Knowledge co-production for sustainability transformations

Recruitment of 2 PhD students

We have recently advertised two PhD positions for the 2 case studies in WP3, i.e. carbon farming and bushfires. The 2 new PhD students will be based at the Sustainability Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast and carry out field work in both Australia and Sweden. The recruitment process is envisaged to be completed in December 2020.

Reconfiguration of the Co-Creation Lab as a cross-cutting case study

The Co-Creation Lab case study has been reconfigured in order to better fit the overall aim and focus of WP3 and better linked with the other case studies. The new aim of the Co-Creation Lab is to serve as a learning platform that hosts and experiments with a variety of exploratory methodologies (e.g. serious games, storytelling, futures/anticipation methods…) to reflect upon the issues brought up in the other case studies in WP3. These methodologies will support processes of knowledge production that are systemic, equitable and anticipatory. The Lab will work closely with the case study researchers to design exploratory methodologies and facilitate co-creation sessions which address the complex sustainability challenges in the respective cases, and simultaneously examine the potential of exploratory methodologies to stimulate transformative knowledge co-production.

Creating synergies with other projects

WP3 has established close collaboration with the Formas-funded project “Governing the Bioeconomy Transition: Actors, Values and Trade-Offs”. This project explores diverse perspectives around the role of forests, sustainability and change in the context of the Swedish bioeconomy transformation. Building on the notion that science and policy are intertwined processes of meaning-making, it examines how different actors and knowledge systems gain influence and/or become dismissed as the bioeconomy evolves. The project’s focus on knowledge, politics and power in relation to bioeconomy will provide synergies to WP3 in general and the bushfire case study in particular. It is envisaged that the two projects will jointly facilitate processes of knowledge co-production in the forest and bioeconomy context.

Another Formas-funded project that WP3 has started collaborating with is “The Value of Stakeholder Participation in Collaborative Research Projects for Sustainable Development: A Gender and Intersectional Analysis”. The main aim of this project is to examine participation and trans-/interdisciplinarity as praxis for research aiming at tackling sustainability challenges. These approaches raise questions about who participates, how and what the results are. Through a feminist theoretical lens, the project addresses the issue of power and privilege, thereby shedding light on hegemonic practices as well as interpretative advantages of some perspectives over others. It is highly relevant to and synergistic with WP3 as it highlights the importance of equal access to knowledge production as a necessary condition for determining desirable pathways to sustainable development. The project brings forward empirical materials and experiences from three other trans-/interdisciplinary projects, which will enrich our insights into knowledge co-production praxis as a way to navigate complex sustainability challenges within WP3.

Organisation of a storytelling workshop on Mistra EC Practice Day 27 November 2020

In collaboration with Michael Wilson, Professor of Drama at Loughborough University, United Kingdom, we will organize a workshop entitled “Harnessing the potential of storytelling in sustainability communication” as part of Mistra EC Practice Day 2020. This session will explore how storytelling can be used in sustainability communication to foster knowledge co-production, and support actions towards a more sustainable future. We will jointly learn how to embrace storytelling as part of our communication practice for societal changes. The workshop will be facilitated by Michael Wilson and Marcus Bussey, an educator and futurist from the University of the Sunshine Coast and a researcher in WP3.