Degrowth Conference
Please find the report of the conference here.
The Conference
The Budapest Degrowth Conference has been organized with the intent to maintain continuity with previous conferences, demonstrating the latest research in the field of degrowth, as well as promoting cooperation in the development of scientific and political proposals and facilitation of networking and the flow of ideas between various actors working on degrowth, especially in academia.
Please find the Conference’s format here and program here.
More than 500 researchers and scientists from across the world will gather in Budapest to discuss Degrowth, as a response to ecological, social and political unsustainability of contemporary society. The Conference will take place from August 30th to September 3rd in lecture halls and classrooms of Corvinus University of Budapest. The presentations for the conference were selected from over 500 applications for papers and special sessions by an international team of degrowth researchers, including the peer-to-peer evaluation of submissions (find the scientific committee here). The conference proceedings take place from 9:30 to 16:00 through 40 topical panels and 200 brief research presentations, organized around thematic days of CHALLENGES, STRATEGIES, ALLIANCES, through twelve cross-cutting themes from visionary conceptual innovations to solidarity with other global movements.
The Degrowth Week
Learning from the past conferences, and following degrowth principles, a decision was made to ensure the 5th International Degrowth Conference remain of manageable and convivial size. Nevertheless, a festival will take place to enable everyone, even without participating in the academic conference, to join a convivial Degrowth Week, featuring practical workshops, panel and participatory discussions, concerts, interactive tours through the city and artistic performances. Follow our Facebook page!
More about the Budapest Degrowth Week here!
Relocalization
Those located outside of the conference location also have the possibility to relocalize their own events. Indeed, while the conference and Degrowth week are running in Budapest, people will organize their own degrowth-inspired events which will benefit the global movement around degrowth, generated by Budapest events.
More information about relocalization here.
The goals
The main goals of the Budapest Degrowth Conference and Week is on one hand to question the limits to growth in understanding the challenges faced by society and on the other hand to implement dialogue about solutions on different levels.
Within the plurality and increasing number of events on degrowth, the goal is to develop a clear identity and philosophy for the international conference as a regular and recognizable event, where scholars, civil society and practitioners come together to inform each other regarding their degrowth-related research and activities. The conference is meant to be an additional step on the pathway where fruitful, reflective and interesting meetings and discussions encourage unity between worldwide degrowth experience and perceptions. Apart from the desire to be a convivial networking event, the next degrowth conference will open a platform for exchanging scientific advances in the degrowth field, continuing discussions that started in the previous conferences, building new knowledge and sharpening degrowth concepts, establishing a long-term action (e.g. degrowth network, future projects…), and introducing degrowth to newcomers, especially from the post-socialist region.
The Budapest Degrowth Conference represents more than an exchange of world-models, it is an alliance incubator and political generator of modified common sense that can elaborate an emergent political and economic order. The gathering represents a realignment of separate but linked entities that is emancipatory and utopian, whilst not materially impoverished nor culturally grey.
The principles
The organization team has worked diligently to shape the conference program guided by Degrowth principles, while striving to ensure that proceedings represent a meaningful example of “Degrowth in Practice”. The planning and implementation of conference programs and activities will collectively represent an environmentally and socially conscious, convivial exchange of intellect, human capacity and respectful cooperation. Read more here
Archive of calls: Calls page