Introduction; Off the Grid and on the Road in Europe Living in an Age of Uncertainty and Polycrisis

Abstract

The word polycrisis has recently been repopularised to describe the interaction of multiple crises at once. From the war in Ukraine to the climate crisis, these multiple crises are not only causing disappointment and confusion but also leading many to question their identity, their place in society and even society itself. At a time of uncertainty caused by overlapping and interacting crises, escape through mobility can appear as the only rational response. This special issue explores how escape is taking place at different spatial and temporal scales across Europe, and while motivations vary, the desire for new ways of living, for survival and for an identity may mean exiting one’s comfort zone and participating in new communities. Driven by countercultural imaginaries and values, this special issue explores projects and communities which suggest alternatives to the manifest and embodied uncertainties caused by polycrisis and the marketplace of everyday life.