Conditions of Possibility for Deep Social Change—Imaginaries Concerning Normality in a Finnish Online Discussion on Self‐Sufficiency

Abstract

As part of the literature that emphasizes alternative narratives as a prominent means of promoting change in the face of the climate crisis and other ecological catastrophes, we concentrate on local self‐sufficiency, which has been identified as one of the promising paths to sustainability. Inductive content analysis of public discussion of radical self‐sufficiency on a Finnish newspaper website, using two sets of data 10 years apart, uncovered shared features in people's evaluation and reasoning on self‐sufficiency. From the discussion, a social imaginary of a desirable “normal” state, characterized in terms of the monetary economy and technological progress, is readily identifiable. In contrast, change toward a self‐sufficient lifestyle is seen as contingent on several factors: it being universalizable, contributing to common goals, and discouraging living off other people. These findings suggest that efforts to articulate narratives of low natural resource use must pay heed to broadening the social imagination, while simultaneously highlighting opportunities to participate meaningfully in society.