About the book
Written by an international team of contributors from Scandinavia, Germany, the UK, and the US, this book examines in-depth the relationship between sustainability and the good life. It explores where contemporary visions of the sustainable good life come from; what functions they serve; how they are expressed in current transition processes; and whether a sustainable and satisfying life is possible for all.
This book frames the eco "crisis" in an optimistic way, showing it to be full of potential for creative unfolding and democratic participation at all levels – personal, community, and societal. Many seek creative responses at various levels of action in the face of global threats such as population growth, the end of the oil age, and climate change. Lighter individual lifestyles are being experimented with as much as is bioregional citizenship, national and international distributive justice, and active green resistance to the dominant power structures.
Drawing on wealth of theories, from social practice theory to architecture and design theory, and disciplines, such as anthropology and environmental philosophy, this volume promotes participatory action-research based approaches to encourage sustainability and wellbeing at local levels. It covers topical issues such the politics of prosperity, globalization, and indigenous notions of "the good life" and happiness". It discusses how to meet ‘needs’, which has largely been left out of the sustainability debate. Finally it places a strong emphasis on food at the heart of the sustainability and good life debate, for instance binding the global south to the north through import and exports, or linking everyday lives to ideals within the dream of the good life, with cookbooks and shows.
This interdisciplinary book provides invaluable insights for researchers and postgraduate students interested in the contribution of the environmental humanities to the sustainability debate.
More information
For more information about the book or how to order the book please see Routledge webiste