Publication details
Can sustainable consumption be inherited? The children of Czech voluntary simplifiers
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| Year of publication | 2016 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | In 1992, Hana Librová conducted in-depth interviews within Czech households that were distinct by their environment-friendly patterns of consumption. These families can be considered as part of the "voluntary simplicity" stream, even though they themselves do not identify with either the simplicity or the environmental movements. Librová has developed her research into a longitudinal study with two more stages in 2002 and 2015. Additionally, many other sociological studies have explored pro-environmental practices and more sustainable lifestyles in recent decades. However, the reproduction of such lifestyles within families remains under-researched. Therefore, in 2015, we replicated Librová's method and conducted interviews with the 21 adult children who have grown up in the families from Librová's original sample. We tackle the question of whether the documented environment-friendly lifestyle can be reproduced, and if so, in what ways. How do the children look back on their growing up without material affluence? Have they set up their own lifestyle in a more consumerist manner? And how was the process of the lifestyle's reproduction influenced by the country's shift from post-Communism to a fully developed capitalist economy? Our research draws on sociological theories of consumption, particularly on Bourdieu. The results show that while revolting against their parents was characteristic for the first generation of participants interviewed in 1992, their own habitus has been reproduced relatively successfully. Nevertheless, the environment-friendly aspects of their children's consumption have generally weakened. |
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