutrients available again for the system and its growing life forms. It is a wonderful emblem for degrowth, a social movement that ranges from ecology to spirituality (from the soil to the soul). We invite you to become part of this web of life that together creates the caring communities we are so deeply longing for!