ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses German eco-feminists, Veronika Bennholdt-Thomsen and Maria Mies, whose applied research and practical experiences in Southeast Asia informed their theory on subsistence economics. The strong theory basis of subsistence economics makes it an ideal example for Southern navigation, offering conceptual guidance in building a self-sufficient economy. Bennholdt-Thomsen and Mies have been inspired by the case of Grameen in Bangladesh, which will bring these Southern economic perspectives to practical life. With subsistence economics, the perspective changes from modernity and efficiency, towards sufficiency. Such a reinvention of conventional economics starts with the view of the commons, and of the pluriverse. Thomas Princen points out that dominant Northern and Western economic principles from efficiency to cooperation, from equity to sovereignity are simply not up to the task in a time of ecological overshoot. The overarching economic principle from this Southern reference point is self-sufficiency ensuring that economics are in harmony with natural and communal life.
