Workshop on Postcapitalist Perspectives: Present Realities and Future Possibilities
YSI Workshop on Postcapitalist Perspectives
Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa
Dates: 12–13 March 2026
Type: Workshop
Overview
Decades of rising inequality, precarious work, and ecological destruction—worsened by recurring crises that disproportionately affect marginalized groups—have fuelled growing scepticism toward contemporary capitalism. While critiques of capitalism are widespread, far fewer efforts are dedicated to constructing viable alternatives that move beyond reformist fixes and address structural shortcomings at their roots.
Building on a year-long, self-organised reading group on postcapitalist economics involving PhD students from the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, the University of Pisa, and the University of Siena, this workshop aims to expand that collaborative space through a pluralistic and international in-person exchange.
The workshop seeks to empower early-career scholars committed to transformative economic thinking, encouraging engagement with postcapitalist frameworks, models, and practices that go beyond critique and towards imagining and enacting alternative socio-economic systems.
Description
The workshop will take place over two full days, alternating sessions led by senior scholars with presentations by young researchers. Participants will have the opportunity to present their work, receive feedback, and engage in collective discussion across disciplinary and theoretical boundaries.
Anyone interested in postcapitalist perspectives is encouraged to apply and submit an abstract. Accommodation for two nights and travel funding for up to ten participants are available. Applicants are asked to complete the application form regardless of whether they require financial support.
Application deadline: 30 January 2026 (passed)
Thematic streams
1. The Future of AI and Big Data
From Surveillance Capitalism to Cooperative and Human-Centered Visions
- Ownership and control in Big Data capitalism
- Platform labour and digital work
- Cooperative platforms and decentralised AI
- Human-centred technological change
2. Contemporary Ecological Crises and a New Politics of Life
- Critiques of green capitalism
- Degrowth, post-extractive economies, and regenerative models
- Social and ecological processes sustaining and regenerating life
3. Postcapitalist Pathways for Transitioning Economies
- Alternatives beyond market and state
- Historical case studies
- Centralised and decentralised planning: theory and praxis
Format
The workshop combines:
- Sessions led by senior scholars
- Presentations by early-career researchers
- Structured discussions and collective reflection
The aim is to foster an open, collaborative environment oriented toward learning, exchange, and experimentation with postcapitalist ideas.
Hosted by
YSI Working Group: States and Markets
Organising team
- Caterina Manicardi
- Julian Tiedtke
- Stefano Azzolina
- Davide Usula
- Giuseppe Quattromini
- Margherita Lanini
- Nicoletta Scutifero
- Krystian Filippo Maria Bua
- Jakob Nitschke
- Giacomo Ravaioli
- Edoardo Sala
- Ilaria Santoemma
- Gianmarco Palumbo
- Ginevra Scalisi