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#postcapitalism

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[Paper] Varieties of #Anticapitalism: A systematic study of transformation strategies in alternative economic discourses

by Querine Kommandeur, Juliette Alenda-Demoutiez, Maria Kaufmann, Ingrid Visseren-Hamakers. Published January 2025.

Abstract

"The confluence of multiple crises has prompted a growing recognition of the need for transformations. Economic systems, including patterns of consumption and production, play a key role in sustainability transformations. The notion that capitalist systems are at the root of current ecological and social crises has led to the emergence of different alternative economic discourses, that seek to address the indirect drivers of #unsustainability. In this article, we aim to contribute to moving the debate beyond critiques of capitalism by focussing on the paths of transformation towards alternatives. To this end, we analyse several alternative economic discourses in order to show the breadth of the debate, and to better understand the roles and strategies of various discourses in societal transformation. Seven discourses are included, of which Buen Vivir, Degrowth and Wellbeing Economy are analysed in-depth. This is done through a systematic analysis of literature published between 2015 and 2022, using an enhanced conceptual framework based on the works of Wright (2019) and Chertkovskaya (2022). Our analysis suggests that the discourses represent different modes of transformation, and that these differences exist both between, as well as within the different discourses. We argue that transformations cannot be achieved through single discourses, or modes of transformation. Rather, concerted efforts of different discourses aimed at addressing indirect drivers of unsustainability can provide the multi-faceted processes of societal change, in which they can support and reinforce one another through alliances and mutual learning."

Introduction

"Humans are putting ever-increasing burdens on the #environment, causing severe damage to #nature (IPBES, 2019; United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development, 2015). This damage is operationalised through the planetary boundaries, showing how several of them have already been crossed, which increases the risk of unleashing #ecosystem changes on a global scale (IPBES, 2019; Lade et al., 2020). Besides the innumerable injustices towards non-humans that result from the destruction of nature, such processes also have severe impacts on structures that sustain human livelihoods, by impacting health and wellbeing, food security and infrastructure (IPCC, 2023; United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development, 2015). These processes are driven by #capitalist accumulation, which relies on the continuous production of new frontiers of accumulation, often through the #exploitation of #MarginalizedCommunities and nature (Moore, 2017). These adverse impacts on nature and people disproportionately affect the most vulnerable people and systems (IPCC, 2023).

"While capitalism manifests itself in a variety of ways across time and place (Hall and Soskice, 2001), there are several fundamental aspects that lie at the heart of its problematic nature. In capitalist societies, societal wealth manifests itself as an accumulation of commodities, and production is oriented towards profit rather than societal needs. Such profits, or surpluses, are extracted and privately appropriated for further expansion, forming the main force of growth. As such processes rely on the continued exploitation of labour and nature, inequality is not an outcome but the foundation of capitalist structures (Brand et al., 2021; Chertkovskaya and Paulsson, 2021; Moore, 2017). The continued inability to decouple environmental degradation from economic growth has made capitalism increasingly questionable in terms of its desirability and sustainability (Parrique et al., 2019). Such capitalist structures, both material, institutional, and discursive, are entrenched in societies, including institutions and governance mechanisms such as nation states and international political regimes, and are underpinned by societal values such as the appropriation of nature and non-human animals as resources to be exploited for human benefit (Brand et al., 2021; IPBES, 2019).
This confluence of multiple crises has prompted a growing recognition of the need for transformations. Since the 2015 inception of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the term “transformation” has gained broad usage among policymakers, academics, activists, and others, resulting in diverse interpretations and literatures. Transformations imply “...changes in the generic societal causes, including institutions, governance structures, developments, power relations, paradigms, goals and values” (Kok et al., 2022, p. 8). The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) defines transformative change as “a fundamental, system-wide reorganisation across technological, economic and social factors, including paradigms, goals and values” (IPBES, 2019, p. 14). Visseren-Hamakers and Kok shift the focus of this definition by replacing ‘system-wide’ with ‘society-wide’, emphasizing changes in general, societal structures (Visseren-Hamakers and Kok, 2022a, p. 8). We therefore consider capitalist structures to be the indirect drivers of unsustainability (IPBES, 2019).
The notion that capitalist systems are at the root of current ecological and social crises has led many activists, civil society groups, academics, policymakers, and politicians to seek for alternative economic approaches that focus on justice and sustainability (Charonis, 2021; Westra et al., 2017). We consider alternative economic discourses to be embedded in broader transformation discourses, as they address, to varying degrees, the indirect drivers of sustainability. While alternative economic discourses are generally strong in imagining alternatives, working towards such alternatives requires strategic efforts (Barlow et al., 2022; Visseren-Hamakers and Kok, 2022b). The main objective of this article is to elucidate how various alternative economic discourses align with and differ from each other concerning their modes and strategies of transformation as presented in the academic literature. To do this, this article builds on the work of (Wright, 2019), who conceptualises different ‘modes’ of transformation, i.e., sets of strategies that have been historically important in anti-capitalist struggles. Chertkovskaya (2022) expands on this framework to better capture the efforts of alternative economic movements. We further build upon both Wright's original conceptualisation and Chertkovskaya's additions to develop the framework further (Chertkovskaya, 2022).

"This paper contributes to the literature on #PostCapitalism and transformations by providing a comprehensive overview of different modes and strategies of transformation by focusing on the Degrowth, Buen Vivir and Wellbeing Economy discourse. In doing so, we aim to contribute to moving the debate beyond critiques of capitalism by focussing on the paths of transformation towards alternatives. Through our categorization, we facilitate a more conscious reflection on often implicit approaches to change while also revealing sensitivity to similarities and nuances within and between the discourses, showing the breadth of the debate (Sandberg and Alvesson, 2021). The selected discourses are #BuenVivir, Degrowth, #DoughnutEconomics, Economy for the #CommonGood, Foundational Economy, Social and #Solidarity Economy, and Wellbeing Economy. We first provide a brief overview of these seven alternative discourses and then proceed to an in-depth examination of the Buen Vivir, Degrowth, and Wellbeing Economy discourses."

Read more:
sciencedirect.com/science/arti
#SolarPunkSunday #DeGrowth #PostCapitalism #CircularEconomy #Polycrisis #EnvironmentalRacism #HumanRights #Colonialism #CorporateColonialism

www.sciencedirect.comVarieties of Anticapitalism: A systematic study of transformation strategies in alternative economic discoursesThe confluence of multiple crises has prompted a growing recognition of the need for transformations. Economic systems, including patterns of consumpt…

#Degrowth and the Unmaking of #Capitalism

By Giuseppe Feola, Olga Koretskaya, originally published by Degrowth.info
December 7, 2020

"Our societies are facing multiple interconnected challenges, which include #ClimateEmergency, an unprecedented loss of #biodiversity, growing #inequality and #PlasticPollution. What connects these challenges is the underlying capitalist economic model, which prioritizes #profit-making over #wellbeing and requires endless #EconomicGrowth simply to stay afloat.

"Degrowth offers an alternative vision – it is a project of urgent and fundamental transformation. Degrowth requires reimagining our societies from the perspective of being profit-centred to being wellbeing-centred. This approach distinguishes degrowth from other, more compromising visions of transformation, such as ‘green growth’. But how can society transition towards degrowth?

"One idea that has become prominent in thinking about such a transition is that of ‘#decolonization of the imaginary’, a concept developed by Serge Latouche. This concept signals the need for a disruption of taken-for-granted ways of seeing the world, and their associated practices, rules and social norms. Decolonization of the imaginary questions deeply rooted beliefs about who we are, how we live, and about our place in this world. Are we merely self-interested individuals or are we also care-oriented members of communities? To what extent do technology and #consumption contribute to human wellbeing? Does our constantly expansive economy threaten human communities and the natural world?

"Decolonization of the imaginary has been an inspirational idea for scholars and activists alike. Yet, it alone seems to be insufficient to take us to fully grasping the depth of disruptions of capitalism that have been produced by initiatives such as transition towns, #permaculture farms, and #RepairCafes. Decolonization of the imaginary emphasises the symbolic dimensions of social change but it underplays the material dimensions of such change. It is also usually understood as an end point, and hence fails to help us to recognize – and learn about – what happens along the way.

"How can we think about the processes by which disruptions of capitalism occur in broader, deeper and more dynamic ways? Is it possible for us to better capture what is going on in concrete initiatives?

"In a recent article, Giuseppe Feola proposes that we think about the disruption of capitalism in terms of ‘#unmaking’. He suggests that an unmaking of capitalism is not only necessary, but possibly pre-conditional for a transformation of the magnitude and nature required by degrowth. ‘Unmaking’ refers to individual or collective actions of disengagement or active deconstructions of existing capitalist systems that ‘make space’ for alternatives. Such actions could take the form of a personal decision to limit consumption or to quit a high-paying job at an #OilCorporation. Unmaking can also be recognized in a #CommunityFarm that refuses to submit to market pressure to expand production and instead turns to a #CommunitySupported model to sustain itself."

Read more:
resilience.org/stories/2020-12
#SolarPunkSunday #PostCapitalism #SmallScaleRuptures #Polycrisis

resilience · Degrowth and the Unmaking of CapitalismIn a recent article, Giuseppe Feola proposes that we think about the disruption of capitalism in terms of ‘unmaking’.

[Book reviews] #Solarpunk, #utopian and #AntiCapitalist fiction for imagining brighter futures

Novels with political under- and over-tones that have captivated me recently

by Katy Nightingale, Nov 28, 2024

"All of the books I’m including here are unique in their styles - some encompassing all of these visionary genres, and some just a few of them. Here’s a little glossary I came up with:

- futurist 🔮 - taking place in the future

- utopian 🌈 - taking place in an idealistic society where everything is designed to be harmonious, just, and fulfilling for all people

- solarpunk ☀️ - a sub-genre of utopian literature, solarpunk fiction takes place in a sustainable, eco-friendly future where humanity lives harmoniously with nature, often featuring renewable energy, green cities, and with a focus on social equity

- anti-capitalist 🌹 - the characters and plot tell a story that illustrates the pitfalls of capitalism and shows resistance and possible alternatives"

Read more:
wanderingk.substack.com/p/sola

Wandering Thoughts · Solarpunk, utopian and anti-capitalist fiction for imagining brighter futuresBy Katy Nightingale

A #Solarpunk Manifesto from #TheAnarchistLibrary

"Solarpunk is a movement in speculative fiction, art, fashion, and activism that seeks to answer and embody the question 'what does a sustainable civilization look like, and how can we get there?'

"The aesthetics of solarpunk merge the practical with the beautiful, the well-designed with the green and lush, the bright and colorful with the earthy and solid.

"Solarpunk can be utopian, just optimistic, or concerned with the struggles en route to a better world , but never dystopian. As our world roils with calamity, we need solutions, not only warnings.

Solutions to thrive without fossil fuels, to equitably manage real scarcity and share in abundance instead of supporting false scarcity and false abundance, to be kinder to each other and to the planet we share.

Solarpunk is at once a vision of the future, a thoughtful provocation, a way of living and a set of achievable proposals to get there.

1, We are solarpunks because optimism has been taken away from us and we are trying to take it back.

2. We are solarpunks because the only other options are denial or despair.

3. At its core, Solarpunk is a vision of a future that embodies the best of what humanity can achieve: a post-scarcity, post-hierarchy, post-capitalistic world where humanity sees itself as part of nature and clean energy replaces fossil fuels.

4. The “punk” in Solarpunk is about rebellion, counterculture, post-capitalism, decolonialism and enthusiasm. It is about going in a different direction than the mainstream, which is increasingly going in a scary direction.

5. Solarpunk is a movement as much as it is a genre: it is not just about the stories, it is also about how we can get there.

6. Solarpunk embraces a diversity of tactics: there is no single right way to do solarpunk. Instead, diverse communities from around the world adopt the name and the ideas, and build little nests of self-sustaining revolution.

7. Solarpunk provides a valuable new perspective, a paradigm and a vocabulary through which to describe one possible future. Instead of embracing retrofuturism, solarpunk looks completely to the future. Not an alternative future, but a possible future.

8. Our futurism is not nihilistic like cyberpunk and it avoids steampunk’s potentially quasi-reactionary tendencies: it is about ingenuity, generativity, independence, and community.

9. Solarpunk emphasizes environmental sustainability and social justice.

10. Solarpunk is about finding ways to make life more wonderful for us right now, and also for the generations that follow us.

11. Our future must involve repurposing and creating new things from what we already have. Imagine “smart cities” being junked in favor of smart citizenry.

12. Solarpunk recognizes the historical influence politics and science fiction have had on each other.

13. Solarpunk recognizes science fiction as not just entertainment but as a form of activism.

14. Solarpunk wants to counter the scenarios of a dying earth, an insuperable gap between rich and poor, and a society controlled by corporations. Not in hundreds of years, but within reach.

15. Solarpunk is about youth maker culture, local solutions, local energy grids, ways of creating autonomous functioning systems. It is about loving the world.

16. Solarpunk culture includes all cultures, religions, abilities, sexes, genders and sexual identities.

17. Solarpunk is the idea of humanity achieving a social evolution that embraces not just mere tolerance, but a more expansive compassion and acceptance.

18. The visual aesthetics of Solarpunk are open and evolving. As it stands, it is a mash-up of the following:

- 1800s age-of-sail/frontier living (but with more bicycles)

- Creative reuse of existing infrastructure (sometimes post-apocalyptic, sometimes present-weird)

- Appropriate technology

- Art Nouveau

- Hayao Miyazaki

- Jugaad-style innovation from the non-Western world

- High-tech backends with simple, elegant outputs

19. Solarpunk is set in a future built according to principles of New Urbanism or New Pedestrianism and environmental sustainability.

20. Solarpunk envisions a built environment creatively adapted for solar gain, amongst other things, using different technologies. The objective is to promote self sufficiency and living within natural limits.

21. In Solarpunk we’ve pulled back just in time to stop the slow destruction of our planet. We’ve learned to use science wisely, for the betterment of our life conditions as part of our planet. We’re no longer overlords. We’re caretakers. We’re gardeners.

22. Solarpunk:

1. is diverse

2. has room for spirituality and science to coexist

3. is beautiful

4. can happen. Now

Source:
theanarchistlibrary.org/librar

The Anarchist LibraryA Solarpunk ManifestoThe Solarpunk Community A Solarpunk Manifesto

#Solarpunk Is the Future We Should Strive For

"Amid rising #climate anxiety and an intensifying #ClimateCrisis, solarpunk offers an unapologetically optimistic vision of the future that imagines a radically different societal and economic structure in harmony with nature."

by Olivia Lai, Jun 17th 2022

"The art genre [of Solarpunk] eventually evolved into a practical movement and subculture that incorporates more concrete, regenerative ideas for the future. Energy will be entirely dependent on solar and wind generation – with no fossil fuel or dirty emissions in sight – and circular economies are the only system in place. All waste will either be reused or repurposed, and resources and transport are guaranteed #sustainable and clean. Activities such as rainwater harvesting, #permaculture farming, and community gardening will be commonplace, while Indigenous knowledge and practices are celebrated and used across sectors to improve efficiency of resource consumption.

"#Decentralisation is another key principle that fits in the solarpunk movement. Unlike cyberpunks who imagine the world being dominated by evil corporations, solarpunks imagine a society where people and the planet are prioritised over the individual and profit. Essentially, say goodbye to conglomerates, hierarchies and excessive wealth, and hello to decentralised and open-source technologies, shared knowledge, as well as community building and cooperation.

"The ‘punk’ element in solarpunk refers to the movement’s unapologetically optimistic take on the future despite our growing pessimism and even apathy, and passionately calls for radical societal change and abandoning current #capitalist markets and infrastructure. Or as Rhys Williams, research fellow at the University of Glasgow and leading voice of the solarpunk movement describes it, solarpunks are 'against a shitty future.'

"But solarpunk is beyond just pretty architecture and ideas; it has the potential to influence with real-life applications. Art is a powerful medium to communicate knowledge and demonstrate to people different perspectives and possibilities. Already, there’s an emergence of biophilic designs for residential buildings and shopping malls that integrate natural elements into built environments with the aim of improving public wellbeing and sustainability.

"The movement also sparks discussion about current systemic problems and the need for societal changes, as seen with the increasing popularity of concepts such as degrowth economy, which seeks to scale down the resource use of high income nations’ economies by shrinking sectors that are ecologically damaging and offer little social benefit, and pursue growth not by economic expansion, but one that is ecologically and socially just for all."

earth.org/solarpunk/

Earth.Org · Solarpunk Is the Future We Should Strive For | Earth.OrgSolarpunk offers an unapologetically optimistic vision of the future that imagines a radically different societal structure in harmony with nature. 

Essay: #Capitalism Is Dead, the Future Is #Solarpunk

Solarpunk provides hope in an age of darkness. It is a bright vision of the future. A future we will have to fight for.

by Antonio Melonio 🍉
May 18, 2024

"Don’t you feel like there is something inherently wrong with the world? That this is not how it is supposed to be? That something — it’s difficult to say what exactly — is missing? Poverty, inequality, discrimination, hunger, disease, war, estrangement from people and nature, isolation, the rise of mental illnesses, suicides, pollution, mind-numbing and useless office jobs, the destruction of the environment, and countless other terrifying social issues.

"Capitalists are trying to convince us that we are living in the best possible world. That this is how it is supposed to be — that, if we just wait a little longer, things will become much better and there will be peace and prosperity for everyone.

"Things will not become better and nothing will change. Politicians and the system that sustains and feeds them have proven that over and over again. If we want the world to change, if we want a better future — for us, for our children, and future generations — then we will have to take things into our own hands. There are more of us than there are of them. It is time for a Solarpunk revolution.

"In the following four chapters, I will try to define and explain what exactly Solarpunk is and how it can improve our lives. To achieve this, we first have to discuss the prevalent dystopian visions that surround us in all forms of media. After that, we will take a look at how our current reality differs from these dystopias, and how fiction, in fact, influences how we perceive and design our own society. In the last chapter, I will then lay out the absolute basics of Solarpunk. These will serve as a starting point for subsequent articles, in which I will discuss how we can build a Solarpunk society from scratch and what we all can do to support this vision. But first, let’s take a look at some not-so-happy visions of the future..."

Original post has been deleted by the author.

Archived version:
archive.ph/NnWos

So, years ago, when I lived in #PortlandMaine, I was part of a #TimeBank, where I offered computing and web assistance to others, in exchange for rides, mending, artwork and sometimes food (the local food co-op was part of the Time Bank). It was a good system and a way to connect with community and provide #MutualAid and share skills!

TimeBanking 101

"Time banking replaces money. Provide an hour of service to your neighbor and earn one time dollar. A TimeBank is a network of members that have agreed they will provide and receive services from each other, albeit not directly. (This is not Barter.) Nothing is given 'in consideration of' and there are no binding contracts. Members have a moral obligation of reciprocity to the community.

Five Core Values:

- Human Value: We recognize the intrinsic value of every human being regardless of race, creed, color, or station in life.
- Human Equality: We honor the presence of every living spirit on this planet and consider that we are all equally sacred.
- Human Partnership: We believe that when we work together to meet each others needs, every human being will be cared for.
- Human Effort: We honor the contribution of every human being equally, regardless of how slight or grand it may be.
- Human Reward: We each apply ourselves to what we love. As members of the human family we are entitled to share in the proceeds of our collective activity."

Lear more:
hourworld.org/index.htm

hOurworld®️hOurworld: Neighbors helping neighbors.hOurworld®️ is an international network of Timebanks where members earn time credits sharing their talents and services, then later spend those credits on services others provide, strengthening the fabric of local communities.