State and culture in sustainability transformations: structural power, democracy, and the promise of a Marcusian cultural politics of critical meaning-making
The concept of sustainability transformation highlights the need not merely for new environmental policies but for transformational change of societal systems in response to the ecological crisis, including a profound shift in values, ideas, and cultural meanings. Yet, according to historical-instit...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
|
| Series: | Sustainability: Science, Practice, & Policy |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15487733.2025.2450850 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832574306618441728 |
|---|---|
| author | Marit Hammond |
| author_facet | Marit Hammond |
| author_sort | Marit Hammond |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The concept of sustainability transformation highlights the need not merely for new environmental policies but for transformational change of societal systems in response to the ecological crisis, including a profound shift in values, ideas, and cultural meanings. Yet, according to historical-institutionalist state theory, the imperatives of the liberal-capitalist democratic welfare state give rise to a “glass ceiling” of transformation that limits prospects for such systemic change beyond quality-of-life improvements that remain consistent with liberal capitalism. Exploring the potential of cultural meaning-making to break this glass ceiling, I draw on various strands of critical theory to identify the operation of ideological power at the level of both the state and the cultural realm as what creates the glass ceiling of transformation. This makes the cultural realm at once a possible emancipatory force and a site of domination of its own. I suggest that the critical thought of Herbert Marcuse offers an account of a critical-democratic culture that promises to arise precisely out of this ambiguity and that must be understood as a crucial foundation for sustainability transformation. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8bfe969d578f47469e58b9e354d304c4 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1548-7733 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sustainability: Science, Practice, & Policy |
| spelling | doaj-art-8bfe969d578f47469e58b9e354d304c42025-02-02T00:00:28ZengTaylor & Francis GroupSustainability: Science, Practice, & Policy1548-77332025-12-0121110.1080/15487733.2025.2450850State and culture in sustainability transformations: structural power, democracy, and the promise of a Marcusian cultural politics of critical meaning-makingMarit Hammond0Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Warwick, Coventry, UKThe concept of sustainability transformation highlights the need not merely for new environmental policies but for transformational change of societal systems in response to the ecological crisis, including a profound shift in values, ideas, and cultural meanings. Yet, according to historical-institutionalist state theory, the imperatives of the liberal-capitalist democratic welfare state give rise to a “glass ceiling” of transformation that limits prospects for such systemic change beyond quality-of-life improvements that remain consistent with liberal capitalism. Exploring the potential of cultural meaning-making to break this glass ceiling, I draw on various strands of critical theory to identify the operation of ideological power at the level of both the state and the cultural realm as what creates the glass ceiling of transformation. This makes the cultural realm at once a possible emancipatory force and a site of domination of its own. I suggest that the critical thought of Herbert Marcuse offers an account of a critical-democratic culture that promises to arise precisely out of this ambiguity and that must be understood as a crucial foundation for sustainability transformation.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15487733.2025.2450850Sustainability transformationstate imperativesmeaning-makingculturecritical theoryHerbert Marcuse |
| spellingShingle | Marit Hammond State and culture in sustainability transformations: structural power, democracy, and the promise of a Marcusian cultural politics of critical meaning-making Sustainability: Science, Practice, & Policy Sustainability transformation state imperatives meaning-making culture critical theory Herbert Marcuse |
| title | State and culture in sustainability transformations: structural power, democracy, and the promise of a Marcusian cultural politics of critical meaning-making |
| title_full | State and culture in sustainability transformations: structural power, democracy, and the promise of a Marcusian cultural politics of critical meaning-making |
| title_fullStr | State and culture in sustainability transformations: structural power, democracy, and the promise of a Marcusian cultural politics of critical meaning-making |
| title_full_unstemmed | State and culture in sustainability transformations: structural power, democracy, and the promise of a Marcusian cultural politics of critical meaning-making |
| title_short | State and culture in sustainability transformations: structural power, democracy, and the promise of a Marcusian cultural politics of critical meaning-making |
| title_sort | state and culture in sustainability transformations structural power democracy and the promise of a marcusian cultural politics of critical meaning making |
| topic | Sustainability transformation state imperatives meaning-making culture critical theory Herbert Marcuse |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15487733.2025.2450850 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT marithammond stateandcultureinsustainabilitytransformationsstructuralpowerdemocracyandthepromiseofamarcusianculturalpoliticsofcriticalmeaningmaking |