The politics of coastal erosion in Sicily: Concrete infrastructures and the economy of disaster

This lecture explores how coastal governance in Sicily is shaped by political and economic interests that sustain unsustainable protection practices and a form of “coastal disaster capitalism”. Using political ecology and ethnographic research, it shows how dominant narratives of controlling the sea legitimize large-scale infrastructure. The lecture also presents an art-based research approach developed with photographer Barbara Dombrowski, using photography and public dialogue to imagine more just and sustainable coastal futures.

Silja Klepp is Professor of Human Geography at Kiel University and holds the UNESCO Co-Chair for Integrated Marine Science. Her research focuses on human–environment relations in the Anthropocene, with particular emphasis on climate change adaptation, coastal erosion, and disaster governance. Integrating postcolonial perspectives and critical social theory, she explores how social and cultural diversity and community self-determination can be embedded in adaptation strategies. She is co-founder of the transdisciplinary environmental justice network EnJust and actively promotes transdisciplinary and artistic research approaches.

Moderation: Dr. Alica Repenning