Rethinking transformative managed retreat: A sociological perspective

Abstract

Transformative adaptation calls for fundamental changes to social-ecological systems in response to climate change and increasing disaster risks, with an emphasis on addressing underlying social inequalities. Managed retreat is often framed as a transformative adaptation strategy. However, despite its conceptual prominence, transformative adaptation remains under-theorised and insufficiently applied to managed retreat. While existing literature on transformative managed retreat focuses on socioecological dimensions that underpin key concerns such as justice, participation, community wellbeing and environmental restoration, the development of climate adaptation theory has been critiqued for its relative isolation from broader social science scholarship. This disciplinary disconnect is problematic, contributing to limited engagement with the social, political and cultural processes that shape how people perceive, respond to and experience managed retreat. This paper aims to fill these gaps by critically examining the concept through a sociological lens. In particular, we challenge static or essentialist notions of community, explore how power and privilege shape mobility and immobility, and interrogate the root causes of vulnerability deeply embedded in adaptation processes. By reframing managed retreat as a deeply social, cultural and political process, this paper advances a more grounded and justice-oriented conceptualisation¾one that better supports equitable adaptation outcomes in both research and practice.