Re-establishing how we value, care for, and nurture our collective affairs through the commons

After decades of dogmatising economic growth as a measure and necessity of progress and well-being, the implications for the planet and societies are increasingly becoming hard to ignore. Public discourse in research and policy are progressively embracing post-growth perspectives. But meanwhile, the fable of unlimited growth has expanded across all domains of human activity. Beyond economic and political priorities, the growth mantra has shaped our collective imagination of what life is about, shaping the quintessence of business, community, influence and audience, and even personal development. If stopping the growth madness poses a financial and identity crisis, not stopping it poses an existential one. To grow or not to grow? To emancipate ourselves from this rugged dilemma, we turn to the commons to demystify stories of growth and replace them with ones that define our collective affairs in harmony with the human and planetary condition. The commons, including the wealth we inherit and create together as societies, constitute a vital sector of the economy generating value that is often taken for granted. Can the commons guide us in making sense of work, technology, organisation - and life! - in a post-growth society? 

The summer school includes four full days: 21/09, 22/09, 23/09 and 24/09. 

We start at 09:30 am on 21/09. 

The summer school will take place in Kalentzi (GR), a small village tucked away in one of the most scenic mountain ranges of Greece, at the Municipality of North Tzoumerka, 30km away from the city of Ioannina. Access to Kalentzi from Ioannina is through the provincial road Ioannina-Pramanta. Kalentzi is 20 km from the 2 big highways, which lead either to Athens or Thessaloniki, and 35 km from Ioannina’s King Pyrros airport. Here you may find more info about travelling and staying in the region. 

The summer school is open to local and international PhD students from all disciplines interested in political ecology, organisational studies, and/or technology and society studies. Master students who have completed their first year of studies at their home university could also be enrolled in the programme. We also wholeheartedly welcome practitioners with similar interests, work, or activism, while undergraduate students with an explicit interest in degrowth, post-growth and the commons may also be accepted upon availability of places. Very good command of the English language is necessary. 

We need to take a leap of faith off the imminent trainwreck of unlimited growth. After two consecutive years of exploring fragments of life after growth, this year we set off to re-discover utopia amidst hopeless and crisis-ridden times. We dive deep into the reality of local commons-based initiatives to learn and co-create new crafts of living that are in harmony with the human and planetary condition. 

Through these transdisciplinary encounters, we will seek to re-establish how we value, care for, and nurture our collective affairs through the commons, across: the production of things and covering of social needs; organisation and coordination of knowledge, technology, skills, and capabilities; the reproduction of our lives and nature; and the relation to our emotions and our own body, our time, effort, and affect beyond economic production. The commons provide a pervasive framework that can bring together diverse perspectives from theory and practice. Facilitators and students will co-create a mutual learning community to explore and reflect upon commons-based ways of understanding, acting, and being.

The summer school is a theoretical and hands-on exploration of alternative trajectories in technology, society, and organisation. The organising and facilitation team of the Life after growth collective is composed of Alex Pazaitis, Sofia Adam, Maria Dimitriou-Tsaknaki, Maro Pantazidou, and Ben Robra. Together they curate theoretical investigations around themes like value, social reproduction, and time from a post-growth perspective, blending formal and non-formal education techniques, providing insights from both scholarly and practitioner experiences. Researchers and activists from the P2P Lab community contribute with reflexive and experiential learning practices. More details on facilitators will be announced in due time. 

Kostas Latoufis and Chris Giotitsas engage with participants for hands-on exploration of the craft of Life after growth, bringing together diverse practice-based insights from local commons-based initiatives and organisations, such as the Tzoumakers community makerspace; the School of the Earth 'Nea Guinea' developing tools and practices for self-reliance and resilience education for regenerative transitions, The High Mountains social coop supporting mountainous development and rehabilitation, and the Commonen energy community. The final programme and facilitators will be updated according to the cohort’s needs and interests, after the participants’ selection process is complete.

The summer school is co-organised by the P2P Lab of Tallinn University of Technology, the Post-Growth Innovation Lab of the University of Vigo, the Department of Social Policy of Democritus University of Thrace and the University of Queensland.

There is no fee. 

For applications send a CV and one-page long motivation letter to alex.pazaitis@gmail.com. 

Deadline: May 5th, 2025

Here you may find more info about travelling and staying in the region. 

The summer school is financially supported by the Estonian Research Council (Contract No. PUTJD1204). The seminars and the workshops will take place in facilities and buildings kindly provided by the Municipality of Northern Tzoumerka and the Cultural Society of Kalentzi. We thank them deeply. 

For any queries you may contact Alex Pazaitis, coordinator of the summer school at: alex.pazaitis@gmail.com. The full programme of the summer school will be announced once the cohort's selection is finalised.