Material Matters in Times of Crisis Capitalism: Transnational Feminist and Decolonial Approaches /// Materialität im Krisen-Kapitalismus: Transnational-Feministische und Dekoloniale
Perspektiven /// Cuestiones Materiales en Tiempos del
Capitalismo de Crisis: Enfoques transnacionales feministas y decoloniales

13th – 15th November 2014, Conference & Exhibition, Institute of Sociology, Justus-Liebig University, Giessen. Main Building
Ludwigstraße 23, 35390 Gießen

Thursday 13.11: 16.00 Conference opening ; 17.00 keynote: Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, 19.00 performance by Raul Gschrey & exhibition opening.

Crisis is not exceptional in capitalism but its constant companion. It represents the foundation from which the modern/colonial world system has evolved. This conference draws on critical feminist economics and decolonial feminist thought and practice on material matters. The question of materiality has emerged as a central topic in recent years. Under the umbrella term “new materialism”, this interdisciplinary and multifaceted academic debate seems to have revived a Marxist vocabulary. Yet, the question of why “materiality” matters in times of crisis capitalism is rather absent in this debate. We are considering this question by three inter-related aims: first, to examine from transnational feminist perspectives the impact of the global crisis on people’s livelihoods; second, to explore the theoretical contributions of the triad of feminism, coloniality and political economy; and, third, to consider critical feminist economics and decolonial approaches to thinking alternative economies and convivial futures.