Politics beyond agency? Pluralizing structure(s) in sustainability transitions

Abstract

What exactly do transition scholars mean by structure? In efforts to articulate the politics of sustainability transitions, scholarship has en masse turned to unraveling and pluralizing the many different manifestations of agency and power in processes of transformative change. While this is valuable, such an agency-centered focus risks de-politicizing the role of structure in studies on the politics of transitions. This perspective explores the plurality of interpretations of structure presented in transitions research. Transitions research, perhaps paradoxically, considers structure to be (1) concrete or elusive; (2) a verb or a noun; (3) the medium or conditions for action; (4) internal or external to agents; (5) influenceable or contextual; (6) hierarchical or relational; and (7) stabilizing or transformative. Such a non-exhaustive overview of different interpretations of structure portrays the richness of the field, and could help scholars to reflect upon their assumptions when engaging with the concept of ‘structure’. Finally, it provides pathways for re-politicizing structure, by articulating the different ways in which structure can be considered (a)political. Re-politicization requires governance efforts to more explicitly engage with the politics of structures. This entails de-constructing existing and oppressive structures that reinforce incumbencies and unjust dynamics, while embracing the transformative power of democratically designed structures that might help us to accelerate transformative change.