Does resilience have a culture? Ecocultures and the politics of knowledge production

Seema Arora-Jonsson

Ecological Economics, 2016, vol. 121, issue C, 98-107

Abstract: Culture, that for long had been a neglected concept in resilience thinking, has gained prominence in recent times, especially in the notion of ecocultures/ecocultural resilience to be achieved through transdisciplinary projects. In this paper, I conceptualize the relation of science with society and culture that resilience scholars propose as part of a larger agenda of the integration of science with different knowledge and epistemologies. In order to understand how resilience thinking relates to culture, I investigate the culture of resilience itself. Using the lens of cultural and science studies, I go back to the history and context of resilience and transdisciplinarity, examine some of the central tools and concepts in resilience thinking and its entanglements in the politics of the past and present. In light of the discussion, I argue that we need to ‘situate’ rather than ‘integrate’ our knowledge production. This entails not only recognizing our own culture but also being open to different ways of knowing and to be able to transgress resilience. Moving away from integration and embracing ambivalence and humility can open up to experimental practices and ‘trading places’ in order to engage with nature and others justly.

Keywords: Resilience; Culture; Science–society relations; Ecocultural resilience; Ecocultures; Situating (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:121:y:2016:i:c:p:98-107

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2015.11.020

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