A seminar on ecology, the economy, global warming, geopolitics, and racism.
Apocalypse Now?
We live in a time marked by anxiety and paralysis. We witness trade wars, brutal conflicts, and ethnic cleansing. We see a planetary ecosystem on the verge of collapse. We see the spread of fascist and neo-Nazi movements, migration flows, and racism. What can we do? Or is it up to someone else? Politicians seem toothless. Have we all become slaves to the driving forces of the economic system? Is it—in the words of Slavoj Žižek—”too late to wake up”?
There seem to be crises everywhere: climate crisis, geopolitical crisis, housing crisis, debt crisis, economic crisis, political crisis, ideological crisis, and many more. But if there is a crisis everywhere—why is it so difficult to define what a crisis actually is?
In this lecture, Ståle Holgersen provides a Marxist introduction to crisis theory and discusses what constitutes a crisis, what does not, and why the distinction matters. At a time when the climate crisis continues to escalate, these questions are becoming increasingly important.
Ståle Holgersen discusses what a better understanding of the concept of crisis can teach us about capitalism, global warming, and a strategy for a different world.
The discussion will also touch upon the relationship between a small sawmill at Rörane and concepts such as surplus value, forestry policy, creative destruction, and the tendency of the rate of profit to fall. And, as a direct result, the systematic exploitation of the planet’s resources—of humanity, nature, and ecosystems.
Coffee and food will be provided.
To round off the day, Nynningen will perform a concert.
UBåT – Nynningen ventures into new, deep waters
The quartet—Tomas Forssell, Thomas Jäderlund, Anastasia Grivogiannis, and Bernt Andersson—offers a deep dive into the music, presenting new versions of the band’s many songs.
Tomas Forssell co-founded Nynningen in 1971. Thomas Jäderlund joined in 2016, and Anastasia came aboard in 2024. Bernt Andersson was a member from 1972 through the late 1970s; in recent years, however, his involvement with the old group has become increasingly frequent.
Performing in a more or less acoustic/unplugged style, the band presents songs from both earlier records and their latest album.
Bassist Nikke Ström, who passed away earlier this summer, receives a special tribute.
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Ståle Holgersen is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Human Geography at Stockholm University. He is the author of books such as Staden och kapitalet (Daidalos 2017) and Krisernas tid (Daidalos 2022).
CAPITALISM PRODUCES CRISES AND CRISES REPRODUCE CAPITALISM. WE NEED AN ECOSOCIALIST WAY OUT.
If crisis defines our era, we need a coherent socialist policy in response. Ståle Holgersen delves into today’s economic and ecological crises to demonstrate that they are not exceptions to an otherwise functioning system but integral to its operation. It is naive to see these upheavals as opportunities for reform or revolution. They are the bedrock of the status quo. Fortunately, the vicious circle sustaining capitalism is not founded on an iron law. Our historical mission in the face of the climate crisis is to create a historical exception to the rule. It is time for ecosocialism against crisis.
Reviews
- The most clarifying dissection of ‘crisis’ as concept and reality to appear in several decades, at the least. As we lurch from one crisis to another, this will be essential reading Andreas Malm, coauthor of Overshoot: How the World Surrendered to Climate Breakdown
- Sharp, panoramic, and fiercely principled, Against the Crisis is an invaluable guide to a world in which crisis is constantly proclaimed yet too rarely theorized. Ståle Holgerson deftly synthesizes and evaluates decades of Marxist debates about the nature of capitalist crises and updates them for the present age of planetary ecological breakdown, all the while offering acute insights into the stakes of crises for class struggle. Theoretically rich and politically perceptive, Against the Crisis casts a critical eye on oft-made claims—like the idea that crisis will drive capitalist collapse, or that crisis necessarily generates political opportunity—while offering suggestions for how the left might not only address the symptoms of crises but attack their underlying cause. Under capitalism, after all, crises are not the exception but the rule. Against the Crisis is a vital resource for political strategy in our volatile times. Alyssa Battistoni, coauthor of A Planet to Win: Why We Need a Green New Deal
- Holgersen’s book is therefore more relevant than he may have anticipated when he wrote it. Arkiv
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The entire seminar will be live-streamed.
Reserve a place by emailing studio@rorane.se.
Please indicate in your registration whether you would like a meat or vegetarian meal.
No participation fee. Food and coffee are free.
Limited number of places.
The seminar starts at 3:00 PM.