Rethinking Post-Growth and Decolonization
An essay by Tonny Nowshin and Matthias Schmelzer on the connection between post-growth and decolonization has been published by the NGO Konzeptwerk Neue Ökonomie (Laboratory for a New Economy). The article appears in the series: Building Blocks for Climate Reparations: Putting Perspectives from the Global South in the Spotlight. The central question is how global inequalities, colonial continuities, and resource relations can be more effectively integrated into critical analyses of growth. It becomes clear that post-growth remains insufficient without a fundamental examination of colonial power relations.
"A crucial element of climate reparations is the guarantee of non-recurrence: ensuring that the structural causes of the damage do not persist. In the context of climate justice, "recurrence" is driven by the ongoing reproduction of inequalities by a global economic system—a system based on the extraction of resources, labor, and the environment from countries in the Global South. Taking the guarantee of non-recurrence seriously therefore means confronting the economic and political order that generates this damage. It means ending the growth-oriented, extractivist model that underpins the current global economy and enables the continued exploitation of people and the environment. To meet this challenge, post-growth perspectives must be integrated with decolonial approaches. Together, they offer a vision—a world after growth.“