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Real-World Sustainable Citizenship between Political Consumerism and Material Practices

Author

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  • Carolin V. Zorell

    (Education and Social Sciences, School of Humanities, Örebro University, 70182 Örebro, Sweden)

  • Mundo Yang

    (Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts, University of Siegen, 57072 Siegen, Germany)

Abstract

While the number of theoretical concepts surrounding sustainable citizenship, political consumerism and ethical lifestyles is rising continuously, this article is interested in how citizens themselves delineate sustainable citizenship through their practices. Asking which contours real-world sustainable citizenship has, we draw on the practice turn. From this perspective, sustainable citizenship might be an empirical nexus of material practices, like buying organic products or sharing goods. These practices rely on dispositions that include practical rules, attitudes and political values. With survey data from Germany (N = 1350) and using principle component analysis, we reconstruct sustainable citizenship through stable and widespread real-world patterns. The results suggest that sustainable citizenship is a relatively coherent, nonetheless hybrid bundle of performances and dispositions. Real-world sustainable citizenship most resembles political consumerism, but consists overall of three distinct practices: sustainable purchasing, reduced consumption, and green mobility. All three are shown to be connected to engaged citizenship norms and the intention to advance social-ecological change. However, social class seems to prevent some citizens particularly from applying sustainable purchasing, while age and infrastructures constrain green mobility. Altogether, our results show that citizens from all social backgrounds practice sustainable citizenship. Yet they do so through different forms of practices, adjusted to their capabilities.

Suggested Citation

  • Carolin V. Zorell & Mundo Yang, 2019. "Real-World Sustainable Citizenship between Political Consumerism and Material Practices," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 8(11), pages 1-22, November.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:8:y:2019:i:11:p:311-:d:286110
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Young Min Baek, 2010. "To Buy or Not to Buy: Who are Political Consumers? What do they Think and How Do they Participate?," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 58, pages 1065-1086, December.
    2. Elizabeth Shove, 2010. "Beyond the ABC: Climate Change Policy and Theories of Social Change," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 42(6), pages 1273-1285, June.
    3. Young Min Baek, 2010. "To Buy or Not to Buy: Who are Political Consumers? What do they Think and How Do they Participate?," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 58(5), pages 1065-1086, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Robbe Geerts & Frédéric Vandermoere & Hanne Dallenes & Raf Vanderstraeten, 2022. "Crowding-In and Crowding-Out. Studying the Relationship between Sustainable Citizenship and Political Activism in Flanders," Societies, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-12, August.
    2. Margaret Haderer, 2020. "Revisiting the Right to the City, Rethinking Urban Environmentalism: From Lifeworld Environmentalism to Planetary Environmentalism," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 9(2), pages 1-13, February.
    3. Frédéric Vandermoere & Robbe Geerts & Raf Vanderstraeten, 2020. "Can Sustainable Consumption Trigger Political Activism? An Empirical Investigation of the Crowding-in Hypothesis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-14, October.

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