Consumption corridors, capitalism and social change
Elke Pirgmaier
Abstract
Creating the conditions for everyone to live in dignity while respecting planetary boundaries is such a sensible idea with which no one can seriously disagree. Yet achieving it requires nothing less than a civilizational shift. Capitalism is a mode of production for profit, and systemic profits are predicated on the reproduction of structural inequalities. This establishes capitalism as a society in which people are structurally inclined toward taking advantage of each other. Profit-seeking, growth, and competition are systemic expressions of a culture in which self- and other-exploitation are normalized and institutionally protected. This article adopts a Marxian political economy perspective to understand consumption corridors in the context of the capitalist economy. I explain how and why sensible consumption corridors – sensible from social justice and planetary health perspectives – are difficult to envisage under capitalism. I then identify four leverage points for social change. Research can be mobilized to expose and resist narratives that protect overconsumption and ill-being; to enliven a vision of human liberation; to boost institutions out of solidarity, compassion, and love; and to act out of an awareness of the transformative power of language and intentions. Researchers are invited to change their self-conception from information providers to change facilitators.