B6215 - POLITICAL ECOLOGY OF WORK

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the students: - know the main controversies conveyed by the framework of political ecology - master sociological theories regarding the role of work in modern societies (including its manifold transformations) - master sociological assessments of ecological crises, at the local as well as at the global scale - know the key-elements of debates about Just Transition and, more generally, about trade unions’ perspectives on the climate crisis - know the crucial aspects of social sciences’ contributions for a rethinking of the very notion of work, in the light of socio-environmental degradation – especially industry-driven – and, more generally, of a worldwide care crisis.

Course contents

The course aims at critically interrogating the notion of political ecology, namely the idea that the relationship between society and nature does not pose itself “naturally,” in an immediate form, but can rather be analyzed only through a specific methodological filter provided by the concept of mode of production.

From this perspective, we will proceed to the analysis of the notion of labor - in its specifically sociological dimension. In particular, we will focus on the transformation of trade unions' platforms by means of an unprecedented interest in ecological dynamics - and especially climate change. Our approach, here, will be framed around the burgeoning field of Environmental Labor Studies.

The second part of the course will be devoted to the concept of Just Transition, that is, a trade unions' theory and practice whose core is the idea that the social costs of transforming productive structures in sustainable ways should not be borne exclusively by the working class.

The final lectures will review, at the international level, the disputes in which Just Transition is mobilized, and will focus on discussing their internal, constitutive variety.

Readings/Bibliography

The course is structured around the following volume:

Pellizzoni, Luigi; Leonardi, Emanuele & Asara, Viviana (Eds.), Handbook of Critical Environmental Politics, Edward Elgar, 2022.

 

Other texts will be discussed, amongst which:

Barca, Stefania, Workers of the Earth: Labour, Ecology and Reproduction in the Age of Climate Change, Pluto Press, 2024.

Benegiamo, Maura; Guillibert, Paul & Villa, Matteo (Eds.), 'Labor transformations and ecological transition:Work, welfare and social movements in the era of climate justice', Sociologia del Lavoro, 165 2023.

Fraser, Nancy, Cannibal Capitalism: How How Our System Is Devouring Democracy, Care, and the Planet -- And What We Can Do About It, Verso, 2022.

Pansera, Mario et al., 'Toward a just circular economy: conceptualizing environmental labor and gender justice in circularity studies', Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy, 20(1): 1-17, 2024.

Räthzel, Nora; Stevis, Dimitris; Uzzel, David (Eds.), The Palgrave Handbook of Environmental Labour Studies, Palgrave, 2021.

Teaching methods

The course integrates different teaching methods: frontal lessons; interactive lessons; watching, commenting and discussing films and documentaries; presentations and debates starting from the analysis of particular forms of mobilization. The course also includes the participation of scholars and experts in the field.

Assessment methods

The evaluation consists of an in-person discussion around the course contents.

NON-attending students are expected to demonstrate knowledge of the contents, as well as the ability to critically articulate them, with respect to the following chapters of the handbook:

Introduction + 3; 4; 5; 7; 13; 27; 29; 30; 35; 37; 41.

Attending students are expected to demonstrate knowledge of the contents, as well as the ability to critically articulate them, with respect to the following chapters of the handbook:

Introduction + 5; 7; 13; 27; 30 + various materials (articles, essays, reports) that will be provided lecture after lecture.

Grades will be expressed in thirtieths. The grade will be announced at the end of the discussion.

In exceptional cases, the in-person discussion can be substituted by an original essay, to be discussed in details at the end of the course. 

Teaching tools

documentaries and video clips, plus weekly distribution of preparatory materials though the Virtuale platform.

Office hours

See the website of Emanuele Leonardi