Emplacing Sustainability in a Post-Capitalist World

Barron. E.S.

This chapter in the Handbook of Environmental Sociology is based on a particular understanding of post-capitalism, as a series of strategies for socio-economic-ecological negotiations. These strategies engage 1) the politics of language, 2) the politics of the subject, and 3) the politics of collective action. Understanding language, subjects, and collective actions as spaces for political engagement is about considering them as processes actively and always under negotiation rather than as fixed objects. Using these strategies I consider the question: what does sustainability look like in a post-capitalist world? Specifically, how can a post-capitalist politics support and enrich the concept of emplaced sustainability? In other words, is thinking about sustainability as an ongoing, place-based political process, rather than a necessary solution to maintain a world-order based on growth and development, an important building block for a post-capitalist future?

Suggested citation

Barron, E.S. 2020. “Emplacing Sustainability in a Post-Capitalist World.” In: Cambridge Handbook of Environmental Sociology, Legun, K., J. Keller, M. Carolan, and M. Bell, eds. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.