Politics for a Thriving World
What kind of politics does a thriving world ask of us?
At a time when so much of our politics seems caught in division and distrust, we want to begin somewhere else. Not by spending more time on what isn’t working, but by making space to explore what could be.
From November 2026 to May 2027, Schumacher College is bringing together inspiring thinkers, practitioners and changemakers from around the world for a monthly series of dialogues exploring the politics we need to enable a thriving world for all: politics that can deepen participation, restore relationship, share power differently, and help people and places flourish.
We don’t know where these conversations will lead, and that is part of the invitation. There is no single vision of the politics we need, and no ready-made answer. But we believe there is something hopeful in coming together to imagine beyond what we already know, and to explore the space between the world as it is and the world we might still create.
As Schumacher College enters a new chapter, these conversations will also help us explore the questions and fields of enquiry that might shape the College’s future learning programmes. One emerging area is Power, Participation and Place: an exploration of how power is held and shared, how meaningful participation can be cultivated, and how people can become more involved in shaping the political life of their own places in ways that contribute to a thriving future.
We invite you not only to join the conversation, but also to help shape the future of Schumacher College by sharing your own reflections and perspectives with us after each conversation.
Keen to take part? We have a number of events you can sign up to:
Session 1: Thurs 5 November, 6.30 - 8pm (UK time)
George Monbiot & Jeremy Lent
Exploring Jeremy’s new book, ‘Ecocivilization: Making a World that Works for All’, and positive alternatives to global capitalism.
George Monbiot is an author, Guardian columnist and environmental activist. His best-selling books include Feral, Heat, and Regenesis, which explores pioneering ways to grow more food with less farming. In 2022, George was awarded the Orwell Prize for Journalism and Honorary Fellowship of Wolfson College, Oxford. His latest book, The Invisible Doctrine, co-authored with Peter Hutchison, recently topped the Sunday Times non-fiction bestselling list. It explores the shadowy history of neoliberalism, and is accompanied by a film of the same name.
Jeremy Lent is an author and speaker whose work investigates the underlying causes of our civilization’s existential crisis while exploring pathways toward a life-affirming future.
He is the author of three award-winning books: The Patterning Instinct, a cultural history of humanity’s search for meaning, The Web of Meaning, which integrates science and traditional wisdom, and most recently Ecocivilization: Making a World that Works for All.
Lent is a leading authority on ecological civilization, widely published in media like Salon, YES! Magazine, and OpenDemocracy. He founded the global Deep Transformation Network, serves as President of the Institute for Ecological Civilization, and sits on the executive committee of the Global Compassion Coalition.
Exploring Jeremy’s new book, ‘Ecocivilization: Making a World that Works for All’, and positive alternatives to global capitalism.
Session 2 : Thurs 3 December, 6.30 - 8pm (UK time)
Jeremy Lent & Satish Kumar
How can societies be structured around justice, mutuality, and diversity?
Jeremy Lent is an author and speaker whose work investigates the underlying causes of our civilization’s existential crisis while exploring pathways toward a life-affirming future.
He is the author of three award-winning books: The Patterning Instinct, a cultural history of humanity’s search for meaning, The Web of Meaning, which integrates science and traditional wisdom, and most recently Ecocivilization: Making a World that Works for All.
Lent is a leading authority on ecological civilization, widely published in media like Salon, YES! Magazine, and OpenDemocracy. He founded the global Deep Transformation Network, serves as President of the Institute for Ecological Civilization, and sits on the executive committee of the Global Compassion Coalition.
Satish Kumar is the Founder of Schumacher College in the United Kingdom. He was Editor of Resurgence magazine for 40 years. The Guardian newspaper described this magazine as “the artistic and spiritual flagship of the Green Movement”.
A former Jain monk, Satish Kumar went on an international pilgrimage for peace. He, with a friend, walked 8000 miles from New Delhi to Moscow, Paris, London, and Washington. Along the way, he met Bertrand Russell and Martin Luther King. Satish is the author of ten books including his autobiography, No Destination. Other books include Elegant Simplicity, Soil, Soul, Society, and Radical Love. Satish is a lifelong activist for environmental sustainability, social justice, and world peace. He is the recipient of the Goi Peace Prize 2022.
How can societies be structured around justice, mutuality, and diversity?
Session 3: Thurs 14 January, 6.30 - 8pm (UK time)
Satish Kumar & Robin Wall Kimmerer
What does the Earth ask of us? Moving towards a politics of reciprocity and kinship.
Satish Kumar is the Founder of Schumacher College in the United Kingdom. He was Editor of Resurgence magazine for 40 years. The Guardian newspaper described this magazine as “the artistic and spiritual flagship of the Green Movement”.
A former Jain monk, Satish Kumar went on an international pilgrimage for peace. He, with a friend, walked 8000 miles from New Delhi to Moscow, Paris, London, and Washington. Along the way, he met Bertrand Russell and Martin Luther King. Satish is the author of ten books including his autobiography, No Destination. Other books include Elegant Simplicity, Soil, Soul, Society, and Radical Love. Satish is a lifelong activist for environmental sustainability, social justice, and world peace. He is the recipient of the Goi Peace Prize 2022.
Robin Wall Kimmerer is a plant ecologist, writer, and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. She serves as a Distinguished Teaching Professor of Environmental and Forest Biology at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF). Kimmerer is the founder and director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment, whose mission is to integrate Indigenous and scientific knowledge for environmental sustainability. She is widely acclaimed for her books Gathering Moss (2003), which won the John Burroughs Medal, and the bestselling Braiding Sweetgrass (2013). Her work champions the restoration of both ecological and cultural relationships with the natural world.
What does the Earth ask of us? Moving towards a politics of reciprocity and kinship.
Session 4 : Thurs 4th Feb 2027, 6.30 - 8pm (UK time)
George Monbiot & Kate Raworth
Towards the ‘Doughnut’ - moving politics and finance towards nature
George Monbiot is an author, Guardian columnist and environmental activist. His best-selling books include Feral, Heat, and Regenesis, which explores pioneering ways to grow more food with less farming. In 2022, George was awarded the Orwell Prize for Journalism and Honorary Fellowship of Wolfson College, Oxford. His latest book, The Invisible Doctrine, co-authored with Peter Hutchison, recently topped the Sunday Times non-fiction bestselling list. It explores the shadowy history of neoliberalism, and is accompanied by a film of the same name.
Kate Raworth is a renegade economist dedicated to updating economics for 21st-century realities. She is best known for creating the "Doughnut" model of social and planetary boundaries and writing the international bestseller Doughnut Economics. Raworth is also the co-founder of the Doughnut Economics Action Lab.
Academically, she is a Senior Teaching Fellow at Oxford University's Environmental Change Institute and a Professor of Practice at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. Her extensive 25-year career includes a decade as a Senior Researcher at Oxfam and co-authoring the UNDP Human Development Report. She holds degrees in politics, philosophy, and economics from Oxford.
How can societies be structured around justice, mutuality, and diversity?
Session 5: Thurs 4th Mar 2027, 6.30 - 8pm (UK time)
Kate Raworth & Ashish Kothari
Topic to be confirmed.
Topic to be confirmed.
Session 6: Thurs 1st April 2027, 6.30 - 8pm (UK time)
Ashish Kothari & Speaker to be confirmed
Topic to be confirmed.
Topic to be confirmed.
Session 7: Thurs 6th May 2027, 6.30 - 8pm (UK time)
Speakers to be confirmed
Topic to be confirmed.
Topic to be confirmed.