Why do crises of care, ecological destruction, racial injustice, and threats to democracy so often appear together? What might their connections tell us about the organisation of contemporary society?

This seminar takes Nancy Fraser’s Cannibal Capitalism (2022) as its central reading. Fraser argues that capitalist accumulation depends on—and simultaneously undermines—the social, ecological, and political conditions that sustain it. Her expanded conception of capitalism provides a framework for examining relationships between economic processes and forms of domination and crisis that are often discussed separately.

Through close reading and collective discussion, we will reconstruct and critically assess Fraser’s arguments, examine their implications for contemporary struggles, and explore her proposals for social transformation. How convincingly does her framework connect different forms of inequality and crisis? What does it illuminate, and what might it overlook? What would it mean to organise society differently?

Students are encouraged to connect the readings to examples and questions from their own fields of study, artistic practices, and everyday experiences. Selected supplementary materials will support our discussions.

Learning objectives:

• Understand and explain key concepts in Fraser’s expanded conception of capitalism;
• Reconstruct and critically evaluate arguments in political economy and social theory;
• Analyse connections between social, ecological, and political crises;
• Develop and discuss well-supported positions on possibilities for social transformation;

Central reading:

Nancy Fraser (2022). Cannibal Capitalism: How Our System Is Devouring Democracy, Care, and the Planet—and What We Can Do about It. Verso.

Assessment and grading is based on:

• Regular preparation of the assigned readings and active, informed participation in seminar discussions.
• A short discussion input, prepared individually or in pairs, introducing key arguments and questions from an assigned section of the book.
• A final written reflection developing a focused question in dialogue with Fraser’s arguments. This may include a connection to a contemporary issue, an artistic practice, or a research interest.

Assessment will consider understanding of the readings, clarity of argument, critical engagement, and the ability to connect theoretical concepts to relevant questions and examples.

Detailed requirements, including the length and submission date of the written reflection, will be presented in the first session as well as the specific balance of grading criteria.

The seminar is conducted in English and is open to students at both Bachelor’s and Master’s level. Native speakers of German are welcome to read the German translation of Fraser’s book. Seminar discussions and short discussion inputs will take place in English, regardless of the edition used.

A detailed reading schedule and course outline will be provided at the beginning of the semester. Students are welcome to bring questions and examples from their own fields of study and artistic or research practices.