Vienna University of Economics and Business Institute for Multi-Level Governance and Development Univ. Prof. Dr. Clive L. Spash The Transformative Potential of Ecovillages as a Counter-Hegemonic Narrative to the Imperial Mode of Living A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science in “Social-Ecological Economics and Policy” by Roman Hausmann Matriculation Number: 1619176 Due Date: 03.09.2019 Abstract The hegemonic lifestyle in the Global North, which has been conceptualised as the imperial mode of living that is characterised by an unsustainable appropriation of resources at the expense of others, is a major cause of the intensifying global multiple crisis. This crisis is threating the earth and her people and thus induced an increasing awareness of the need for a social-ecological transformation. This master thesis contributes to the debate on strategies towards such a social-ecological transformation by proposing to challenge the imperial mode of living by establishing a counter-hegemonic narrative of a good life for all that is socially just and ecologically sustainable. Ecovillages strive for creating such a narrative by practicing this understanding of a good life and can thus be regarded as potential transformative actors. This master thesis aims at investigating what the transformative potential of ecovillages as drivers of a counter-hegemonic narrative is and revealing the mechanism that manifest this potential. To this end, a theoretical hypothesis is developed that argues for the transformative power of counter-hegemonic narratives. Then, ecovillages are conceptualised based on the existing literature and are set into context regarding the beforehand developed hypothesis. The core of this thesis constitutes then the empirical data collection and analysis in the case study on the ecovillage Schloss Tempelhof. Based on qualitative semi-structured interviews it is investigated in how far practices at Tempelhof establish a counter-hegemonic narrative and what the effects of those practices are. The findings suggest that ecovillage practices at Schloss Tempelhof indeed form a coherent narrative of a counter-hegemonic understanding of a good life for all. This induces to some extent a change in attitudes and perceptions of the local population of the region in which Tempelhof is situated. Tempelhof as an example of a functioning ecovillage thus has indeed a certain potential to contribute to a social-ecological transformation. Keywords: ecovillages; counter-hegemony; narratives, social-ecological transformation; imperial mode of living II Table of Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................................................. II Table of Contents ................................................................................................................................. III List of Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................. V List of Figures ....................................................................................................................................... VI 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Research Approach, Questions and Design................................................................................... 3 1.1.1 A Critical Realist Metatheory and Its Methodological Implications...................................... 3 1.1.2 Research Questions and Design ............................................................................................. 5 1.2 Outline ........................................................................................................................................... 9 2 Theoretical and Conceptual Framework ....................................................................................... 11 2.1 A Social-Ecological Transformation Towards the Good Life for All ......................................... 11 2.1.1 The Imperial Mode of Living and the Multiple Crisis .......................................................... 11 2.1.2 Characteristics of a Social-Ecological Transformation ....................................................... 14 2.1.3 The Good Life for All as the Desired Principle of Future Society ....................................... 15 2.1.4 Strategies and Challenges .................................................................................................... 17 2.2 The Gramscian Conception of Hegemony and Counter-Hegemony ........................................... 20 2.2.1 The Integral State and Hegemony ........................................................................................ 20 2.2.2 Counter-Hegemonic Endeavours ......................................................................................... 22 2.3 Narratives as a Powerful Transformative Tool and Strategy ...................................................... 23 2.3.1 Characteristics and Functioning of Narratives .................................................................... 23 2.3.2 Establishing Narratives through Practices .......................................................................... 24 2.3.3 The Transformative Potential of Counter-Narratives .......................................................... 26 2.4 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 27 3 Ecovillages as a Counter-Hegemonic Force ................................................................................... 29 3.1 An Introduction to and Conceptualisation of Ecovillages ........................................................... 29 3.1.1 Ecovillages as a Form of Eco-Collaborative Living ............................................................ 29 3.1.2 Defining Principles of Ecovillages ....................................................................................... 31 3.2 The Counter-Hegemonic Narrative of Ecovillages ..................................................................... 39 3.2.1 Ecovillages vs. the Imperial Mode of Living: 7 Categories of Ordering Common Senses .. 39 3.2.2 Establishing the Ecovillage Narrative through Practices and a “War of Position” ........... 43 3.2.3 Strengths of Ecovillages as a Counter-Hegemonic Force .................................................... 45 3.3 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 47 III 4 Case Study: The Ecovillage Schloss Tempelhof ............................................................................ 48 4.1 A Brief Introduction to the Ecovillage Schloss Tempelhof ........................................................ 48 4.1.1 Background .......................................................................................................................... 48 4.1.2 Schloss Tempelhof Viewed through the Lens of Counter-Hegemonic Narratives ................ 50 4.2 Methods and Procedure ............................................................................................................... 53 4.3 Empirical Results of the Field Study ........................................................................................... 56 4.3.1 Mechanisms in the Key Aspects of Tempelhof ...................................................................... 56 4.3.2 The Constitutive Structure of Tempelhof as Transformative Force ..................................... 72 4.3.3 Deficiencies and Constraints to Tempelhof’s Transformative Potential .............................. 76 4.4 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 78 5 Discussion and Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 79 Publication Bibliography .................................................................................................................... 82 IV List of Abbreviations CSA Community Supported Agriculture EEA European Environmental Agency GEN Global Ecovillage Network HDI Human Development Index UN United Nations Organisation V List of Figures Figure 2.1: The Gramscian Conception of the Integral State and Hegemony………………..21 Figure 3.1: The Self-Audit Four-Element Definition for Ecovillages……………....………..32 Figure 3.2: The Four Dimensions of the Whole System Design Framework by GEN………33 Figure 4.1: Population Development in Kreßberg……………………………………………52 VI 1 Introduction “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” - R. Buckminster Fuller, quoted by Sieden (2011, p. 358) - R. Buckminster Fuller, a pioneer of the concepts of sustainability and planetary boundaries and a proponent of the idea of ecovillages, put with this quote into a nutshell what he regarded as key for moving towards a desirable future: The destructive treatment of our planet and its people that has prevailed and accelerated over the past centuries can only be challenged by developing successful alternative practices (Sieden 2011). He emphasised the importance of creating a vision of such an alternative future-oriented model that people