Institute for Social Ecology

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The Institute for Social Ecology is an educational institution in the United States offering courses related to social ecology, an anti-capitalist and anti-authoritarian strain of ecology that is a form of libertarian socialism. It was founded in 1974 by Murray Bookchin and Daniel Chodorkoff. Historically, the Institute for Social Ecology has been a pioneer in the exploration of ecological approaches to food production, alternative technologies, and urban design, and has played an essential, catalytic role in movements to challenge nuclear power, global injustices and unsustainable biotechnologies, while building participatory, community-based alternatives.

History

Established in 1974 and incorporated in 1981, the ISE is an independent institution of higher education dedicated to the study of social ecology, an interdisciplinary field drawing on philosophy, political and social theory, anthropology, history, economics, the natural sciences, and feminism. The ISE has offered intensive summer programs, a year-round B.A. degree program, workshops on issues such as biotechnology, fall and winter lecture series, internship opportunities, and a speakers bureau. In addition, the ISE is involved in research as well as publishing and activist projects.

As an educational and activist organization, the ISE is committed to the social and ecological transformation of society. It is the ISE’s core belief that the human potential to play a creative role in natural and social evolution can be realized, thereby allowing us to foster communities free from hierarchy, social inequity, and ecological degradation. The ISE views the global penetration of systems of domination into daily life, the centralization of political and economic power, the homogenization of culture, and the strengthening of hierarchy and social control as impediments to human freedom and the root causes of the current ecological crisis.

Social ecology advocates a reconstructive approach that promotes a directly democratic, confederal politics. As a body of ideas, social ecology envisions a moral economy that moves beyond scarcity and hierarchy toward a world that fully celebrates diversity. The ISE has been a pioneer in the exploration of ecological means of food production, like organic gardening and permaculture, and alternative technologies. Studies combine theoretical and experiential learning in community organizing, political action, ecological economics, and sustainable building and land use. The ISE, as such, strives to be an agent of social transformation, demonstrating the skills, ideas, and relationships that can nurture vibrant, self-governed, ecological communities.

For over 30 years, from the antinuclear and ecology movements to the current one against pervasive militarism and the bleak side of globalization, the ISE has inspired individuals involved in social change to work toward a humane, ecological, and liberatory society. Join the more than 3,000 students from around the globe—from Liberia to the Philippines, Italy to Iran, Norway to Uruguay, Israel to Ethiopia, the United States to Japan, and many more—who have attended the ISE in order to not only remake themselves but remake society as well.

Current activities

8-Day Social Ecology Intensive

January 9 – 16, 2010 — New York City — $300 (scholarships available)

The Institute for Social Ecology presents an 8-day intensive introduction to the philosophy and politics of Social Ecology. This 8-day intensive will offer students an introduction to the dialectical philosophy and politics of Social Ecology. Using the lens of Social Ecology, students will participate in four topical seminars focused on climate justice; alternatives to capitalism; race; and the history of Social Ecology and radical movements. Students will also participate in a practicum applying the principles of Social Ecology to their own actual (or imagined) activist campaigns.

The philosophy class will be held in the evening to encourage NYC students with day jobs to attend.

MA Program in Social Ecology at Prescott College

The ISE works in collaboration with the Prescott College Master of Arts Program (MAP) to offer a concentration in social ecology for Prescott MAP students. Students attend colloquia in Prescott, Arizona and in Vermont, while working independently in their home communities in collaboration with an ISE graduate advisor. For more information, click here.

Summer Colloquia

Since 2007 the Institute for Social Ecology has held annual summer colloquia. These weekend gatherings have been an occasion for both new and longtime associates of the Institute to discuss current issues, workshop writing projects, and renew a sense of community.

Activism

Over the past decade, the ISE's primary activist focus has been around opposition to genetic engineering of food and trees, exposing the broader myths of biotechnology, involvement in the growing movement for climate justice, and bringing a community-centered, grassroots approach, rooted in the practice of New England’s traditional town meetings, to a variety of social and ecological issues. The ISE’s approach to grassroots organizing is rooted in the principles of decentralism, community control, and face-to-face, direct democracy that have broadly inspired many of today’s movements for global justice.

Alumni

• Dave Jacke, author of 'Edible Forest Gardens'

• Eric Toensmeier, author of 'Perennial Vegetables'

• Grace Gershuny, author of 'The Soul of the Soil'

• Tom Stearns, founder and owner, 'High Mowing Seed Company'

• Chaia Heller, author of 'Ecology of Everyday Life'

• Brain Tokar, editor of 'Redesigning Life'

• Cindy Milstein

Educational Resources

Social ecology is an interdisciplinary field drawing on philosophy, political and social theory, anthropology, history, economics, the natural sciences, and feminism. The ISE's website offers the following resources for those interested in learning more about social ecology:

Article Archive, featuring articles from a variety of writers within the field of social ecology.

Harbinger, A Journal of Social Ecology, publishes analysis relevant to the social ecology movement (currently inactive)

Left Green Perspectives/Green Perspectives, an independent but related newsletter publication devoted to the ideas of social ecology and communalism (this project ended in 1998)

Multimedia content, including audio and video clips of lectures, panel discussions, and interviews with social ecologists.

See also

• Social ecology
• Sustainability
• Biodiversity
• Global warming
• Ecology
• Earth Science
• Natural environment
• Recycling

External links

• Official website
• ISE Facebook group
• Education & Community Action: A History of the Institute for Social Ecology’s Programs
• Social Ecology and Social Movements: From the 1960s to the Present