Wednesday, October 22, 2025
4.30 pm CEST, Room 1G
Venice International University, San Servolo Island
Alexis Cukier, Associate Professor in Philosophy, University of Poitiers
In this VIULecture, Prof. Cukier presents some of the findings from his ongoing research, conducted within the framework of the “Work and the Ecological Crisis” project, and as part of a forthcoming book entitled Political Ecology of Living Labour. This presentation will seek to address, on the basis of ongoing academic and activist inquiries, the following three questions:
1. In what ways can ecological concerns be articulated from within the sphere of work, and how can workers construct an ecological meaning to their activity?
2. What are the theoretical implications of this ecology of labour, particularly within the field of contemporary political ecology and, more specifically, ecological Marxism?
3. What are the political consequences of this approach, especially in light of eco-unionist strategies that seek to put it into practice?
Following an introductory overview of the research’s methodological framework, Prof. Cukier will address these questions through the analysis of alliances, inquiries and struggles involving trade unionists, inhabitants, and environmental activists in France. More specifically, he will examine: the mobilisation of foresters from the National Forestry Office (Office nationale des forêts) against state-driven extractivism; the Soulèvements de la Terre movement’s opposition to large-scale water infrastructure (mégabassines) in the Poitou region; and the resistance of refinery workers at Grandpuits to TotalEnergies’ green capitalist projects.
Registration required (both online and in-person attendance). Attendees can also register in person before the event.
Alexis Cukier is Associate Professor in Political Philosophy, member of the research laboratory MAPP, at the University of Poitiers (France), and co-founder of the association Ateliers Travail et Démocratie. His research, in the fields of social philosophy and political ecology, focus on the relations between work, democracy and ecology.
