The research team under PI Kallis focussed on developing two main research lines. First, a study of political eco-social transformations. And second, a study of real-existing degrowth territories and practices.
In terms of ecosocial transformations, research has focussed first on conceptual development, the goal being the establishment of a theoretical framework for classifying and analysing ecosocial strategies and dynamics of change; second, on empirical research design to study specific social and political movements that test, or enrich certain ideas of the conceptual framework. In terms of framework building the team has worked to synthesise elements from the theories of the commons, Erik Olin-Wright's real utopias framework, and the world-systems theory perspective. A main achievement is the construction of a new framework for ecosocial transformations, the publication of which is under away, alongside two thematic papers, one on movement, unions and party alliances, and the other on class organizing in the context of transformation. Empirically, researchers have already started doing fieldwork with municipalist movements in Catalonia, environmental direct action activists in France, land back movements in California and Indonesia, anti-extractivist movements in Turkey, and party movements in Latin America, testing various aspects of the incipient framework.
In terms of real-existing degrowth, a main achievement was the publication of a first paper from the group on the role of reclaiming tradition in the context of post growth transformations (case studies from various traditional institutions in the Iberian peninsula), and, in parallel, the development of a diagnostic framework for studying real existing degrowth.
