Transformation is booming—at least as a concept. While in the past the term often served as a cold analytical tool for research into historical social change and events, today it represents a forward-looking discourse on fundamental social change for activists and critical scholars. The need for such radical systemic change was recently highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The fourth edition of the Conference for Practical Criticism will not just examine the usefulness of the notion of transformation and its corresponding strategies—as we are wont to do—but will also discuss with local actors and activists how they may apply to core areas of any society, notably the economy and economic planning, mobility, and labor.