Degrowth or ecosocialism in Cuba? Contradiction, conflict, and the “Cuban miracle”

Seminar

Date: Friday 15 March 2024

Time: 14.00 – 15.30

Location: Library of the Institute of Latin American Studies (House B, Floor 5)

NILAS research seminar - Gustav Cederlöf - School of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg

When the Soviet Union collapsed, Cuba lost 86 percent of its crude oil supplies. In the pursuit of socialism, the country had become one of Latin America’s most oil-dependent economies. In the face of the energy crisis and the hardship that followed, Cubans started to develop a low-carbon economy based on economic and social reform rather than high-tech innovation. Many observers have described this period of transition as a Cuban “energy miracle” or even a real-life case of successful “degrowth”. In this seminar, Gustav Cederlöf presents his new book, The Low-Carbon Contradiction: Energy Transition, Geopolitics, and the Infrastructural State in Cuba (UC Press, Sept 2023), which assesses these claims. Working with original research from inside households and workplaces, universities and government offices, Gustav retells the history of the Cuban revolution as one of profound environmental change. In particular, the energy transition stirred conflict around land use. The Cuban case opens up new questions about energy transitions, their politics, and the conditions of a socially just low-carbon future.

Gustav Cederlöf is an Associate Senior Lecturer in Human Ecology at the University of Gothenburg. He has a PhD in Geography from King’s College London and has worked in Cuba for the past 15 years.

The research seminar on Latin American studies is open to scholars interested in Latin American issues. It welcomes the presentation of papers from researchers and PhD students from different social science disciplines. The seminar takes place on Fridays 14:00 – 15:30 every second week (odd numbers) at the Library of the Institute of Latin American Studies (House B, Floor 5). For further information on the research seminar please contact: researchseminars.nilas@su.se

Organizer of the seminars: Andrés Rivarola Puntigliano