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Sustainability as a Real Utopia – Heuristics for transformative sustainability research

Harnesk, David LU and Isgren, Ellinor LU (2022) In Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space 5(3). p.1678-1695
Abstract
The idea of ‘Sustainability as a Real Utopia’ elaborated on here adapts sociologist Erik Olin Wright’s emancipatory social science and is a heuristic informed by critical realism and social theory for interdisciplinary research on viable alternatives that move society towards achieving sustainability. Starting from the proposition that many environmental problems are rooted in how social structures and institutions interact with nature by shaping human agency, we argue for concretely situated analysis aimed at guiding human agency towards changing those root causes. Then, drawing on concrete examples from sustainability research, we elaborate on three central tasks: diagnosing and critiquing environmental problems, elaborating viable... (More)
The idea of ‘Sustainability as a Real Utopia’ elaborated on here adapts sociologist Erik Olin Wright’s emancipatory social science and is a heuristic informed by critical realism and social theory for interdisciplinary research on viable alternatives that move society towards achieving sustainability. Starting from the proposition that many environmental problems are rooted in how social structures and institutions interact with nature by shaping human agency, we argue for concretely situated analysis aimed at guiding human agency towards changing those root causes. Then, drawing on concrete examples from sustainability research, we elaborate on three central tasks: diagnosing and critiquing environmental problems, elaborating viable alternatives and proposing a theory of transformation. Finally, we discuss, and welcome dialogue around two central and interlinked challenges of our approach to transformative sustainability research: that of scales, and that of the distinction and relationship between reforms and transformation. (Less)
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author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
real utopias, interdisciplinarity, sustainability science, social theory, critical realism
in
Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space
volume
5
issue
3
pages
18 pages
publisher
SAGE Publications
external identifiers
  • scopus:85112832737
ISSN
2514-8494
DOI
10.1177/25148486211018570
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
0e1a4e1f-458e-4cea-a3ff-8ebd99c0bdc6
date added to LUP
2021-06-02 10:19:07
date last changed
2023-03-27 08:49:45
@article{0e1a4e1f-458e-4cea-a3ff-8ebd99c0bdc6,
  abstract     = {{The idea of ‘Sustainability as a Real Utopia’ elaborated on here adapts sociologist Erik Olin Wright’s emancipatory social science and is a heuristic informed by critical realism and social theory for interdisciplinary research on viable alternatives that move society towards achieving sustainability. Starting from the proposition that many environmental problems are rooted in how social structures and institutions interact with nature by shaping human agency, we argue for concretely situated analysis aimed at guiding human agency towards changing those root causes. Then, drawing on concrete examples from sustainability research, we elaborate on three central tasks: diagnosing and critiquing environmental problems, elaborating viable alternatives and proposing a theory of transformation. Finally, we discuss, and welcome dialogue around two central and interlinked challenges of our approach to transformative sustainability research: that of scales, and that of the distinction and relationship between reforms and transformation.}},
  author       = {{Harnesk, David and Isgren, Ellinor}},
  issn         = {{2514-8494}},
  keywords     = {{real utopias; interdisciplinarity; sustainability science; social theory; critical realism}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{1678--1695}},
  publisher    = {{SAGE Publications}},
  series       = {{Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space}},
  title        = {{Sustainability as a Real Utopia – Heuristics for transformative sustainability research}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/25148486211018570}},
  doi          = {{10.1177/25148486211018570}},
  volume       = {{5}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}