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Domination, Power, Supremacy: Confronting Anthropolitics with Ecological Realism

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  • Toni Ruuska

    (Department of Economics and Management, University of Helsinki, 00500 Helsinki, Finland)

  • Pasi Heikkurinen

    (Department of Economics and Management, University of Helsinki, 00500 Helsinki, Finland)

  • Kristoffer Wilén

    (Department of Marketing, Hanken School of Economics, 00100 Helsinki, Finland)

Abstract

In this article, we study politics as domination. From our point of view, domination, especially in the Anthropocene, has had two vital components—power and supremacy. In order to dominate, one has to have power over others. In addition, the politics of domination, such as colonial oppression of Latin America, has required reasoning, justification, and legitimation, often connected to superiority (because of religion, society, or civilization) from the oppressor’s end. Past and present political ideologies and programs, such as colonialism, imperialism, but also welfare state capitalism, neoliberalism and increasingly popular Green New Deal are examples of what we call “anthropolitics”, an anthropocentric approach to politics based on domination, power, and supremacist exploitation. In contrast to the prevailing anthropolitics, this article discusses post-Anthropocene politics, characterized by localization and decentralization, as well as a steep reduction of matter–energy throughput by introducing a theoretical frame called ecological realism.

Suggested Citation

  • Toni Ruuska & Pasi Heikkurinen & Kristoffer Wilén, 2020. "Domination, Power, Supremacy: Confronting Anthropolitics with Ecological Realism," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-20, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:7:p:2617-:d:337148
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Paul J. Crutzen, 2002. "Geology of mankind," Nature, Nature, vol. 415(6867), pages 23-23, January.
    3. Gowdy, John & Krall, Lisi, 2013. "The ultrasocial origin of the Anthropocene," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 137-147.
    4. Karl Johan Bonnedahl & Maria José Caramujo, 2019. "Beyond an absolving role for sustainable development: Assessing consumption as a basis for sustainable societies," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(1), pages 61-68, January.
    5. Daniel Bailey, 2015. "The Environmental Paradox of the Welfare State: The Dynamics of Sustainability," New Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(6), pages 793-811, December.
    6. Heikkurinen, Pasi & Ruuska, Toni & Wilén, Kristoffer & Ulvila, Marko, 2019. "The Anthropocene exit: Reconciling discursive tensions on the new geological epoch," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 1-1.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ossi I. Ollinaho & V. P. J. Arponen, 2020. "Incomegetting and Environmental Degradation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-18, May.
    2. Pasi Heikkurinen & Toni Ruuska & Anu Valtonen & Outi Rantala, 2020. "Time and Mobility after the Anthropocene," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-5, June.

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