“Transformation” as a New Critical Orthodoxy: The Strategic Use of the Term “Transformation” Does Not Prevent Multiple Crises

Brand, Ulrich

doi:10.14512/gaia.25.1.7

Cited by 118 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…This is not a minor statement because it makes the respective analyses sensitive for the fact that the dominant tendencies or "grammars" of transformation need to be reflected [15]. Thus, from our perspective the question is not whether SRN will transform but what dominant tendencies or "grammars" stand behind such transformations.…”

Section: Conclusion and Outlook: A Critical Approach Towards Social-mentioning

confidence: 97%

“…On the other hand, it runs the risk of narrowing down the scope of research and the corridor of possible action, leading to what has been termed "a new critical orthodoxy" [15]. The latter is characterised by a tension between the call for a interactions between and co-constitution of environmental conditions and societal dynamics including inequalities and power relations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Challenges for Social-Ecological Transformations: Contributions from Social and Political Ecology

et al. 2017

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Transformation has become a major topic of sustainability research. This opens up new perspectives, but at the same time, runs the danger to convert into a new critical orthodoxy which narrows down analytical perspectives. Most research is committed towards a political-strategic approach towards transformation. This focus, however, clashes with ongoing transformation processes towards un-sustainability. The paper presents cornerstones of an integrative approach to social-ecological transformations (SET), which builds upon empirical work and conceptual considerations from Social Ecology and Political Ecology. We argue that a critical understanding of the challenges for societal transformations can be advanced by focusing on the interdependencies between societies and the natural environment. This starting point provides a more realistic understanding of the societal and biophysical constraints of sustainability transformations by emphasising the crisis-driven and contested character of the appropriation of nature and the power relations involved. Moreover, it pursues a transdisciplinary mode of research, decisive for adequately understanding any strategy for transformations towards sustainability. Such a conceptual approach of SET is supposed to better integrate the analytical, normative and political-strategic dimension of transformation research. We use the examples of global land use patterns, neo-extractivism in Latin America and the global water crisis to clarify our approach.

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Section: Conclusion and Outlook: A Critical Approach Towards Social-mentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Challenges for Social-Ecological Transformations: Contributions from Social and Political Ecology

et al. 2017

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…In any society, however, the ways in which such second order regulations can be realized are constrained by what we call "modes of regulation". They mirror the power relations, cultural norms and conflicts of interest in a society and thus represent "social relations" [53,54]. With respect to the terminology introduced above, this means: Whereas patterns of regulation always have both material and symbolic attributes, modes of regulation only have symbolic ones.…”

Section: Regulation and Transformation Of Societal Relations To Naturementioning

confidence: 99%

Social Ecology as Critical, Transdisciplinary Science—Conceptualizing, Analyzing and Shaping Societal Relations to Nature

Hummel

Jähn

Keil³

et al. 2017

Sustainability

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Abstract:The sustainability discourse is, essentially, centered on the question of how complex relations between nature and society can be conceptualized, analyzed and shaped. In this paper, we present a specific interpretation of social ecology as an attempt to address this question. For this purpose, we establish Frankfurt Social Ecology (FSE) as a formal research program, which is based on the concept of societal relations to nature (SRN). The basic idea of the SRN concept is to put the modern distinction between nature and society at the start of a critical analysis. Such an analysis, we argue, has to focus on the interplay between what we call patterns and modes of regulation. Whereas patterns of regulation stand for the material and symbolic aspects of the organization of the individual and societal satisfaction of needs, modes of regulation mirror the norms and power structures of a society. Using an approach that is based on reformulating social-ecological systems as provisioning systems, we show how this interplay can be analyzed empirically. Finally, we propose critical transdisciplinarity as the research mode of choice of FSE. To conclude, we discuss how FSE can contribute to the development of a research program for a sustainable Anthropocene.

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“…Growing skepticism regarding the possibility of reducing resource use adequately through eco-efficiency [18] motivates discussions on transformations towards sustainability [19][20][21], sufficiency [22] and de-growth [23]. Although comprehensive analyses of transformation processes at the global level are missing [24], many experts agree that moving towards sustainability will require fundamental changes in resource use patterns [25].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Material Stock–Flow–Service Nexus: A New Approach for Tackling the Decoupling Conundrum

et al. 2017

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Fundamental changes in the societal use of biophysical resources are required for a sustainability transformation. Current socioeconomic metabolism research traces flows of energy, materials or substances to capture resource use: input of raw materials or energy, their fate in production and consumption, and the discharge of wastes and emissions. This approach has yielded important insights into eco-efficiency and long-term drivers of resource use. But socio-metabolic research has not yet fully incorporated material stocks or their services, hence not completely exploiting the analytic power of the metabolism concept. This commentary argues for a material stock-flow-service nexus approach focused on the analysis of interrelations between material and energy flows, socioeconomic material stocks ("in-use stocks of materials") and the services provided by specific stock/flow combinations. Analyzing the interrelations between stocks, flows and services will allow researchers to develop highly innovative indicators of eco-efficiency and open new research directions that will help to better understand biophysical foundations of transformations towards sustainability.

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“Transformation” as a New Critical Orthodoxy: The Strategic Use of the Term “Transformation” Does Not Prevent Multiple Crises

Cited by 118 publications

References 8 publications

Challenges for Social-Ecological Transformations: Contributions from Social and Political Ecology

Challenges for Social-Ecological Transformations: Contributions from Social and Political Ecology

Social Ecology as Critical, Transdisciplinary Science—Conceptualizing, Analyzing and Shaping Societal Relations to Nature

The Material Stock–Flow–Service Nexus: A New Approach for Tackling the Decoupling Conundrum

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