The Transformation of the Slow Movement: From Anti-Capitalism to Slow Capitalism

Abstract

In contemporary society, the culture of speed has become globally pervasive as it intertwines with neoliberalism and consumer culture. While capitalist speed culture generates convenience and comfort in everyday life, it also produces adverse outcomes for social life and ecological balance. This study critically examines the Slow Movement, which argues that the culture of speed weakens social relations, increases individualization, reduces solidarity, disrupts harmony with nature, and makes it difficult to enjoy the present moment. The Slow Movement is grounded in the idea that the fast-paced lifestyle needs to be transformed. Accordingly, policies such as slow cities, slow food, and slow tourism have been widely implemented. This study questions the extent to which the Slow Movement, as one of the contemporary social movements, succeeds in transforming capitalist culture. The research is based on document analysis, examining texts representing the Slow Movement and related literature. Despite its profound critiques, the Slow Movement has largely evolved into a set of policies that adapt capitalism to local conditions rather than developing a genuine alternative to it. To conceptualize this process, the study proposes the term “slow capitalism” as a contribution to the existing literature.