Review: Annual Meeting 2021 Degrowth/Post-Growth – Alternative to the Destructive and Violent Current Economic System
Saturday, 27.03.2021 we invite all interested and members of associations our annual meeting one. At this year's online annual meeting we dealt with the topic "Degrowth/Post Growth – Alternative to the Destructive and Violent Current Economic System". After a presentation by Sara Fromm (main office of the workshop as well as a member of "Research & Degrowth), we discussed together with the 45 participants why and how exactly Degrowth can be a collective vision especially for the peace and climate justice movement and what the workshop could play for.
In its Lecture Sara pointed out the criticism of the current destructive and violent economic system and explained why the so-called 'green growth' is not a real solution. After a detailed presentation of the concept of Degrowth/Postgrowth, the connection to peace and freedom of violence was established. A brief introduction to the Violence Triangle after Galtung also brought people for whom this topic was still new. How to combat social movements against the most diverse forms of violence, Sara showed the feminist and anti-racist movement. From there it was not far to the connection of Degrowth and Peace. What makes Degrowth so relevant as a vision, Sara explained in a section on "Emancipatory Utopias" and here again struck the bridge from Degrowth to peace and climate justice.
In the following Joint discussion the participants noted that the attitude of non-violence exists as a connecting moment between degrowth and peace. It is necessary to explain "freedom of administration" as a term precisely – because it is not only a method of conflict management but a vision that involves many aspects – such as violence related to nature, gender and skin color and many others more. This is especially true for the recent climate justice movement.
The workshop can contribute to a networking function between peace and climate justice and, for example, offers action trainings or workshops on consensus decisions and other degrowth-relevant topics for climate justice and peace movement. An important next step is to think even more concretely and develop projects.
