Degrowth in South Europe: complementarity in diversity Federico Demaria*, Francois Schneider*, Andrea Calsamiglia**, Laura Blanco**, Dalma Domeneghini*** *Research & Degrowth (www.degrowth.net ) **Entesa pel Decreixement (www.decreixement.net ) ***Rete per la Decrescita (www.decrescita.it ) INDEX 1. INTRODUCTION (What is degrowth?) 2. A SHORT HISTORY (The term, France, Italy, Spain) 3. THE INTELLECTUAL SOURCES (Why?) 4. STRATEGIES OF THE DEGROWTH SOCIAL MOVEMENT (How?) 5. ACTORS (Who?) 6. CONCLUSIONS 1. Introduction: What is Degrowth? Degrowth is a slogan, a missile word, and a new social and intellectual movement of the North. The intention is to engage into a very contentious process: the one of making a diagnosis and a prognosis of our society. Degrowth attempts to re-politicize the debate about the much needed socio-ecological transformation, trying to affirm an alternative interpretative frame, to the detriment of the hegemonic representations (and the status quo). When the concept of sustainable development reveals its essence of mere green-washing, degrowth comes as a proposal for radical change. The aim is to overcome the post-political terrain of technocratic management and expert policy making. Take only the “green car”. It is not solving the problem when, globally, more cars travel more often to more places that are further away. The orthodox slogan from the Bruntland Report (1987), Sustainable Development, implied that economic growth could be ecologically sustainable. This is not true as industrial economies deplete resources and overload sinks. Moreover evidences support the argument that economic growth improves neither well-being nor equity, if not the contrary. Degrowth carries the idea of a voluntary reduction of the size of the economic system, which implies a reduction of the GDP. However degrowth is not simply about challenging GDP but proposes a framework for transformation to a lower and sustainable level and mode of production and consumption. Degrowth is a path towards social justice, well being and ecological sustainability. It involves actions at both individual and collective level to reduce pressure on humans and ecosystems, challenging our market based imaginary and implying a wide and deep democratization of societies. Degrowth is about people, rather than technology, market or experts, deciding on the direction of societal evolution. Furthermore it implies giving meaning to human life which is not per se associated with conspicuous consumption and materialism. Degrowth is a drainage basin where a variety of ideas, practical alternatives and people have converged to name a different future. Degrowth as a concept carries a power of articulation, debate and complementarity. It is not by chance that the movement has seen since the beginning the emergence of networks. Degrowth takes position in one of the debates that earlier movements have