In the era of the Anthropocene, sustainability is recognized as the most frequently invoked contemporary term and a guiding compass for the future. In this paper, we seek to explore new pathways to approach the term “sustainability” by intersectin...
In the era of the Anthropocene, sustainability is recognized as the most frequently invoked contemporary term and a guiding compass for the future. In this paper, we seek to explore new pathways to approach the term “sustainability” by intersecting it with another contemporary keyword, “non marriage.” First, an examination will be conducted on how the practices of non-marriage operate as a factor in the sustainability of Korean society at the national level. To do so, we will discuss what the concept of the nation-state entails and how discourses surrounding population decline, such as population extinction, negatively influence the practices of non-marriage. Second, I aim to analyze the influence of the practices of non-marriage on the sustainability of the earth from a global planetary perspective. We will explore whether practicing non-marriage, which limits the infinite procreation desires of the human species Homo sapiens, can be an effective alternative for reducing carbon emissions as well as a first step towards realizing democracy of things that represents the rights of the more-than-human. Through this, we will argue that practicing non-marriage is a counteraction that severs the link between patriarchy and sustainability, and diversifies the collective of coexisting beings between humans and non-humans, ensuring the ecological practice that guarantees the sustainability of the earth.