Changing social relations of production is essential to advance a sustainability transformation

Abstract

The world is facing a polycrisis, in terms of both environmental and social dysfunctions. A powerful call for transformation has emerged from both the scientific and the political communities. A significant amount of research suggests that the root of the polycrisis lies in the global integration of production, distribution and consumption into capitalism. The sustainability transformation literature openly refers to the need to transcend capitalism and imperialism. In this article, we draw on historical materialism as a mode of analysis of capitalism and highlight the central role played by existing social relations of production. Social relations of production reflect who has access to the means of production and under what conditions. Capitalism is characterised by the separation of the majority of people from the means of production. We identify the main themes in the sustainability transformation literature that would benefit most from a deeper engagement with historical materialism. These themes relate to the necessity to (a) transform worldviews, narratives and ideologies; (b) abandon anthropocentrism; (c) address various forms of injustice; and (d) achieve hegemony. We subsequently discuss how each of these themes is deeply related to the prevailing capitalist social relations of production and how a safe and just transition can be achieved only by acting on these relations. We illustrate how the relevance of historical materialism to sustainability transformations lies not only in the richness of its theoretical insights but also in the concrete experiences of social transformations that it inspired. Taking stock of this experience is crucial to advance towards a fairer and more sustainable world.