The US Minimalist Movement: Radical Political Practice?

Abstract

The US minimalist movement represents an increasingly popular critical reflection on the ills of consumerism and an effort to forge new ways of living amidst consumer capitalism. In the face of escalating consumption, debt, and environmental degradation, minimalists’ calls for rethinking “needs” is timely and highlights important problems that typify US capitalism. This article explores minimalists’ social-theoretical insights and resistance to consumerism considering whether, and to what extent, minimalism represents a radical, anti-capitalist movement.