Green governmentality and responsibilization: new forms of governance and responses to ‘consumer responsibility’

Abstract

An extensive literature examines political or green consumption, attending to how people make sense of their consumption relative to norms of individual responsibility and pro-environmental behaviour. Similarly, a small but growing literature addresses green governmentality, focusing on new governance forms and responsibilization processes. These two strands seldom meet, resulting in poor understanding of the links between consumption governance and people's sense-making and actions relative to the moral imperative of being 'responsible consumers'. We address this weakness by juxtaposing these two strands of literature, improving our understanding of the processes of responsibilization and some of their consequences. We argue that, to understand the effects of this form of governance, we must realize that subjects are not inevitably positioned and predetermined by a hegemonic discourse. At the same time, we must acknowledge that responsibilization processes give rise to compliance and to a range of ambivalences and forms of resistance.

O prijeporima etičke potrošnje iz društvenog rakursa

“…Koristi se više terminologija za pojam etičke potrošnje. Određeni se autori referiraju na zelenu potrošnju i zelenog potrošača (Connolly i Prothero, 2008); društveno odgovornu potrošnju (Soneryd i Uggla, 2015); potrošačku etiku ili etičke potrošačke izbore (Belk i sur., 2005); održivu potrošnju i antikonzumerizam (Muldoon, 2006); politički konzumerizam i etički konzumerizam (Dolan, 2005;Micheletti, 2003); itd. Zajedničko je svim ovim terminima orijentacija potrošnje oko "vrijednosti, vrlina i etike" (Micheletti, 2003:10 Papaoikonomou i suradnika (2011:209-213) o dobrovoljnoj jednostavnosti ili etičkom pojednostavljivanju koje se odnosi na minimaliziranje osobne potrošnje ili njeno umjereno prakticiranje, 9 poput ograničavanja impulzivnih potrošačkih odluka ili vođenja računa o njenoj održivoj komponenti, primjerice potrošnjom rabljene (engl.…”

“…Po Muldoon (2006) upravo je individualizacija odgovornosti sporna stavka etičke potrošnje. Njome se, doduše, osvjetljavaju mogućnosti pojedinačnog djelovanja (Soneryd i Uggla, 2015;Micheletti, 2003), ali se zamagljuje prostor (su)djelovanja korporativnih struktura u razini država ili vlada 21 te strukturalnih ograničenja u čimbenicima klase, etniciteta, rase, spola. 22 Muldoon (2006) sam kapitalistički sustav smatra nesklonim etičkoj potrošnji, počevši od manjkavih i nepouzdanih informacija što je u više analiza istaknuto preprekom etičnom djelovanju (Joergens, 2006;Carrigan i Attalla, 2001; Tallontire i sur., 2001).…”

A sociology of environmental representation

“…Rather, images are to be seen as representations -concretizing abstract or elusive entities such as 'nature', the environment and/or environmental degradation by featuring iconic animals, heroes or melting glaciers. In both news media and environmental campaigns, both textual metaphors and photographic and other images tend to turn complex issues into 'easily digestible slogans' (Seppänen and Väliverronen 2003, 81;see also;Soneryd and Uggla 2015). Many media studies are inspired by Stuart Hall (1997), who emphasizes the visual in culture by drawing out ideological aspects realized in images.…”

“…In environmental campaigns, we find tools for auditing such as carbon calculators, checklists guiding conduct (e.g. advice on how to save energy by making small changes in everyday life) and forms inviting people to make a pledge to lead a low carbon life (Paterson and Stripple 2010;Soneryd and Uggla 2015). These tools can be seen as representations of what it means to be an environmentally responsible citizen, at the same time as they are entwined in practices, focusing environmentally friendly behaviour based on small changes in everyday practices and thereby confining our environmental imagination.…”

‘Wannabe Toxic-Free?’ From precautionary consumption to corporeal citizenship

“…Over the past three decades, citizens have been encouraged to exercise choice and act responsibly to manage their own health. Many scholars have pointed to the risks of an overly narrow focus on individual consumer behaviour in approaching questions of environmental citizenship (Sandilands 1993, MacGregor 2006 and have noted how this narrow focus on individual consumer behaviour has evolved in conjunction with new kinds of green governance involving forms of responsibilization (Soneryd and Uggla 2015). In fact, MacGregor has stated provocatively that it is now 'time to kill off the figure of the "consumercitizen" ' (2016).…”