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Mobilizing Indigenous pastoralists: a multi-scalar approach involving reindeer herding communities and sustainability research

Harnesk, David LU (2026) In Ecology and Society 31(2). p.1-1
Abstract
Challengers struggle against more powerful elites and authorities to resolve environmental problems driven by social forces, but can sustainability research contribute to such collective action while remaining scientific? After five years of movement-relevant sustainability research using Burawoy’s extended case method, I seek to make three contributions. Empirically, I present strategic alliances and scale shifts within contentious politics at four scales adopted by Indigenous Sámi reindeer pastoralists to address the pasture availability problem. Theoretically, I show how the internal and external factors that shape such multi-scalar mobilization are influenced by ecological dynamics in forests. Methodologically, I suggest a multi-scalar... (More)
Challengers struggle against more powerful elites and authorities to resolve environmental problems driven by social forces, but can sustainability research contribute to such collective action while remaining scientific? After five years of movement-relevant sustainability research using Burawoy’s extended case method, I seek to make three contributions. Empirically, I present strategic alliances and scale shifts within contentious politics at four scales adopted by Indigenous Sámi reindeer pastoralists to address the pasture availability problem. Theoretically, I show how the internal and external factors that shape such multi-scalar mobilization are influenced by ecological dynamics in forests. Methodologically, I suggest a multi-scalar approach that can help address concrete environmental problems aggravated by social drivers. With that, I seek to nurture dialogues between sustainability and social movement research and practice; discussing how scientific knowledge can help foster emergent properties for collective action for sustainability through analysis and engagements based on reflective sympathy and mutual integrity. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Ecology and Society
volume
31
issue
2
pages
10 pages
publisher
Resilience Alliance
external identifiers
  • scopus:105040269340
ISSN
1708-3087
DOI
10.5751/ES-17167-310228
project
Sámi social movements – indigenous mobilization around the ecological conditions of reindeer husbandry under climate emergency
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
7d401407-73bf-48b9-b898-c5ff93e246ae
date added to LUP
2026-05-29 08:54:45
date last changed
2026-07-21 12:03:53
@article{7d401407-73bf-48b9-b898-c5ff93e246ae,
  abstract     = {{Challengers struggle against more powerful elites and authorities to resolve environmental problems driven by social forces, but can sustainability research contribute to such collective action while remaining scientific? After five years of movement-relevant sustainability research using Burawoy’s extended case method, I seek to make three contributions. Empirically, I present strategic alliances and scale shifts within contentious politics at four scales adopted by Indigenous Sámi reindeer pastoralists to address the pasture availability problem. Theoretically, I show how the internal and external factors that shape such multi-scalar mobilization are influenced by ecological dynamics in forests. Methodologically, I suggest a multi-scalar approach that can help address concrete environmental problems aggravated by social drivers. With that, I seek to nurture dialogues between sustainability and social movement research and practice; discussing how scientific knowledge can help foster emergent properties for collective action for sustainability through analysis and engagements based on reflective sympathy and mutual integrity.}},
  author       = {{Harnesk, David}},
  issn         = {{1708-3087}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{05}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{1--1}},
  publisher    = {{Resilience Alliance}},
  series       = {{Ecology and Society}},
  title        = {{Mobilizing Indigenous pastoralists: a multi-scalar approach involving reindeer herding communities and sustainability research}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.5751/ES-17167-310228}},
  doi          = {{10.5751/ES-17167-310228}},
  volume       = {{31}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}