Residential preferences in the context of voluntary simple lifestyles: What motivates contemporary Czech simplifiers to reside in the countryside?

• Authors: Lukáš Kala , Lucie Galčanová , Vojtěch Pelikán
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The aim of our paper is to broaden the international discussion on environmentally friendly lifestyles. In most of the previous research, via a survey technique involving the self-nomination of participants, voluntary simplifiers are presented as part of a social movement typically connected with an urban environment. Our paper follows the third wave of longitudinal research conducted in the post-socialist Czech Republic in the years 1992, 2002 and 2015. The data were collected using in-depth interviews combined with observations in 20 voluntary modest households. The biographical style of interview enables us to interpret the sources of the participants’ motivation for relocating to the countryside or staying in the urban environment as they interpret it retrospectively. Four dominant narratives emerged: 1) narrative of distaste for city life, 2) narrative of a nice life, 3) narrative about living in freedom, 4) narrative of a return to roots.

Keywords

EN

relocation motivations; voluntary simplicity; environmentally friendly lifestyles; qualitative longitudinal research; Czech Republic

• Publisher: Sciendo
• Journal: Human Affairs
• Year: 2015
• Volume: 26
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 410-421

Dates

published

2016-10-01

online

2016-10-17

Contributors

author

Lukáš Kala

• Department of Environmental Studies, Masaryk University, Joštova 10,60200 Brno, Czech Republic

author

Lucie Galčanová

• Office for Population Studies, Masaryk University, Joštova 10,60200 Brno, Czech Republic

author

Vojtěch Pelikán

• Department of Environmental Studies, Masaryk University, Joštova 10,60200 Brno, Czech Republic

Identifiers

DOI

10.1515/humaff-2016-0035