Introduction to Degrowth
Online Course
Welcome to the Introduction to Degrowth
“Introduction to Degrowth” is an introductory online course on Degrowth, developed and delivered by Research & Degrowth. The course is designed to introduce you to the foundational principles, critical debates, and transformative practices of degrowth.
The 25-hour course consists of ten classes of 2.5 hours each over the span of five weeks. Taught by a diverse group of experienced scholars and practitioners via zoom, the classes will cover a variety of topics, ranging from the foundations, historical context and intersectional perspectives to real examples and strategies forward.
With 35 students max, this course fosters an interactive and collaborative learning environment, blending lectures, discussions, and practical exercises. It serves not only as a gateway to understanding degrowth but also as a community-building space for individuals passionate about addressing the challenges of our times.
Upon successfully completing the online course, all participants will receive an official certificate issued by R&Di.
Course Overview
Schedule
- From October 5th, 2026 to November 4th, 2026
- Mondays and Wednesdays
- 16:30 to 19:00 CET
Format: Interactive online sessions
Class Size: Maximum 35 students
Sessions
The course sessions are taught by a diverse group of experienced scholars and practitioners in degrowth:
Oct 05: Introduction to Degrowth – Marta Conde
Oct 07: Green Growth vs. Degrowth – Claudio Cattaneo
Oct 12: Capitalism, Colonialism, and Growth – Gabriela Cabaña
Oct 14: Decolonizing Economics – Meghna Goyal
Oct 19: Commons and Degrowth – Lorenzo Velotti
Oct 21: Eco-feminism and Degrowth – Simona Geteova
Oct 26: Well-being and Degrowth – Filka Sekulova
Nov 2: Real-Existing Degrowth – Marula Tsagakari
Nov 4: Communication of Degrowth – Alvaro Alvarez
Oct 28: Strategies for Degrowth – Federico Savini
(NEED THE UPDATED PDF)!
Applications & Pricing
Applications to the “Introduction to Degrowth” Online Course are now open until September 23rd. Registrations will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis for each ticket category, so we encourage you to apply early to secure your spot. After registration closes, all applicants will be notified. Once notified, accepted participants will have one week to confirm their spot by paying the course fee.
We offer three pricing categories to ensure accessibility:
Basic
A fee of 350€ covers the full cost of the course.
Solidarity
A solidarity fee of 550€ helps us provide reduced-fee tickets and scholarships for those in need and supports R&D’s independent projects. If you’re financed by an institution or from a higher-income background, we encourage you to choose this option.
Reduced
A reduced fee of 150€ is intended for individuals who face significant financial barriers and would otherwise be unable to attend the course. To apply for a reduced fee please explain your situation to us (see application form). We are also offering two full scholarships for individuals who face significant financial barriers and would otherwise be unable to attend.
Scholarships
We offer two scholarships intended for individuals who face significant financial barriers and would otherwise be unable to attend the course. To apply for a scholarship please explain your situation to us (see application form).
Inscriptions close: 23rd September
The teachers
Marta Conde
Marta Conde is a researcher at the Geo3bcn Institute at Spanish Research Council and is member of Research and Degrowth. She holds PhD from the Institute for Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA) of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) where is currently coordinating and teaching the Political Ecology Module of the Political Ecology Master. Her research looks at social reactions to the expansion of extractive industries at the commodity frontiers.
Claudio Cattaneo
Claudio Cattaneo is an ecological economist with a PhD from ICTA-UAB and a senior member of Research and Degrowth. He has been teaching ecological economics and degrowth for more than 20 years to a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate students in universities across the globe. He has been the initiator and director of the masters in political ecology, degrowth and environmental justice and of the online masters in degrowth at UAB. He has also research, teaching and consulting experience in doughnut economics for Barcelona.
Gabriela Cabaña
Gabriela Cabaña is a sociologist and anthropologist, with a PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Her doctoral work was on the relation between work, energy and nature in the Chiloé archipelago (South of Chile). She is currently a researcher at Fundación Tantí (Chile) studying the impacts of the emergent green hydrogen industry in the north of Chile, and a member of the Pacto Ecosocial e Intercultural del Sur.
Meghna Goyal
Meghna Goyal researches the extraction of surplus value from agriculture in the contemporary global economy. She has interest in studying the logic of the current food system so that it can be transformed under a socialist world order. She is currently doing a PhD at ICTA-UAB. She has training in economics from India - where she studied the mainstream neoclassical economics as well as the heterodox and Marxist streams of economics.
Lorenzo Velotti
Lorenzo Velotti is a sociologist and anthropologist holding a PhD at the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences at the Scuola Normale Superiore, where he is a member of the Centre on Social Movement Studies (COSMOS). He is also a member of Research & Degrowth. He is interested in commons, social movements, care, class, and degrowth. Lorenzo holds a MSc with Distinction in Anthropology and Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Simona Getova
Simona Getova is a decolonial ecofeminist political ecologist, climate justice organizer, facilitator, and educator from North Macedonia. Her research focuses on intersectional and decolonial praxis in grassroots organizing around Green Deals, studied at Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona. She envisions collective liberation by dismantling oppression and extraction to create just, joyful, climate-safe futures. Simona is currently the Director of Operations at Research and Degrowth International.
Filka Sekulova
Filka Sekulova is a senior researcher based at the University of Barcelona, and part of the IN3 institute. Her work is placed at the intersection of (ecological) economics (PhD, MS, BS), psychology (BS), and social sciences, with focus on degrowth, tourism and urban nature, through the perspectives of justice, community organizing and subjective well-being. Filka is an affiliated member of BCNUEJ lab and a co-founder of Research and Degrowth.
Federico Savini
Federico Savini is an Associate Professor in Environmental Planning, Institutions and Politics at the University of Amsterdam. He combines approaches of political sociology, spatial planning and critical geography to the study of institutions and socio-ecological change in the process of urbanization. In his works, he studies the relation between changing planning regulations and socio-ecological justice, and critically explores strategic planning approaches able to achieve social justice within planetary boundaries. Beside his research tasks, he is founder and coordinator of the Postgrowth Cities Coalition.
Marula Tsagkari
Marula Tsagkari is a political ecologist from Athens, Greece. She is currently a Margarita Salas postdoctoral researcher at ICTA-UAB. Her work focuses on energy communities, energy self-sufficiency, technology, and values. Marula holds a Ph.D. from the University of Barcelona and MSc in Environmental Science Policy and Management from Central European University and the University of Lund. In 2022-2023 she was a postdoctoral researcher at TU-Delft.
Alvaro Alvarez
TBC
COORDINATOR
Lorenzo Lonardi
Lorenzo Lonardi is a project coordinator at Research and Degrowth with a master’s degree in Political Ecology, Degrowth, and Environmental Justice from ICTA-UAB. He is passionate about promoting degrowth ideas and creating accessible educational programs. As the coordinator of the “Introduction to Degrowth” online course and the “Deep Dives ” online courses, Lorenzo focuses on organizing and delivering a program that supports learning and collaboration around sustainable and just alternatives to growth-focused economics.
COORDINATOR
Federico Arcuri
Federico Arcuri is a project coordinator at Research and Degrowth. He is also an alumnus of the master's in Political Ecology at ICTA-UAB, with a thesis on a "Post-growth deal for Italy". He is interested in environmental conflicts, post-growth policy and geopolitics, especially with respect to EU-China relations. He co-organized the last two editions of the Degrowth Summer School, coordinating the bike caravan weeks and facilitating counter-cartography workshops. Co-organizer of the Beyond Growth conference Italia (April 2024), he is active in the Italian degrowth movement.
Contact
For questions or assistance with the registration process, please contact us!