Ecovillages as Incubators for Degrowth? – A Critical Discourse Analysis on Degrowth in the Aardehuis-Olst Ecovillage
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2025-08-08
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en
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Nowadays, six out of the nine Planetary Boundaries have been transgressed as a result of human activity. Degrowth, although it has been perpetually contested, surfaced as a viable alternative to tackle economic growth and prevent a complete ecological breakdown. The interest in ecovillages has soared in the previous decades due to the increasing need for more sustainable lifestyles. Many claim that ecovillage communities facilitate as laboratories, social, sustainable and degrowth practices. This research delves into the understanding of the ecovillage-concept in connection with the degrowth theory by conducting a case study on a Dutch ecovillage, Aardehuis-Olst. Through conducting interviews and field observations, the study shares a deeper insight using Fairclough’s (1992) Critical Discourse Analysis of how degrowth is being practiced and talked about in the community. The most paramount feature of the thesis represents the uncovering the alignment with Parrique’s ‘15 Principles of Degrowth’ and how they appear in the community. The results have suggested that vocabulary, as discourse tool, represents the true values of the residents of the ecovillage. Even though some misalignments were detected to Parrique’s (2019) principles, linguistic analysis shed light on Sharing, Value sovereignty and Relational goods being the most relevant and present degrowth principles.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen