ABSTRACT

While multiple crisis phenomena have sparked experimentation with alternative forms of production and consumption on the micro level, it is not clear if and how these alternative practices may become hegemonic and thus displace capitalism as the hegemonic order on the macro level, rather than merely fostering pockets of a solidarity economy within capitalism. This question is hard to research, because it relates to post-capitalist futures rather than actual events or phenomena in the past or present. In this article, I propose a methodological framework for studying the transformative potential of counter-hegemonic initiatives. Building on debates on causality and prediction within Critical Realism, I introduce the concept of ‘ex-ante’ retroduction. Using this mode of reasoning helps to identify possible generative mechanisms for the viability and achievability of alternative futures which can then be empirically investigated.

摘要

虽然多重危机现象在微观层面引发了对替代生产和消费形式的尝试，但尚不清楚这些替代实践是否以及如何成为霸权，从而在宏观层面取代资本主义成为霸权秩序，而不仅仅是培育口袋资本主义内部的团结经济。这个问题很难研究，因为它涉及后资本主义的未来，而不是过去或现在的实际事件或现象。在本文中，我提出了一个研究反霸权倡议变革潜力的方法论框架。在批判现实主义内部关于因果关系和预测的辩论的基础上，我引入了“事前”追溯的概念。