Julian Willming a
a Leuphana University, Lüneburg, Germany
The role of art in the degrowth movement, and vice versa, is a largely unexplored but promising research theme which can help us to understand the aesthetic dimension of radical social-ecological transformations. This article is the first review of the current state of this discourse. After introducing the context and relevance of analysing the relationship between art and degrowth, a database of 44 articles was compiled from published peer and non-peer-reviewed literature in scientific journals, book chapters, and art magazines. The results categorize the literature into three different clusters: Art for Degrowth (how can art amplify and communicate the degrowth vision), Degrowth for Art (analyses of potential transformations in the (institutionalised) art world in line with degrowth), and Art as Degrowth (the non-productivist and slowness of art making as a prefiguration of degrowth practices in everyday life). The clusters were then examined from a sociology of the arts perspective using Howard Becker’s (1982) theory of art worlds, looking specifically at the perspectives, conceptualisations, and contradictions of art and degrowth publications in each respective cluster. Juxtaposing the three clusters revealed strong disciplinary differences between how degrowth scholars, art writers, and art theorists defined “art” and “degrowth”, and how they assess their relationship. The implications of this observation are reflected upon and framed as power struggles in the discussion of the paper. Lastly, the article outlines a desideratum of future research which could facilitate a more fruitful connection between the art world and the degrowth community.
Julian Willming a
a Leuphana University, Lüneburg, Germany
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