Pluto Press (London), August 2020

ISBN: 9780745342023  Pb — £16.99

ISBN: 9781786807601  eBook — £9.99

ISBN: 9781786807601  Hardcover, with free eBook — £75.00

Order here

Written by spokesperson for the French and international degrowth movements Vincent Liegey and Australian degrowth activist-scholar Anitra Nelson

Watch a 10min introductory video here and a 90min video of us both speaking in conversation on degrowth with Ashish Kothari (Global Tapestry of Alternatives) here

In the Foreword Jason Hickel, economic anthropologist (Goldsmiths, University of London, UK), writes:

The key thing is to recognize that we already live in an abundant economy. The problem isn’t that there’s not enough for everyone to flourish, the problem is that it’s all captured at the top. We can improve people’s lives right now, without any growth at all, simply by sharing what we already have more fairly and investing in public goods. Equity is the antidote to the growth imperative.

 

Of course, all of this leaves us with a million questions. What does a such an economy look like? How does it work? How do we get there? The book you hold in your hands traces a path through this thicket, and paints a picture of the new economy that lies ahead – an economy that enables human flourishing for all within planetary boundaries.

Praise

This book is the perfect introduction to the burgeoning intellectual and activist movement of degrowth. Short, crisp and provocative, this is the place to begin if you want to know more about degrowth. Giorgos Kallis, Limits (2019)

A superbly written reflection on degrowth politics — from 20th century intellectual origins to 21st century action agendas. Be sure to add it to your list!” Ariel Salleh, Eco-Sufficiency and Global Justice (ed. 2009)

Everyone knows we can’t go on like this. As the world lurches from crisis to crisis, Exploring Degrowth outlines alternatives to a capitalism that expands like a cancer. Vincent Liegey and Anitra Nelson provide a lively and accessible introduction to the ideas, theorists and controversies associated with degrowth, in a book relevant to both scholars and activists. Jeff Sparrow, author, journalist, The Guardian columnist

Now is the time to break. With capital, with labour, with development, with quantitative growth. This is an excellent introduction to the degrowth perspective, an important contribution to an urgent debate. John Holloway, Change the World Without Taking Power (2002), Crack Capitalism (2010)

Exploring Degrowth is a short introduction to the movement — an engaging read and excellent explanation of its various, sometimes contradictory tendencies … Liegey and Nelson set out a detailed pathway by which the degrowth movement might shape postcapitalist society. Terry Leahy, ‘Degrowth’, Arena Quarterly 4: Re-Worlding: A Post-Pandemic Future, pp. 95–98

Overall, the book fullfils the promise evoked by its title. It takes the reader along an exploration into the field of degrowth from the perspective of two well-established scholars and their experience especially in Europe and Australia. The writing benefits from the close relation to activist practices and community initiatives. It outlines historical roots and contemporary contradictions as well as the positive value of degrowth for tackling a global crisis on a finite planet. It also includes a short glossary with key terms of the book from autonomy, commons, municipalism, post-development to transhumanism. However, it is also an activist book that takes a clear stance on the degrowth movement, positions it as a solution to manifold problems and locates the author’s own proposal – the ‘unconditional autonomy allowance’ as a core concern emerging from degrowth. From the site of Christian Lamker — book review 

Overall, this book will be of interest to a broad and diverse readership because of its pedagogical, intellectual and activist potential … The book will be particularly useful for scholars seeking to grasp the main concepts and map these ongoing debates … educators will appreciate the opportunity to present more provocative ideas to our students. Exploring Degrowth references various schools of thoughts and provides practical examples. It will be a precious resource to structure classroom discussions and introduce students to these debates… I see the main value of the book as offering a quick synthesis of the concepts as used by activists within the degrowth movement. Book review by Alban Ouahab in journal Organization (2021)

The unique contributions of Exploring Degrowth are clear in its subtitle: A Critical Guide. Liegey and Nelson guide readers through intellectual histories in which critical theory is applied to society, culture, and thought to reveal and challenge power structures. In the process, they make these emancipatory traditions relevant to contemporary ecosocial challenges … The book as a whole, and particularly chapter 2, masterfully communicates decolonial concerns central to degrowth since its earliest expressions … Heightened awareness of their historical positions at the heart of colonizing growth has led Europeans, European settlers, and other privileged advocates to work on decolonizing their own minds and desires, and curbed ambitions to impose one universal vision of degrowth on differently positioned others. This book walks the talk … the book reshuffles dominant configurations of power and knowledge. Book review by Susan Paulson (University of Florida) in Environment and Society 12(1) (2021).

Contents

Front Matter (lists of figures and boxes, acknowledgments, glossary)

Foreword by Jason Hickel
Preface

1 Introduction: Exploring ‘Degrowth’
2 Decolonising Our Growth Imaginaries
3 Degrowth in Practice
4 Political Strategies for Degrowth
5 The Degrowth Project: A Work in Progress

Postface

Three Appendices

Selected Further Reading and Links

Index

Associated articles, reviews and posts

• Principle of Charity podcast of Anitra Nelson on degrowth in conversation with economist Gene Tunny, guided by hosts Emile Sherman and Llloyd Vogleman. Part 1 29 October and Part 2 5 November 2024. Listen here – Apple and Spotify.

• ‘Degrowth as a Concept and Practice: An Introduction‘ by Anitra Nelson, The Commons Social Change Library, February 2024

• Referred to by Geoff Mann in ‘Reversing the freight train‘, London Review of Books, 44(16), 18 August 2022 subsequently appearing in Spanish as Geoff Man, ‘Darle la vuelta a la ecuasión‘ Brecha, edn 1939, 20 January 2023
• Anitra Nelson and Vincent Leigey, ‘These technologies help you live lightly on a fragile planet‘, Scientific American, 11 October 2022.
• Victor Martinez, Future Xplorations Interview with Anitra Nelson on Degrowth — https://anchor.fm/futurexplorations/episodes/Degrowth—Dr–Anitra-Nelson-e1l4kk3
• Anitra Nelson ‘Degrowth projects help llocalise economies, meet communities’ basic needs‘ The Energy Mix 10 July (for 350info and Covering Climate Now’s joint coverage week on Food & Water).
• Anitra Nelson ‘How degrowth approaches can provide quality products, help local economies and drive sustainability‘ in Bright Green: Independent Media for Radical, Democratic, Green Movements, 28 June 2022 (for 350info and Covering Climate Now’s joint coverage week on Food & Water).
• Anitra Nelson and Vincent Liegey ‘Work for Degrowth‘ in Green Agenda #2/2022.
• Anitra Nelson interviewed by Victor Martinez on degrowth and postcapitalism for YouTube channel FutureXplorations, a series offering diverse perspectives on change, limits, humans and earth (to be posted 11 July 2022).
• Susan Paulson (University of Florida), book review in Environment and Society 12(1) (2021).
• Vincent Liegey and Anitra Nelson, ‘A degrowth celebratory message‘, 13 September 2021, Degrowth.info.
• Vincent Liegey interviewed by Mathilde Goupil, ‘L’article à lire pour tout comprendre à la décroissance, prônée par certains candidats à la primaire écologiste‘ FranceTVinfo (in French).
• Alan Ouahab, ‘Book Review of Exploring Degrowth (Liegey and Nelson, 2020)‘, Organization, online first 10 July 2021
• Molly Scott Cato, ‘Growing pains‘, review in Resurgence & Ecologist 326 (Building Back Hope, May–June 2021), pp. 58–9.
• Christian Lamker, ‘Degrowth: an invitation to explore and navigate‘ book review in Rooilijin, 19 May 2021.
• Zoltán Bajmóc, ‘Nemnövekedés: a fenntarthatósági átmenet pozitív vízója. Vincent Liegey, Anitra Nelson (2020): Exploring degrowth. A critical guide‘, Tér és Társadalom, 35(1), pp. 167–70, February 2021, DOI 10.17649/TET.35.1.3340.
• Dermot Smyth, ‘Exploring Degrowth: A Critical Guide’ [book review], Socialist Review 463, December 2020
• Bright Green editors compiled a resource guide to degrowth in which our book is one of five recommended and our Pluto Press post on degrowth principles is one of five select articles, see here
• Review article — Terry Leahy, ‘Degrowth’, Arena Quarterly 4: Re-worlding: A Post-Pandemic Future, pp. 95–98.
• ‘Degrowth is a radical solution to the climate crisis‘, Interview with Vincent Liegey and Anitra Nelson by Ben Smoke in Huck magazine 22 September 2020
• ‘Four principles of degrowth‘ by Anitra Nelson and Vincent Liegey at the Pluto Press blog
• ‘Covid-19: Capitalist and postcapitalist perspectives‘ by Anitra Nelson in the Special Symposium on Pandemic Capitalism special issue of Human Geography — OnlineFirst free access
• ‘Democratic crisis and degrowth‘ by Anitra Nelson and Vincent Liegey in Demos #10 (July) Crisis special issue
• Open Democracy article ‘Limit growth: Liberate degrowth‘, 18 May by Anitra Nelson and Vincent Liegey
• The Ecologist article ‘Coronavirus and degrowth‘, 3 April by Anitra Nelson and Vincent Liegey
• See this French site by Vincent Liegey et al. with certain English translations: http://www.projet-decroissance.net/

Past event videos and media

See future events here

This book appears in the FireWorks series

Read more on FireWorks here

Note too, the Marxist Education Project FireWorks series 2021: https://marxedproject.org/event/the-pluto-fireworks-series/2021-01-23/