Degrowth is not only the aim of this project but its path and its method.
An authoritarian Degrowth would not be a genuine Degrowth as we conceive it. More than a simple warning against the « forever more » paradigm, first and for all, Degrowth ought to allow us the re-appropriation of our lifestyle choices. Therefore Degrowth can be arrived at through the principles of individual choices, collective decision-making and participative democracy.
An objective look at the facts with regard to the issues of energy leads to a very pessimistic vision of the future, almost catastrophic. This is why we cannot exclude either an authoritarian recession, or the emergence of a “green dictatorship” that would rely on coercion, or on dogmatic control of civil society. An historical perspective shows that crises often lead to losses of identity, scapegoating, military endeavours and an erosion of democracy.
In that sense, we may think that Serge Latouche with his « pedagogy of disasters » and the peak oil theorists and their catastrophism, are right.
However, for those who can’t wait to build and enjoy a sustainable and pleasurable society, Degrowth must be built on democratic principles.
Even if resources were unlimited, the present mode of consumption would result in an endless succession of crises: social, economic, cultural, and political. Thus, Degrowth is not a goal in and by itself, but rather a pathway towards a new social paradigm.
Only Degrowth conceived along the lines of the democratically-defined concepts of “good use” and “misuse” will pave the way out of the growth society. Such changes require strong endorsement and public participation.
Today we face a challenging contradiction: we have only about 15 years to bring about social and cultural changes which would typically only be realisable over a few generations.
In a society where individualism and political disaffection have become the norm, we need to find the tools to « re-politize society and re-socialize politics ». That is why it is necessary to participate in the construction of a political movement with a view to setting up a democratic transition towards this objective.
In order to reach that goal, some of us are engaged in a political campaign with one main ambition: to invent a different way to spread the concept of Degrowth.
We work with the four political levels that underpin Degrowth:
The individual level: ‘voluntary simplicity’ or ‘frugality’ and the ‘decolonisation of our imagination’; that is, thinking outside existing paradigms
The collective level: local and concrete alternative experiences outside the capitalist paradigm: individualism and productivism.
Exposure/visibility: participation in electoral campaigns, media appearances, and staging of public meetings and debates.
The project itself: a project for the transition together with the conceptualisation / projection / imagining / dreaming of Degrowth societies.
There are as many ways to achieve Degrowth as there are supporters of Degrowth.
In order to respect the complementarity and diversity of all above-mentioned levels, we must remain open to all possibilities/suggestions/contributions.
Degrowth would lose its meaning if it were founded simply on a cynical and realist worldview which is liable to lead to authoritarianism and/or eco-fascism. Regardless of the nature of the incoming crises, their nature and their depth, every single seed sown, every single reflection on Degrowth and its implementation will provide some hope for resisting forms of barbarism and authoritarianism.
Vincent Liegey
