Marx in the Anthropocene: Capital, Nature, Ecology, Environment

The claim that ecological collapse represents one of the main great challenges of the 21st century has now become a truism. It is no longer a belief held by groups associated with ecological militancy: mainstream media, international organizations, multinational corporations, and areas traditionally far removed from what is usually understood as ecological sensibilities have, for a decade now, shown clear awareness of the urgency of the climate problem. Nevertheless, as the data note, the awareness about, for example, the climate problem is not matched by real effective political action on the global scale capable of countering it. This conference aims to make a Marxist-oriented critical rereading of the reasons that prevent the production of effective actions capable of meeting what currently appears to be the fundamental need of humanity:  a radical socio-ecological transformation.

Building on a debate that is well established in European and non-European areas, this conference aims to establish the first opportunity for international discussion in Italy on the relationship between Marxism and the fundamental questions related to the environment and ecology. More specifically, the question concerns the possibility for Marxist thought to critically illuminate the contradictions that prevent a comprehensive interpretation of the relations between society and nature. Through the perhaps overused name "anthropocene," the conference aims to focus the discussion on the rifts and tensions that characterize the present era and to screen them in the light of Marxist thought.

The conference will be held at the Università Iuav di Venezia on March 11-14, 2025.