Three signals to the future 007
Welcome to the seventh edition of "Three Signals to the Future", a newsletter where I share resources that I find useful and thought-provoking. Let's dive into the latest discoveries.
Dear friends, it is kind of funny that I have been doing these series since… 2021 and there have been only 6 editions (with the seventh being this one). However, I do believe that I promised in the very start that this is going to be a very scarce newsletter and I guess I did stay true to my word! So for this edition, to change things up, I want to add 3 resources that will not be articles for you to dig deeper but books. I hope you all still like books.
Workers of the Earth - Stefania Barca
"Workers of the Earth" by Stefania Barca is a compelling book arguing that capitalism is hostile to ecological health and that environmental justice hinges on the working-class struggle. By integrating environmental history with political ecology through an ecofeminist lens and expanding the definition of labor to include all forms of work, Barca links the environmental crisis with social inequality and exploitation. Their groundbreaking work in environmental labor studies and their assertion that battling climate change is also a fight against capitalism challenges the reader to rethink societal and economic structures for a sustainable future.
Taking an ecofeminist approach, this ground-breaking book makes a unique contribution to the emerging field of environmental labour studies, expanding the category of labour to include waged and unwaged, industrial and meta-industrial workers.
Lifehouse: Taking Care of Ourselves in a World on Fire - Adam Greenfield
Lifehouse is a crucial guide to building community resilience amid climate catastrophe, proposing the 'Lifehouse' concept as a core local institution for response. Drawing lessons from diverse initiatives Greenfield illustrates how mutual care and local empowerment can shield communities against the harsh realities of climate collapse.
In this book Adam Greenfield, author of Radical Technologies, recovers lessons from the Black Panther survival programs, the astonishingly effective Occupy Sandy disaster-relief effort and the solidarity networks of crisis-era Greece, as well as municipalist Spain and autonomous Rojava, to show how practices of mutual care and local power can help shelter us from a future that often feels like it has no place for us or the values we cherish.
First Knowledges Design - Alison Page & Paul Memmott
"Design: Building on Country" by Alison Page and Paul Memmott delves into the rich world of Aboriginal design, rooted in ancient cultural practices. Highlighting traditional innovations and community layouts that promote social cohesion, the book argues for a new Australian design ethos that respects and integrates these age-old principles of functionality, sustainability, and storytelling. This book is part of the First Knowledges series (total six books), which explores Indigenous and contemporary understandings.
Aboriginal design is of a distinctly cultural nature, based in the Dreaming and in ancient practices grounded in Country. It is visible in the aerodynamic boomerang, the ingenious design of fish traps and the precise layouts of community settlements that strengthen social cohesion.