Küçülme: Yeni Bir Çağ İçin Kavram Dağarcığı

by Giacomo D'Alisa (Editor), Federico DeMaria (Editor), Giorgos Kallis (Editor)

Toplumların esenliği ve gelişmişliği çoğu iktisatçı ve siyasetçi tarafından “büyüme” kavramıyla açıklanıyor. Farklı siyasi ve iktisadi görüşlerin “büyüme” konusunda anlaştığını görüyoruz. Günümüzdeki hızlı yoksullaşma, artan eşitsizlikler ve toplumsal-ekolojik felaketler de egemen söyleme göre büyüme eksikliğinin ya da azgelişmişliğin sonuçlarıdır: “Büyümeyen, yerinde sayan, ölür”. Elinizdeki kitap ise bu sorunların nedeninin tam da büyüme olduğunu, büyümenin aşırı masraflı, ekolojik açıdan sürdürülemez ve özünde adaletsiz bir hal aldığını, “büyüme”yi temel alan mitik inançların terk edilmesi gerektiğini savunuyor.

Bunun için büyüme tahayyülünü ayakta tutan ve ekonomiyi bilim olmaktan çıkaran terimlerle düşünmekten vazgeçmek gerekiyor. Kullanımdaki iktisadi dil, ifade edilmesi gerekeni ifade etmekte yetersiz kaldığı içindir ki yeni bir söz dağarcığına ihtiyacımız var. Bir grup aktivist ve entelektüelin ilk olarak Fransa’da başlattığı ve ardından tüm dünyaya yayılan küçülme hareketi, toplumsal bir hedef olarak ekonomik büyümenin terk edilmesi çağrısında bulunuyor. “Küçülme” kavramı, daha az doğal kaynak tüketen ve tamamen farklı ilkeler çerçevesinde örgütlenen toplumlara giden yolu temsil ediyor. Sadelik, şenliklilik, otonomi, bakım, müşterekler gibi kelimeler de küçülme toplumlarının neye benzeyebileceği konusuna ışık tutuyor.

Genres: Economics, Nonfiction, Environment, Politics, Sustainability, Ecology, Theory

320 pages, Paperback

First published October 20, 2014

Reviews

[Siyu · Rating 5 out of 5]

The word "degrowth" was something I registered a while back, but it wasn't until a month into the COVID quarantine and finding myself enjoying days of minimal consumption / craving community that I actually started looking into the idea with any seriousness. I also wanted to answer a question I've had for the longest time: we always hear about GDP growth, and I couldn't help but ask, why is it that we can always and continuously grow (contrary to most other phenomena which tend to be cyclical or temporary)?

This book is literally setting up the vocabulary to talk about the degrowth concept: each chapter defines an idea such as environmental justice, Gandhian economics and Ubuntu, gives a brief history, sketches out key figures, and explains how it relates to degrowth.

Lots of interesting post-capitalist ideas. "Dépense" ("spending") was proposed as the answer: the idea that surplus does not need to be reinvested for the benefit of capitalists (and therefore creating growth as a side effect), but can instead be "dépensé/spent" in a truly collective and democratic way that gives meaning to our lives. This was satisfying in that it actually tackles the problem of Jevons' Paradox, which I see as the elephant in the room in all things "sustainable development"! So five stars for that.

The unquestionable premise of a modern society is the right of each person to accumulate resources beyond basic needs and use them for realizing what he or she thinks is a “good life”. As a consequence, the system has to constantly grow to allow each and every one the opportunity to pursue this right, as it pretends to do in the abstract.

I'm glad the authors have curated these ideas for the English-speaking world, and I wish more mainstream economists can write/think about this... For example, Good Economics for Hard Times: Better Answers to Our Biggest Problems showed lots of data supporting the idea that sustained growth is elusive and that we urgently need to make the slices fairer and not the pie bigger - a degrowth idea!

Even the proposed solutions of Buen Vivir and dépense do not offer a scalable, practical roadmap forward, however. I mean, I see the #tinyhouse and minimal wardrobe/apartment trends and veganism as examples of social sentiments aligning with degrowth, but I hope we don't dépense by building pyramids again (noting that most infrastructure investments are made to aid growth in the future). So maybe the visual is: amazingly Instagrammable dinner parties?

[Rodolfo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good introduction to the topic of degrowth. It is a collection of 3-4 page essays by around 50 contributors which cover a topic each. Due to this structure I found it repetitive at times, but it is a good beginners' read on degrowth.

[Teoman TURKOGLU · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bu kitap, neoliberalizmin ideolojik temellerine karşı, alternatif bir uygarlık projesi önerir:
borcun yerine dayanışma, büyümenin yerine yeterlilik, tüketimin yerine paylaşım.
Ekonomi, toplumsal bir amaç olmaktan çıkar; yaşamın araçlarından biri haline gelir.

[rubiscodisco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally finished this book after a long period of book purgatory while I was distracted with other things. I would say it's a pretty good primer on the degrowth movement and philosophy and related concepts, and it's conveniently written as a series of short essays that are each easy enough to finish one at a time.

[Jordy Madueño · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cada capítulo es de un autor diferente con una perspectiva interesante sobre los problemas que nos plantea la crisis climática. No solo todos los problemas que ha creado nuestra forma consumista de vida sino también una gran variedad de soluciones que se complementan y que al principio me parecieron descabellados, pero recientemente he descubierto qué hay varios casos de éxito y que es posible. Fuera de esto, considero que varios capítulos sobraban y que no aportaban mucho. Mi parte favorita fue entender que las soluciones populares realmente no son soluciones sino que inherentemente cargan con la misma mentalidad económica y política que nos trajo hasta este problema. Debo de admitir que por eso mismo no he visto mayor esperanza para la humanidad, aunque el gran trabajo que han realizado algunas personas, muestra que vale la pena tener esperanza y que vale la pena el esfuerzo.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very helpful, if sometimes repetitive, guide to key concepts in "degrowth" thinking.

The book is divided into four parts: Lines of Thought, The Core, The Action, and Alliances--with 51 "terms" in total.

[Paste · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for what it was: a number of very brief (2-4 pages) introductions to topics in the degrowth sphere. Harvested a lot of sources for future reading

[Jitka · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5/5
Despite several great ideas in the book when it comes to practice it does lack examples on how to apply them. Even though there were some suggestions, the transition that should lead to the final version of 'a degrowth society' is absolutely missing which leads the reader to get lost in the utopian ideas. Unfortunately, the authors forgot humans are human and will very hardly be changed and the way to endorsing degrowth in today's capitalist world is longer than it has ever been. When people do not get the planet is dying because of our excessive activities how do you tell them to give up all the perks of consuming? I have read this book for my studies and there certainly is a lot of material to which one can relate but still it is too much theory and not much practice and when there is practice it does not take into account the structure of economics, governmental ties and others that we are already engaged in.

[Boritabletennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Degrowth:A Vocab for a New Era covers a very broad array of topics and perspectives around the subject of degrowing the world's major economies in order to preserve people's well-being while adapting to the climate crisis, which makes this anthology of essays well worth the read. The chapters are short, so it's easy to finish even on a busy schedule, and they provide helpful sources and keywords for further reading.

[Koen V · Rating 2 out of 5]

Echt een kloteboek.
Vond het interessant om eens iets tegendraads te lezen (lag toch al in de boekenkast dus why not), maar stoorde me echt aan de idealistische ideeën in dit boek.
Verder vond ik niet echt dat er concrete oplossingen tegen groei werden gegeven, meer ideaalbeelden waar naartoe geleefd kan worden. Leuk, maar niet realistisch. Vooral veel geroep en schenen schuppen zonder dat er echt een oplossing wordt gegeven.

[Giorgos · Rating 5 out of 5]

A excellent appraisal of a vibrant emerging school of thought and multidisciplinary tradition. A great introduction to degrowth studies and scientific research as well as to the broader social movement(s) and political alliances. A must-read for all current or aspiring progressive environmental activists who dare to imagine a better world in balance with nature.

[Withmanyroots · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the easiest intro to degrowth, it's been a long time since I read such academic texts but I'm glad I persevered and now had a breadth of understanding over this umbrella issue. But there's a great deal more to digest and so deeper into degrowth I go...

[Kristine · Rating 4 out of 5]

🤔💡📚🧮📉✅

[Bethule · Rating 4 out of 5]

Güzel bir deleme

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A useful introduction to all things degrowth.

[Tynan Brooks]

Lots of compelling arguments for the need to decrease consumption, but many of the proposals are cripplingly liberal and, dare I say it, idealist.

[Fódhla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super easy and digestible read on degrowth. A short book, but plenty of food for thought

[Andrej Drapal · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book aims to promote degrowth. Yet, it allows us to see the stupidity and destruction behind the degrowth concept in a whole light. Some articles are so clear about the destruction of life on Earth that degrowth brings, and it forced me to think: "What if authors want to demystify degrowth?"
Stupidities outnumber pages.

[Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A much needed vocabulary that intertwines all the old and new terms that have to do with degrowth. A really fine book to keep nearby as a reference.