A-Infos (en) France, UCL AL #367 - Culture - Reading: Alexis Cukier and Paul Guillibert, "Discovering Ecological Marxism" (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

The "Discover" book series from Éditions sociales is an excellent way to 
explore a theme and gain an overview of an author's work before delving 
deeper. The book "Discovering Ecological Marxism," by Alexis Cukier and 
Paul Guillibert, is no exception. It presents and discusses the work of 
ten authors who have contributed to building Marxist ecological thought 
over several decades.
Ecological Marxism puts production back at the heart of ecological 
thought. In doing so, it helps us escape the strategic impasse of modern 
Western ecology, which reduces ecology to a matter of consumption. It 
also offers us a previously neglected means of action: it is we, 
workers, in factories, in the fields, at home, who produce and reproduce 
our conditions of existence as much as surplus value and pollution. By 
reframing the question of what we produce, how, and why, ecological 
Marxism takes ecology a step closer to trade unionism.

But this is not just a reframing of ecological struggles; it is also, 
and above all, a transcendence of the Marxist framework. It calls into 
question the practices of ecological struggles as much as those of 
workers' movements. It makes us realize that it is urgent both to regain 
control of the means of production and to question their ultimate goals. 
This publication at this time is undoubtedly not a coincidence: it 
responds to an urgent need and a present opportunity. A shared effort is 
permeating both ecological struggles and trade unions; it is time to 
move to the next stage.

Contrary to what the title might suggest, there is no single ecological 
Marxism, but rather a continuum of debates and opposing ideas. It is 
therefore quite natural that among the multitude of positions presented, 
there are some with which we can agree and others less so, but they all 
contribute to the ongoing discussion. For example, while Saito's 
effort[1]to highlight a hypothetical ecology in Marx may seem to us, not 
being orthodox Marxists ourselves, of little interest, it nonetheless 
underscores the fact that the near absence of ecological considerations 
in Marx is more the result of unfinished work than a fundamental 
contradiction between Marxism and ecology. For, as other authors 
presented here emphasize, materialism is a tool for analyzing reality 
and must therefore always evolve in light of the facts and our 
understanding of them.

The main limitation of this book is its focus on theoretical and 
academic work, barely mentioning its practical applications. However, 
while the what and the why are essential, the question of how comes 
directly after. This is the question that currently drives us at UCL, 
and while this book doesn't provide an answer, it helps to establish a 
framework.

Nico (UCL Nantes)

Alexis Cukier and Paul Guillibert, Discovering Ecological Marxism, Les 
Éditions Sociales, 2025, 176 pages, EUR12.

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[1]Kohei Saito is a Japanese Marxist ecological philosopher who has 
become one of the leading figures of ecomarxism in recent years.

https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Lire-Alexis-Cukier-et-Paul-Guillibert-Decouvrir-le-marxisme-ecologique
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