Degrowth-compatible Common Senses in Croatia
Degrowth-compatible Common Senses in Croatia

Summary/Abstract: The article presents an overview of recent research from the Institute for Political Ecology in Zagreb on degrowth-related attitudes and practices in Southeast Europe. Hegemonic discourses of progress and human security based on the high consumption of concentrated fossil energy and economic growth lead to two limitations: For one, conceptual restrictions –so a paradigmatic shift in values, attitudes, and understanding must be introduced. Secondly,discourses obscure alternative transformative narratives – but degrowth narratives can provide transformative conceptual changes. Those are already prevalent in societies, rooted in common senses (it. sensi communi), but so far they are side-lined.The empirical part of the article presents examples of practices and attitudes from Croatia, the most recent EU member state located at the EU’s Southeastern flank. The examples focus on food self-provisioning (FSP) practices and degrowth-compatible social attitudes. These empirical illustrations point to the existing base of counter-hegemonic practices, opinions and values that can provide sensibility for a degrowth-compatible transformative vision of social metabolism and cultural flourishing in an often-overlooked part of the world.

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