“This exciting work takes a critical look at ways in which the ideas of social ecology are being applied around the world. It explores a variety of cultural settings, from the Zapatistaas to Rojava, Western European municipalist movements, and more. This volume holds many lessons we need to learn and apply to create a new ecological society.” ~ Daniel Chodorkoff, New School for Social Research, anthropology and co-founder and former executive director of the Institute of Social Ecology
“Given rising social alienation, increases in international conflicts, and worsening ecological crises, one could not think of a more timely volume than the Power to Create, Power to Destroy. Each chapter engages directly in dialectical thinking, overcoming unhelpful binaries of core/periphery, North/South, and the universal/particular when examining global processes of resistance. Written in an accessible manner, the book uses Bookchin’s social ecology as a broad theoretical basis, whilst its chapters trace a myriad of forms of political resistance, from political projects like Rojava and the Zapatistas, to urban and municipal struggles, to social movements and environmental activism. It is essential reading for anyone interested in cultures of resistance and hopes for the future.” ~ Dr Shannon Brincat, University of the Sunshine Coast
Imprint: 3Ecologies Books
Edited by Federico Venturini, Théo Rouhette, Marcy Isabella
Contributors R. Cemali Akgün, Fabiana Cioni, Georgios Daremas, Magali Fricaudet, Chaia Heller, Marcy Isabella, Leo Jubault, Krini Kafiris, Matyas Krizkovsky, Inés Morales Bernardos, Théo Rouhette, Yavor Tarinski, Brian Tokar, Orestis Varkarolis, Federico Venturini
FORTHCOMING Fall 2025
Power to Create, Power to Destroy: Toward Cultures of Resistance and Radical Social Change is the fruit of the collective adventure of activists and researchers engaged in the global struggle against capitalism. The volume gathers reflections, experiences, and insights from multiple perspectives that share a common objective: a radical reorientation of societies toward meeting human needs, responding to ecological imperatives, and nurturing values of mutual aid and cooperation.
Through the fourteen essays, the reader starts a journey between theory and practice and between the core and the periphery. The book investigates the intersections between ecology, climate justice, and democracy, illustrating their role towards a strategy “from below” to promote system change. We learn about the experiences of the Zapatista and the Kurdish struggles, two emblematic cases of resistance to capitalist modernity through their uncompromising dedication to ecology, democracy and feminism. We dive into recent social movements and urban struggles in Europe, from municipalist platforms and climate movements to solidarity initiatives and food struggles.
Ultimately, Power to Create, Power to Destroy is a tool for radical social change, aiming to both reflect upon utopian visions and share concrete pathways towards democratic and ecological societies.
About the Editors
Federico Venturini is a Research Associate at the University of Udine (Italy). His current research focuses on Zero Waste, the Kurdish question, river contracts, and social ecology. In 2016, he earned his PhD at the University of Leeds (UK). He holds an M.Phil. from the University of Trieste (Italy) as well as a Master’s in history and European Culture from the University of Udine. He has been a member of the Advisory Board of the Transnational Institute of Social Ecology since 2013, and the International İmralı Peace Delegation, organized by the Eu Turkey Civic Commission since 2016. He co-edited with Thomas Jeffrey Miley the book Your Freedom and Mine: Abdullah Öcalan and the Kurdish Question in Erdogan’s Turkey and with Emet Değirmenci and Inés Morales the volume Social Ecology and the Right to the City: Towards Ecological and Democratic Cities.
Théo Rouhette is a PhD candidate at the Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3) and Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA-UAB). His research currently focuses on modelling the interactions between climate change and land use change. He has a background in ecology and biodiversity science. As an activist, he has been involved with social ecology and community organising in various cities in Europe, and is now based in Bilbao, Spain. He has been a member of the Transnational Institute of Social Ecology (TRISE) since 2017 and has joined Scientist Rebellion in 2023.
Marcy Isabella is Associate Professor of Writing and First-Year Studies at Stockton University. Antifascist, anarchist, black-life-loving mother, educator, and ph-fkng-d. ACAB.
