Transition's potential to challenge neo-liberalism (online)

ORGANIZING TRANSITION: PRINCIPLES AND TENSIONS IN ECO-LOCALISM

In this chapter, the authors investigate the potential of the transition movement to resist dominant discourses that support neoliberal conceptions of economic growth which deny the environmental consequences of late capitalism, and to transform communities through bottom-up democratic organizing. Although critiques of the transition movement focus on the limitations of eco-localism as a form of resistance to capitalism, the approach in this chapter is deliberately affirmative and is aimed at understanding the potential of the movement as well as identifying issues and challenges it may face. Consideration is given to the transition movement's attempts to be simultaneously responsive to current global environmental and economic crises, while also engaging deeply with issues and dilemmas of democracy.