The field of sustainability transitions: origins, analysis and research practices
The field of sustainability transitions is near to unknown in francophone academic circles, being mostly a european subject matter. The purpose of the paper is above all to introduce this field to the francophone world by presenting the main schools of thought in sustainability transitions, their theoretical problems and empirical issues, their methodological practices and their critics. The paper is organised around three central problems of the field, which are: the issues of uncertainty, complexity and reflexivity in the governance of sustainable development, the strong degree of lock-in in the main socio-technical systems that impede their transformation towards sustainability, and the methodological challenges of steering change and transitions. These problems are paralleled with their roots in various theoretical filiations in social sciences and environmental sciences. Finally, the paper propose an epistemological and political critic of the field, inviting to a better reflection on the consequences of sustainability transitions on current social transformation in the context of ecological and climatic crises.