January 24, 2023

About refrigerators

By Mina Kouvara Triggered by examples of vernacular technologies, I wonder how things would have evolved if the technological rupture of the late 18th century hadn’t occurred—provided that cultivating a healthy self and society was integral to civilisation.
April 6, 2017

400 refugees, 7 floors, 1 home – Solidarity space in Athens' City Plaza Hotel

Giorgos Velegrakis reports from Athens’ struggles against EU immigration policy, and for the creation of a new political community.
August 4, 2016

Tales of dispossession in times of crisis: lessons from Greece

The case of gold-extraction in Halkidiki is only one chapter in the “book of dispossessions” in Greece during the crisis period.  Land, natural resources and public infrastructure in Greece comprise investment targets for local and international speculative capital; their current exploitation is now taking place to unprecedented extent, intensity and geographical spread.*
March 23, 2015

New publication on Degrowth: The questions of a new era

When the language in use is inadequate to articulate what begs to be articulated, then it is time for a new vocabulary. Quote from ‘Degrowth – A vocabulary for a new era’ “Degrowth – A vocabulary of a new era” is the first English language book to describe and explain the lines of thought in degrowth, as well as to present alternative to growth imaginaries and bring together existing courses of (degrowth) action. Concepts such as “anti-utilitarianism”, “environmental justice”, “care”, “commons” and “conviviality” are, according […]
September 30, 2014

Interview with researcher Jonah Wedekind on agrarian transformation in Ethiopia

by Giorgos Velegrakis This interview was originally given to Giorgos Velegrakis for the Greek environmental magazine Oikotrives. Giorgos Velegrakis (G.V): For a few years now Ethiopia has been one of the countries which has been strongly associated with the phenomena of land grabbing. Why? Jonah Wedekind (J.W.): Land grabbing has become a popular term since at least 2007/08, when sky rocketing food and fuel prices were followed by a rush of investors for agricultural land in the Global South, particularly in Africa, and indeed Ethiopia […]
September 21, 2014

Interview with researcher Salvatore Paolo De Rosa on the Campania waste conflict

by Giorgos Velegrakis The interview was originally given to Giorgos Velegrakis for the greek environmental magazine Oikotrives Giorgos Velegrakis (G.V.): We know that over a lot of years now an area of Campania became the trashcan of Italy. How did it all start? Salvatore Paolo De Rosa (S.P.):The area of Campania that suffered the most of the accumulation of trash is the northern part: a plain between the provinces of Naples and Caserta, stretching on 3.800 sq. km whit 4 million inhabitants. This land was […]
September 21, 2014

Interview with researcher Irina Velicu on the gold mine of Rosia Montana, Romania

by Giorgos Velegrakis This is interview was originally given for the environmental Magazine Oikotrives in Greece and was translated and published in English and Spanish by the open journal xpressed. In the areaof Rosia Montanain Romania the residents have been putting up a fight for the past 14 years against the gold mining plans of the Canadian company Gabriel Resources. The major demonstrations in post-communist Romania took place in the last three months, with thousands of people on the streets of major cities supporting the struggle […]