UTOPIA(S) RELOADED:

Science, activism and the techno-eco-social transformation | Wissenschaft, Aktivismus und die techno-öko-soziale Transformation

Date: 26-28 October 2023

Venue: 4lthangrund, Augasse 2-6, 1090 Wien (click here) and click here

Registration until 15 October (closed)

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Organisation

GSIS in co-operation with partners:
Club of Vienna
Degrowth Vienna
DFG-Kolleg-Forschungsgruppe “Zukünfte der Nachhaltigkeit”, Universität Hamburg (DFG-KFG)
Forum InformatikerInnen für Frieden und gesellschaftliche Verantwortung (FIfF)
Fridays for Future Wien (FFF Wien)
Herbert C. Kelman Institute (HKI)
Homeland Earth (Homeland Earth)
Institut für Internationale Entwicklung, Universität Wien (IE)
International Convivialist Association (ICA)
International Society for the Study of Information (IS4SI)
Pontificia Università Lateranense (PUL)
Rosa-Luxemburg-Institut (RLI)
Scientists for Future Österreich (S4F Österreich)
System Change, not Climate Change ! (SCnCC)

Call for talks

Click here. | Zur deutschen Fassung.

Programme | Programm

Talks about the role of utopian/dystopian imaginaries of the future in transforming global risks – scientific and activist points of view | Gespräche über die Rolle utopischer/dystopischer Zukunftsbilder bei der Transformation globaler Risiken – wissenschaftliche und aktivistische Perspektiven

Language: English, Deutsch

Three days with 90 minutes sessions followed by 30 minutes breaks and a 90 minutes lunch break. Side Programme evening slots are related to the talks.
– Each day starts with an Entry Session intended to present some general inputs on the theme of the day. The title of the Entry Session suggests an overall perspective around which the detailed topics of the further talks can be seen to revolve.
– Each day ends with a plenary Outlook Session, facilitated by some inputs, to highlight insights and draw conclusions.
The times for lectures/presentations and the times for discussions/active participation in the talks will vary and be set according to the requirements of each session.
Sessions take place in the room upstairs if not indicated otherwise.

All days

Art installation

Gerald Pueringer: BITCOIN-ALTAR. Description (German)

Clothing art showcase

Maria Gärber: Kunst-stoff. Description (German)

Day 1: Utopia(s) for the social transformation

1.1 Entry: A global culture uniting humanity through diversity – “Conviviality”? | Einstieg: Eine globale Kultur, welche die Vielfalt der Menschheit zu ihrer Einheit nutzt – “Konvivialität”?
9.00-10.30

Wolfgang Hofkirchner (TU Wien and GSIS): A necessary step in the evolution of humanity
Frank Adloff (Universität Hamburg, DFG-KFG, and ICA): Konvivialismus
Antje Daniel (Universität Wien, IE): Utopia – A prismatic perspective
Alexander Behr (Universität Wien): Globale Solidarität – Wie wir die imperiale Lebensweise überwinden und die sozial-ökologische Transformation umsetzen. Link to the book

1.2 Peace
11.00-12.30

Werner Wintersteiner (Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt, HKI, Homeland Earth): Why peace is a central element of the necessary socio-ecological and cultural transformation of our “Homeland Earth”. Über das informelle Netzwerk Edgar Morin für den deutschsprachigen Raum
Verena Winiwarter (Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, S4F): Material legacies of war as a common responsibility of humankind
Film: “Heimatland Erde”. Documentary of Edgar Morin’s vision by filmmaker Sophie Huber-Lachner (German version, including English statements, 20 min)

(Astronomer Francesca Fragkoudi in “Heimatland Erde”)

1.3 Habits and rituals
14.00-15.30

Raffaela Giovagnoli (PUL, Roma, and GSIS): Rituals, society and nostalgia
Amin Elfeshawi (Private Pädagogische Hochschule der Diözese Linz, Austria, and GSIS): Salafi streams and their utopia of an Islamic State
Edson Krenak (Cultural Survival/University of Vienna): Indigenous imaginations and ecopolitics in Amazonia – Protecting gardens against the state

1.4 Outlook
16.00-17.30

Lorenzo Magnani (Università di Pavia): Overcoming the current violent capitalist accumulation favored by the “New Enclosures” – Degradation of women, lockdowns, looting finance, war, plunder now. Link to a lecture, link to a recent book, link to another book
General discussion

Day 1 Side Programme

LESUNG (German) 18.00-19.30

Laura Freudenthaler: Arson. Link to her book, published on 28 August 2023
Moderation: Margarete Maurer (Philosophische Praxis, Forschung und Wissenschafts-Coaching, RLI und S4F Österreich)
Die Lesung ist offen für Publikum, das nicht zur Konferenz angemeldet ist.

Day 2: Utopia(s) for the eco-social transformation

2.1 Entry: A sustainable planet – “Anthropo-relationality”? | Einstieg: Ein nachhaltiger Planet – “Anthropo-Relationalität”?
9.00-10.30

Annette Schlemm (Philosophenstübchen and GSIS): Utopien in dystopischen Zuständen
Frank Adloff (Universität Hamburg, DFG-KFG, and ICA): Natur und Gesellschaft – Auf der Suche nach neuen Formen der Konvivialität

2.2 Degrowth
11.00-12.30

Frédéric Vandenberghe (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Max Weber Kolleg at the University of Erfurt and ICA): The New Anthropocentrism – Transformative power in the Anthropocene
Livia Regen (DEGROWTH VIENNA and GSIS): Strategies for social-ecological (degrowth) transformation
Antje Daniel (Universität Wien, IE): Degrowth – Eco-topian imaginaries in South Africa

2.3 Recht
14.00-15.30 Room on the ground floor (parallel session)

Philipp Degens (Universität Hamburg, DFG-KFG): Transformatives Recht von Unten? Legal coding als Instrument der Solidarischen Ökonomie
Lorenz Glatz (Munus Stiftung): Praktische Erfahrungen bei der Wiedererrichtung von Commons anhand der Munus Stiftung

2.4 Climate justice
14.00-15.30 (parallel session)

Hannah Geiser and Laila Kriechbaum (FFF Wien): Climate justice
Kurt Bayer (self-employed economics consultant, Wien): Discussion of the inadequacy of the standard economic model to deal with the necessary socio-ecological transition. Link to Bayer’s blog
Johannes Siegmund (Akademie der Bildenden Künste Wien): Klimasolidarität. Link to the book

2.5 Outlook
16:00-17.30

Verena Gradinger (SCnCC) and Lena Schilling (LobauBleibt): Wissenschaft und Aktivismus – Wie kommen wir gemeinsam weiter?
Ernest Aigner (Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien): Klimafreundliche Strukturen
General discussion

Day 2 Side Programme

BUCHVORSTELLUNG (German) 18.00-19.30

Annette Schlemm: Climate Engineering – Wie wir uns technologisch zu Tode siegen, statt die Gesellschaft zu revolutionieren. Link to her book
Die Buchvorstellung ist offen für Publikum, das nicht zur Konferenz angemeldet ist.

Day 3: Utopia(s) for the techno-eco-social transformation

3.1 Entry: Appropriate tools for an informed world civilisation – “Meaningfulness”? | Einstieg: Angepasste Werkzeuge für eine informierte Weltzivilisation – “Sinnhaftigkeit”?
9.00-10.30

Hans-Jörg Kreowski (Universität Bremen, IS4SI and FIfF): The dream of a peaceful digital transformation of the human society. Abstract
José María Díaz Nafría (Universidad a Distancia de Madrid, IS4SI and GSIS), Teresa Guarda (Universidad Estatal Peninsula de Santa Elena, Ecuador, IS4SI and GSIS) and Modestos Stavrakis (University of the Aegean and GSIS): Designing interaction from the local to the global level – The role of interactive technologies in the deployment of adaptive constellations of social utopias. Abstract
Vangelis Papadimitropoulos (Panteion University, Athens, and GSIS): Research results from the project “Techno-Social Innovation in the Collaborative Economy”. Keywords: the digital commons, open-source technologies, platform cooperatives, open cooperatives and Distributed Autonomous Organizations on Blockchain. Link to an article, link to another article

3.2 Ethics
11.00-12.30

Tomáš Sigmund (Prague University of Economics and Business and GSIS): How technologies change humans, how they support or suppress human characteristics of altruism, prosociality, creativity, intuition or commitment
Liang Wang (Xi ‘an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, and GSIS): Role-based human-robot relationship ethics – From Aristotle to Confucius

3.3 KI
14.00-15.30

Petra Herczeg (Universität Wien und Netzwerk Kritische Kommunikationswissenschaft) and Armin Scholl (Universität Münster und Netzwerk Kritische Kommunikationswissenschaft): ChatGPT: Der Butler – Eine Diskussion mit der KI über Objektivität und Engagement in der Forschung über ChatGPT

3.4 Outlook
16.00-17.30

Yagmur Denizhan (Bogazici University, Istanbul, IS4SI and GSIS): Reclaiming technology. Abstract
General discussion

Day 3 Side Programme

MUSIC PERFORMANCE 18.00-18.45

Pauseroni: Make it work! A philosophical impulse for tackling the great global challenges, wrapped in a musical performance. Link

PARTY 19.30-

DJ Lambada: dub, reggae, Israeli Musik, Arab, chicha, cumbia

No fees | Eintritt frei

Entry is free. Lunch (vegan/vegetarian), coffee/tea and snacks are included. So donations are welcome as much as you like! Other beverages can be purchased at the bar. | Der Eintritt ist frei. Er beinhaltet Mittagessen (vegan/vegetarisch), Kaffee/Tee und Snacks. Spenden sind daher willkommen, in welcher Höhe auch immer! Weitere Getränke können an der Bar erworben werden.