Exploring environmental subjectivities in a changing climate

This study explores environmental subjectivities among environmentally-minded individuals in a neoliberal Norwegian context. Using Foucauldian discourse analysis, five distinct environmental subjectivities were identified: consumeristic, doomist, disanthropic, activistic, and chthulucenic. These subjectivities are related to specific discourses and action orientations, enabling certain positionings in relation to environmental issues. The consumeristic subjectivity focuses on responsible consumption, creating moral distinctions based on consumption choices. Doomist subjectivity is related to a partial disengagement from societal issues, often leading to isolated lifestyles. Disanthropic subjectivity emphasizes anti-speciesism and misanthropy, justifying detachment from human-centric concerns. Activistic subjectivity is concerned with systemic challenges and collective action for environmental change. Chthulucenic subjectivity integrates ecological thinking and interconnectedness with non-human species. The consumeristic, doomist, and disanthropic subjectivities share aspects with a neoliberal form of subjectivity, while the activistic and chthulucenic subjectivities hold a transformative potential. The findings suggest that it is theoretically and empirically fruitful to distinguish between several variants of neoliberal subjectivities.