ABSTRACT
In light of these critiques, this article reflects on the experience of developing and conducting an experimental practice-oriented, participatory (POP) backcasting process and its contribution to imagining socioecological transformations aimed at promoting sustainable consumption. Initially, core concepts of socioecological systems and transformations are briefly outlined, with attention paid to scholarly and policy developments informed by key insights from transitions management and social practice approaches. This is followed by an overview of the POP backcasting process, which adapted participatory backcasting techniques by taking social practices as the fundamental units for problem framing, solving, and innovation. The process then sought to counterbalance visioning and backcasting exercises that prioritize ecological modernization strategies, instead exploring alternative possibilities that place sufficiency, well-being, and sociocultural change as central strategies for transitions in everyday practices (Jackson 2009). Reflecting on this experiment, it is concluded that the POP backcasting procedure created unique and valued moments for civic engagement, collaborative learning, and transdisciplinary interaction among participants, particularly around the dynamics of consumption practices. As such, POP backcasting and similar endeavors could offer creative spaces (both material and virtual) where attention to the transformation of everyday practices can be collectively imagined and critically debated. The article closes with a brief discussion of ongoing HomeLabs research that is interrogating the conversion of promising practice ideas derived from POP backcasting into practical household interventions.
