1 July 2026: online: Discussion/Lecture : Planetary Politics in the Age of Climate Change

Climate change is not merely an ecological crisis—it is also transforming how we understand history, politics, and society. Historian and postcolonial theorist Dipesh Chakrabarty describes humanity as a geological force given its profound impact on the Earth system. This perspective on the “planetary” challenges traditional political categories and notions of progress.

How is the climate crisis changing our understanding of politics, democracy, and responsibility? Are national interests and traditional notions of growth and redistribution still sufficient to respond to the planetary challenges of the 21st century? And what new forms of political thought are emerging in the Anthropocene?

Philosopher Eva von Redecker and Member of the German Bundestag Violetta Bock will discuss the political, social, and ethical consequences of the ecological crisis with Dipesh Chakrabarty.
The event will focus on questions such as:

• What does “planetary politics” mean according to Chakrabarty?
• How are climate change, global inequality, patriarchal structures, and capitalist modes of production interconnected?
• What role do democracy, social movements, and international solidarity play?
• How can we achieve a just ecological transition?

The event brings together perspectives from political theory, philosophy, and parliamentary practice and invites participants to join a discussion on new political horizons in the age of climate change.

Panelists:

• Dipesh Chakrabarty, historian
• Eva von Redecker, philosopher and author
• Violetta Bock, Member of the German Bundestag (Die Linke)
• Moderator: Britta Petersen, Rosa Luxemburg Foundation New Delhi

Opening remarks: Bernd Riexinger, Chair of the Executive Board of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation

The event will be held in English with simultaneous German translation.

Registration via the event website is required for in-person attendance;
no registration is necessary for the livestream.

Livestream

Bios:

• Dipesh Chakrabarty is the Lawrence A. Kimpton Distinguished Service Professor of History and South Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago and a founding member of the Subaltern Studies Collective. His work combines postcolonial theory with a planetary perspective on history, the climate crisis, and modernity. Chakrabarty examines how colonialism, capitalism, and ecological processes have shaped the global present and challenges Eurocentric narratives of progress. For his scholarly achievements, he has been awarded the Toynbee Prize, among other honors, and has received several honorary doctorates. His most important books include Provincialising Europe (2010), The Climate of History in the Planetary Age (2022), and One Planet, Many Worlds: The Climate Parallax (2025).
• Eva von Redecker is a philosopher and freelance writer. In her work, she combines critical theory, feminism, and political philosophy with analyses of contemporary crises and authoritarian developments. She writes for publications including DIE ZEIT, The Guardian, and Philosophie Magazin, and is a regular participant in public debates. Her work focuses on questions of property, freedom, care, and ecological transformation. Her best-known publications include Revolution für das Leben (2020), Bleibefreiheit (2023) and Dieser Drang nach Härte (2025).
  
• Violetta Bock is a politician with Die Linke and has served as a member of the German Bundestag since 2025. She is a member of the Committee on the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety, and her political work focuses in particular on social justice, climate policy, housing policy, and urban development. She advocates for a socially just ecological transition as well as the expansion of public infrastructure and public services.