Clara Hesseler
Producer at the School of System Change / Forum for the Future
Background
In the last years, Clara (she/her) has been strongly involved in climate activism and grassroots organising. Fighting for climate & social justice is what lies at the heart of the actions and projects she has been involved with and inspiring others to fight for radical system change is her passion.
Clara's background is in political and multilingual communications. For her undergraduate degree she studied Multilingual Communications (English and French) at the University of Applied Sciences Cologne. In her bachelor’s thesis, 'The language of the Hambacher Forest', she analysed a political group’s linguistic development through sustained participant observation during their longstanding occupation of the Hambacher forest. Conducting scientific research in the environment of radical climate activism was truly eye-opening to Clara and equipped her with a thorough understanding of the movement.
During her master’s, Clara studied Political Communications at Goldsmiths University of London. In her dissertation, 'Democracy in Climate Crisis', she explored the (in)ability of Germany’s democracy to tackle the climate emergency, focusing on the relationship between the German Green Party and environmental grassroots movements. Researching the dynamics between grassroots movements and a political party in the context of a democracy that has been fundamentally weakened by neoliberal capitalism has highlighted the importance of systemic change for her.
