Less Is Not Enough
Minimalist Desires and Postgrowth Politics
1st Edition
Published on 19. March 2026
304 pages
978-1-350-58781-6 (ISBN)
Description
Less Is Not Enough examines the rise of minimalist self-help, showing how it depoliticizes middle-class frustrations with capitalist exploitation, and proposes a cultural strategy to channel minimalist desires into a more radical, postgrowth politics.
In the past decade minimalist self-help has exploded, from tidying guides to media detoxes which promise to help affluent middle classes navigate a world of excess-too much clutter, stress, and distraction.
Here, Miriam Meissner exposes the limits of minimalism in addressing both middle-class overload and the environmental crisis. Through a critical analysis of self-help books, TV shows, and online communities, she argues that while minimalism is well-intended, it ultimately distracts from the root causes of the very problems it seeks to alleviate. Trends like decluttering and mindfulness depoliticize middle-class frustrations with the capitalist exploitation of labour, attention, and ecology for profit.
In an era where climate justice and class struggle are inseparable, this book proposes an eco-political strategy that refuses to pit middle-class interests against the demands of a just green transition.
In the past decade minimalist self-help has exploded, from tidying guides to media detoxes which promise to help affluent middle classes navigate a world of excess-too much clutter, stress, and distraction.
Here, Miriam Meissner exposes the limits of minimalism in addressing both middle-class overload and the environmental crisis. Through a critical analysis of self-help books, TV shows, and online communities, she argues that while minimalism is well-intended, it ultimately distracts from the root causes of the very problems it seeks to alleviate. Trends like decluttering and mindfulness depoliticize middle-class frustrations with the capitalist exploitation of labour, attention, and ecology for profit.
In an era where climate justice and class struggle are inseparable, this book proposes an eco-political strategy that refuses to pit middle-class interests against the demands of a just green transition.
More details
Edition
1. Auflage
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
ISBN-13
978-1-350-58781-6 (9781350587816)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
04/2026
Bloomsbury Academic
€27.50
Shipment within 15-20 days
Person
Miriam Meissner is Assistant Professor of Culture and Political Ecology at Maastricht University, The Netherlands. Her previous publications include Narrating the Global Financial Crisis (2017), Global Garbage (2016) and The Routledge Companion to Urban Imaginaries (2018). Her current research focuses on postgrowth and cultural politics.
Content
Preface: Postgrowth Against Postfascism?
Introduction: Too Much and Too Little-The Unease of the Affluent
1. Desire for Less: Minimalist Choices Beyond Consumer Democracy
2. Desire for Resonance: Minimalist Performance Beyond Tidying
5. Desire for Experience: Minimalist Attention Beyond Self-Focus
4. Desire for Idleness: Minimalist Withdrawal Beyond Productivism
5. Desire for Liberation: Minimalist Well-Being Beyond Privilege
Conclusion: Who Will Organise the Liberation?
Index
Introduction: Too Much and Too Little-The Unease of the Affluent
1. Desire for Less: Minimalist Choices Beyond Consumer Democracy
2. Desire for Resonance: Minimalist Performance Beyond Tidying
5. Desire for Experience: Minimalist Attention Beyond Self-Focus
4. Desire for Idleness: Minimalist Withdrawal Beyond Productivism
5. Desire for Liberation: Minimalist Well-Being Beyond Privilege
Conclusion: Who Will Organise the Liberation?
Index
