Join us on April 8-15, 2025, to participate in a conference designed around ideas of the late anthropologist and activist David Graeber’s: ‘How can we build an international infrastructure of solidarity and care in the face of impending climate and political breakdown?’

Focused on exploring climate change in connection with social and political structures, the lectures, discussions and workshops will reimagine technology, social relationships, political economy, and the production of essential human needs—such as food, energy, medicine, shelter, and education.

Building on David’s idea of technology as an expression of social relations, the DGI and participants of the ‘Islands of the Future’ conference will discuss different challenges with renowned expert speakers as well as run workshops and events around open-source technologies and community art.

DGI’s approach to knowledge production is, above all, a mutual exchange between students and faculty. This is why we are inviting several groups of students from different countries, who will be organising open questions with the key speakers at the conference. 

The five day conference will consist of three parts:

DAY ONE AND TWO

In the first part invited political and public figures from Europe, the US and Latin America, plus representatives from the government of St Vincent and other Caribbean Islands, will discuss social and political organisation in the context of global inequality and access to resources, and the problems surrounding greater instability. Given the certainty that the climate crisis cannot be fully halted and will not be slowed by international efforts or pressure on power elites, we aim to explore how the majority world can respond to the existing situation and what activists and intellectuals must do in support. 

DAY THREE AND FOUR

The second part will be a practical discussion focusing on concrete steps that can be taken based on the discussions of the first two days. We will invite an interdisciplinary group of speakers to present their ideas to a panel of experts and a group of students focused on developing strategies for resilience.

DAY FIVE

The final day will involve the entire group working on devising a resilience plan, focusing on projects that island communities can begin to implement immediately.

We believe that by fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, where individuals from different scientific, artistic, social, and cultural backgrounds work together, we can focus on solving practical problems.

This collaborative approach is at the core of the  theoretical principles of the David Graeber Institute:

• Creating horizontal connections between members of our community.
• Cultivating knowledge that drives direct action and meaningful change.
• Building peer-to-peer networks.

During the event each invited participant will record a 30-minute lecture, which will be preserved in the archive of the DGI. All events will offer online access and will have a hybrid online/offline structure.

Do you want to be involved?

Fill in the form below and let us know if you’d like to attend in person or online. Or if you want to contribute as an institute or as an individual.