Is “another possible” possible? Are other worlds possible outside what Eurocentrism has instilled in us? As we look around us, it’s often hard to imagine other realities, other possibilities for being-knowing-living. Yet it can be said that our political practice is tied to our notions of what is real and what is possible, as Arturo Escobar puts it.
In the first session of our discussion series “into the pluriverse,” we start with Arturo Escobar’s essay “Theory and the Un/Real: Tools for Rethinking ‘Reality’ and the Possible.” We also recommend reading the piece “Another Possible Is Possible” by way of introduction.
Our goal for the session and the series is to learn together about pluriversality, while also approaching it from a critical lens and reflecting on how this concept and ways of being-knowing-living manifest on the ground, materially, and in our research.
This discussion series is open to all—academics, activists, and all of us in between.
Session 1: Is “another possible” possible?
- Text: Arturo Escobar’s “Theory and the Un/Real: Tools for Rethinking ‘Reality’ and the Possible”
- October 31st, 2023, 18:00 CEST, Zoom
- “A Post-Development Dictionary,” edited by Ashish Kothari, Ariel Salleh, Arturo Escobar, Federico Demaria, and Alberto Acosta
Session 3: Climate Coloniality and the Limits of Resilience
- Text: David Chandler’s “Decolonising resilience: reading Glissant’s Poetics of Relation in Central Eurasia”
Session 4: Decolonial Pluriversality and the Foundations of Modern Power
- Text: Marcos S. Scauso’s “Decolonial Pluriversality: Unveiling Genocide, Epistemicide, and Historicide in the Foundations of the United States”
You are welcome to participate or simply listen, whether you read the piece or not. The only thing needed to attend is curiosity, openness to the topic (and to register below for you to receive the links to Zoom meeting and readings). If you wish to co-organise or lead sessions, we’d really appreciate the extra hand! Reach out to us at organize@southsouthmovement.org.
Credit: Our poster for this series is derived from a photo by Bernand Hermant.