Launch session of the book "Science in Resistance: The Scientist Rebellion for Climate Justice"
How can scientists and academics respond in a time of climate collapse and growing authoritarianism? What role can science play in building collective movements of resistance and social transformation?
These are some of the questions that Fernando Racimo, Associate Professor at the University of Copenhagen, will explore in the presentation of his new book Science in Resistance: The Scientist Rebellion for Climate Justice, on 2 December at 2:30 p.m., in Auditorium 2 of the Student Hub.
Through personal experiences, interviews and critical reflection, Racimo invites us to reflect on the role of science as a force for collective transformation and on the possibilities of reinventing academic institutions from within.
An open and inspiring conversation about resistance, knowledge and responsibility.
Abstract
In the face of climate breakdown and rising authoritarianism, as many are being silenced simply for speaking truth to power, how can we build collective counter-power? How do we create and strengthen movements to face the ongoing and coming storms? In this talk, Dr. Fernando Racimo will present his book Science in Resistance, which provides a first person account of the Scientist Rebellion, a global movement of scientists and scholars rising in collective resistance for climate and social justice.
Combining his own experiences in activism with interviews with dozens of scientist-activists around the world, as well as insights from research on activism and direct action, the book explores the challenges academics face when taking a stand against systems of oppression. The heart of the book is an exploration of what it means for scientists to leave the comfort of the ivory tower, and step out into the streets, becoming active participants in the urgently needed transformation of our societies: how scientist-activists come to change themselves even as they attempt to change the world around them. In this event, Racimo will also describe how academic institutions are today complicit in exploitative and extractive logics, and how they could be transformed from the bottom-up, to become institutions that foster social and ecological well-being.
Biography
Fernando Racimo is Associate Professor of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. He is originally trained as an evolutionary geneticist but these days is largely working on research and teaching around degrowth, decolonization and socio-ecological transformation. He is an active member in various movements and collectives struggling for such a transformation, including Scientist Rebellion and Academics for Palestine.