• Define capitalism and learn about its evolution over the course of modern history;
• Describe the various critiques posed to capitalism by critical theory and other sociological theories;
• Interpret some of the most pressing societal issues (ecological crisis, rising inequalities, gender rights) in light of the contemporary debates on capitalism;
• Describe the basic tenets of the various efforts to reimagine capitalism;
• Challenge the boundaries of the current capitalist system and discuss the opportunities and limitations for change agents to positively impact it;
• Identify the potentials and the shortcomings of the various efforts to reimagine capitalism;
• Produce an original piece of written work for the final exam engaging with theories and empirical case studies in a coherent, critical and structured manner;
• Learn to think in a creative, critical and imaginative manner.

In order to critically understand the ongoing multiple crises on the economic, social and environmental level and in order to envision sustainable and just futures, an understanding of the dominant socio-economic system, namely capitalism, is a fundamental and foundational prerequisite. 

In the last years, and especially after the North-Atlantic financial crisis of 2007-2008, many scholars and observers have underlined the unsustainability of capitalism and the need to re-imagine our economies, their underlying logic, and their functioning mechanisms. Even the economic newspaper Financial Times has recently launched a media campaign and a column titled “Capitalism: Time for a Reset” encouraging business leaders to challenge the past decade's dominant business tenets of infinite growth and profits, and opening up the debate on topics such as the ethics of investing, the risk in big technology and the future of the corporate world.

As a response to this emerging awareness, many individuals, communities and organizations around the world are experimenting with new governance structures, with alternative ways of producing and consuming goods, and with non-conventional lifestyles. Many of these practices come from local, self-organized, grassroots societal niches but have the potential to disrupt the status quo by prefiguring in the present a better society for the future. For this reason, it is important to get to know them and interpret them not only as niches of innovation, but as seeds of scalable social and economic change.

The underlying “big” question to the course is the following:

Can we re-imagine and reform contemporary capitalism “from within” to make it a more just and sustainable system, or do we need to implement a totally new socio-economic system, a system able to sustain the flourishing of human and non-human life throughout the 21st century? 

The course is organized in three main blocks.

The first part titled “Theories and Critiques of Capitalism” will allow the students to define capitalism and understand its evolution over the course of modern history until today. In this part, we will also get an overview of the main critiques posed to capitalism by classic social theory and by civil society. In parallel with these theoretical debates, we will learn how to frame, in light of the functioning of contemporary capitalism, some of the most pressing societal issues such as the ecological crisis in the Anthropocene, the call for more equality and recognition by feminist social movements and LGBTQI communities, and the sky-rocketing inequalities between the Global North and South.

This will allow us to transition to the second block titled “Transformative Practices Towards Just and Sustainable Societies”. In fact, after the critique, the pars destruens, comes the pars construens: the proposal for alternatives. In this part, mostly based on case study discussions of existing communities, networks, social movements and organizations, students will learn about the values, logics, strategies, practices, risks and challenges to ameliorate our economies and societies. Among the empirical case studies deployed, we find the case of the biggest and oldest intentional community in the world, Auroville in the South of India, the case of social and solidarity economy in the Global South, the consumer citizenship movement, and, finally, the case of food sovereignty grassroots communities in Tunisia. Eventually, we will invite guests from civil society and the private sector to share their experience and reflections on transforming communities toward a more just and sustainable world. 

The third and final part of the course is titled “Future Imaginaries and Conclusions”. In this part we will discuss – inspired by fictional and sci-fi recounts present in books, cinema and art - on how the future of our societies and economies will look like. The growing use of artificial intelligence, robots, automation, for instance, is fostering a vibrant debate on the seemingly uselessness of human work and on the potentialities and risks resulting from the increasing intelligence of robots. Similarly, apocalyptic recounts on the potential consequences of climate change and the destruction of natural habitats are thought provoking and alarming. What will human societies look like in the future? How can we steer positive change to avoid ecological and social catastrophes? Shall we shift our values, beliefs and the idea that humankind is the dominant species on this planet? This final part of the course will encourage us to use our critical minds and our vivid imaginations to tackle important and fascinating issues. 

Course Faculty: Lara Monticelli, Charlotte Cator

Suggeted References (provisional - See course syllabus for the complete list):

Chomsky N and Pollin R (2020) Climate Crisis and the Global Green New Deal. London: Verso Books

Fraser N and Jaeggi R (2018) Capitalism: A Conversation in Critical Theory. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Jaeggi R (2013) What (if anything) is wrong with capitalism? Dysfunctionality, exploitation and alienation: Three approaches to the critique of capitalism. The Southern Journal of Philosophy 4(1): 44-65.

Wright E O (2010) Envisioning Real Utopias. London: Verso Books.