In the face of the contemporary polycrisis and the rise of reactionary politics, Eco-Marxism offers an essential framework for understanding the intersection of capitalism, environmental destruction, and class struggle. This seminar, co-organized between the University of Bologna and the Centre for Social Studies of Coimbra University, explores the dual role of labour in Eco-Marxist thought, both as an objective force in material production and as a subjective agent of ecological transformation. On the one hand, labour is structurally embedded in the capitalist mode of production, which profoundly restructures the relationship between humans and nature in its search for profit. On the other, labour—through class consciousness and political mobilization—holds the potential to challenge the prevailing socio-ecological system and drive a post-capitalist ecological transition. By critically examining key Eco-Marxist thinkers, from Karl Marx’s analysis of labour and nature to contemporary theorists like John Bellamy Foster, Stefania Barca, Kohei Saito and Jason W. Moore, we will examine the political potential of the factor of Labour in addressing the socio-ecological challenges posed by contemporary capitalism. This seminar invites participants to critically engage with the necessity of integrating ecological struggles within class politics to build a sustainable and just future.
 

Emanuele Leonardi, Associate professor at Department of Sociology and Business Law, University of Bologna
Jonas Van Vossole, researcher at the Centre for Social Science and co-coordinator of its Ecology and Society research group (ECOSOC)