In Search of Possibilities for Action
Abstract
After an outline of the questions to be addressed there will be considerations on our own political-economy oriented approach to the transformation debate, on the purposeful search for possibilities of action and thus on what is transformational in everyday social life. The contribution presents ideas developed in the brochure Exit the Crisis. Socio-ecological Transformation. With this publication, the authors presented a socialist-accented contribution to the sustainability “from below” debate, which in no way relativises the enormous importance of government action, of official international organisations and treaties but recognises their limitations. The brochure’s, and this article’s, central concern is to qualify – via concrete proposals on the exchange of analyses
of problems, solution concepts, experiences and other proposals – our own understanding, thinking and action, and at the same time to promote or initiate problem-solving-oriented communication and cooperation with socially critical scholars and those interested in the subject.
Thank you for this thoughtful overview of sectors where there are problems in relation to sustainable development. The overview includes proposals for needed transformation.
The paper also makes general statements about capital oligarchies. It is about establishment actors, that is a mainstream that continues to rely on economic growth, monetary profits and other narrow objectives. As I see it, however, there is some heterogeneity in each actor category. Some actors in the agricultural sector, such as organic farmers perform a bit better in sustainability terms than others and something similar may be true of the transportation sector. Actually, a power game has been going on for a long time within the agricultural sector between different groups of actors. While general statements about specific sectors certainly have a role we should perhaps also ask ourselves how we can support those actors who already think in radical terms in their struggle against those who do not (want to) understand the need for change.