The World is Yours: “Degrowth”, Racial Inequality and Sustainability

Abstract

Abstract:In French economist Serge Latouche's 2009 book, Farewell to Growth, Latouche discusses "degrowth" in great detail, but he also explains how racial bias (and bias in general) in the world today has no place in a post-GDP world that embraces the principles outlined in "degrowth" or, as he calls it, décroissance. Latouche writes in Farewell to Growth that "we resist, and must resist all forms of racism and discrimination (skin color, sex, religion, ethnicity)", biases he insist are "all too common in the West today." Latouche's ideas are important for considering "degrowth", because racial bias and the historical problems presented by that bias, in the United States, continues despite efforts to address it in a significant manner. The World is Yours discusses "degrowth" , economic growth and racial inequality, seeking to not only provide a better understanding of the recent social, legal and political meaning of these terms, but also the difficulties presented by these ideas today in a world increasingly committed to economic growth, even at the expense of human existence. How can a new economic paradigm be pursued that is more sustainable? Will African-Americans and other groups of color and nations of color accept "degrowth" if the US begins to implement a real sustainable agenda that addresses racial inequality?

Climate Scholarship Needs Du Bois: Climate Crisis through the Lens of Racial and Colonial Capitalism*

“…Nevertheless, the racialized nature of social and economic relations is still largely unacknowledged within the field. While there is mention of the fact that racialized communities are heavily impacted by growth, production, and consumption (Hickel 2021;Kallis et al 2020), just one article focuses on racial inequality in relation to (de)growth (Gilmore 2013).…”

“…While there is mention of the fact that racialized communities are heavily impacted by growth, production, and consumption (Hickel 2021; Kallis et al. 2020), just one article focuses on racial inequality in relation to (de)growth (Gilmore 2013).…”