| 1. |
- Essebo, Maja
(författare)
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A mythical place : A conversation on the earthly aspects of myth
- 2019
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Ingår i: Progress in Human Geography. - : SAGE Publications. - 0309-1325 .- 1477-0288. ; 43:3, s. 515-530
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The concept of myth is far from foreign to geographical research, yet its definition and use has been both varied and assumed, leaving much of its potential geographically unexplored. Myths – naturalised stories which reflect ideology, alleviate anxiety, and guide everyday practices – instil place with meaning. Following the tradition within human geography of engaging with issues intersecting perception and place, this paper suggests that to further develop the concept of myth in and through human geography may help advance central disciplinary themes centring on issues of naturalisation and transformation of societal beliefs and, by extension, place.
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| 2. |
- Essebo, Maja, et al.
(författare)
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Contradictions of ‘Sustainable Mobility’– The Illogic of Growth and the Logic of Myth
- 2012
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Ingår i: Tijdschrift voor economische en sociale geografie. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0040-747X .- 1467-9663. ; 103:5, s. 555-565
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper presents the prospects of viewing ‘sustainable mobility’ as a merger of seemingly opposing values and ideas into a coherent and fully emplotted myth. Myth, in this sense, is not a false story meant to amuse or discredit, but rather a story based on naturalised beliefs giving it the supremacy of the obvious. Through the process of emplotment, myths create internal logics that help relieve anxiety, rationalise behaviour and naturalise societal and individual convictions. As such, myths are a fundamental and habitual part of life. The myth of sustainable mobility is not one, but two stories – that of development as quantitative growth and the discourse of sustainability – which are merged, emplotted and naturalised. It is based on the fears of economic and environmental collapse, but while fear is an essential characteristic of myth and a source of much of its power the myth also offers hope. The hope lies in the promise of continued trends of increased mobility while still being able to preserve the world for ‘future generations’. This entangles the very notions of mobility, development and sustainability, creating a confusion of concepts as the contrast between growth and limits wanes. Rather than setting biophysical limits, sustainability becomes a justification for continued growth – green growth, sustainable mobility.
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| 3. |
- Essebo, Maja, 1980
(författare)
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Lock-in as make-believe – Exploring the role of myth in the lock-in of high mobility systems
- 2013
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- All human practices are, ultimately, set and defined by limits; be they social, economic, physical, or environmental. Yet even in the face of such realities, practices which transgress the confines of possibility remain remarkably obdurate. This thesis addresses the issue of one such practice, i.e. the escalation of personal mobility across time and space which pushes above and beyond systemic boundaries. By so doing, the thesis revolves around the central concept of lock-in, akin to the concept of path-dependence of which the social sciences are more familiar. Lock-in, the process by which systems acquire momentum through the alignment of actors, materialities, and practices with vested interest in system preservation and growth, is deeply dependent on societal acceptance. Yet while widely recognised, social aspects of lock-in remain disfavoured to technological and material explanatory approaches. The aim of this thesis is therefore to explore a component of the lock-in process which has been, in spite of its overlapping features and explanatory potential, mostly or entirely overlooked: myth. Myth is an emplotted, depoliticised, and naturalised story which serves to justify beliefs and to guide practice. As such, its role lock-in processes is to legitimise path choices based on the taken-for-granted, i.e. unquestioned beliefs of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ – not true or false – path alternatives. Myth, in this sense, is therefore not synonymous to a lie or misconception, but to an unquestioned belief that is held in common by its adherents and that exerts influence over the way they chose to live their lives. The thesis addresses both the theoretical and empirical use of the concept of myth within geographical research, stating that defined as a naturalised story which guides everyday practices, and by extension the creation of place, it may be useful to a wide range of issues addressing place-perception interconnections. These include the importance of language, everyday and unreflected practices, and, as has been the topic of this thesis, the mystery of inertia. The empirical part explores how a myth promoting mobility as a necessary and endless path to economic growth helps to create and sustain lock-in into a high and ever expanding mobility system. Focus lies on the city of Malmö in the Öresund Region; a city which, following the industrial collapse of the 1980s, has undergone major transformations based on strategies of high regional mobility. The thesis concludes that the myth of prosperity through mobility helps to sustain and reinforce two mutually supporting types of lock-in: institutional – the administrative framework or ‘rule of thumb’ that guides mobility policy – and infrastructural – the material enactment of myth. By maintaining allegiance to the myth of prosperity through mobility, the only viable option for addressing mounting mobility side-effects is a mobility shift to ‘sustainable’ modes of transport. Alternative paths which would limit mobility can thus be rejected, assuring continued loyalty to the myth and to ever increasing levels of mobility.
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| 4. |
- Essebo, Maja
(författare)
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Storying COVID-19 : fear, digitalisation, and the transformational potential of storytelling
- 2022
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Ingår i: Sustainability Science. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1862-4065 .- 1862-4057. ; :17, s. 555-564
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Stories are being increasingly recognised for their potential as creators, not only depicters, of change. As such, they are receiving greater interest within sustainability science, not least in the approaches specifically focused on transformative processes of co-creation. But while highly powerful, stories are confined by both inherent and external frameworks that, if not acknowledged, limit their transformative potential. This paper addresses two such critical issues—fear and digitalisation—and discusses the ways in which they influence how and with what effects stories can be told. It uses the COVID-19 pandemic as illustration of storytelling processes and outlines some of the ways in which we can, and cannot, draw parallels between pandemic and climate change storytelling.
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| 5. |
- Essebo, Maja, 1980
(författare)
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Sustainable mobility as make-believe
- 2009
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Ingår i: European Conference on Sustainability Transitions, 4-6 june, 2009, Amsterdam.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- How can new structures which aim to restrain and/or convert physical mobility be introduced and, more importantly, accepted throughout a society? Whereas structure, here, includes physical, cultural and social formations, the focus lies on the two latter dimensions. At the heart of the problem lie concepts of norms, commonly held beliefs and widespread myths that help shape and uphold a wayward mobility structure by naturalising and encouraging a high mobility society. The empirical study aims to locate and identify conditions under which the environmentally negative mobility spiral can be halted and reversed. In addition to existing empirical material on spatial extension and rising mobility, the study will develop case studies which explore the physical, cultural and social settings under which myths can be challenged. The concept of myth, although in itself not new, is a novel and underexplored approach to sustainable mobility transitions, which can help explain why, in spite of the environmental urgency, a transition has yet to be made. Myth. Although the word is part of every-day life, it is a complex and multifaceted concept, often mistakenly used as synonymous to an amusing tale, or, worse yet, a lie. This thesis will seek to explore another, perhaps deeper, aspect of myth – myth as a shaper of desires and a definer of society. The main active component in this function is a covert power, a naturalising power. Its strength lies in its ability to make appear natural that which may not be so. It is based on non-conflict and inaction rather than discord and action. In the matter of mobility, the naturalised can be found at the very core of the mobility concept, in the idea that mobility has evolved naturally as an incontrovertible effect of modern society. Effect and prerequisite. High mobility, says the myth, is the very mark of success, individual as well as societal. It is, literally, the way to prosperity that no man, community or nation can afford not to take. Note that even though the power of the myth is challenged, its “truth” is neither claimed nor denied. It is simply stated that the myth is created and, as such, can be recreated in order to aid a shift towards a sustainable mobility structure.
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| 6. |
- Essebo, Maja, 1980
(författare)
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Sustainable mobility as make-believe
- 2009
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Ingår i: Nordic Geographers Meeting, 8-11 june, 2009, Turku, Finland.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- How can new structures which aim to restrain and/or convert physical mobility be introduced and, more importantly, accepted throughout a society? In this new doctoral project the aim is to locate and identify conditions under which the environmentally negative mobility spiral can be halted and reversed. The study will develop case studies which explore the physical, cultural and social settings under which mobility myths can be challenged and new or reformed myths that better correspond with a sustainable structure can take form. This paper is an initial theoretical examination of the relationships between the theory of myth and sustainable mobility, which will lay ground for further empirical investigation. The concept of myth, although in itself not new, is a novel and underexplored approach to sustainable mobility transitions, which can help explain why, in spite of the environmental urgency, a transition has yet to be made. It is a complex and multifaceted concept, often mistakenly used synonymous to an amusing tale, or, worse yet, a lie. This thesis will seek to explore another, deeper aspect of myth – myth as a definer of society. Its strength lies in its ability to make appear natural that which may not be so. The naturalised can be found at the very core of the mobility concept, in the idea that mobility has evolved naturally as an incontrovertible effect of modern society – effect and prerequisite. High mobility, says the myth, is the very mark of success, individual as well as societal. It is, literally, the way to prosperity that no man, community or nation can afford not to take. The “truth” of the myth is here neither claimed nor denied. It is simply stated that the myth is created and, as such, can be recreated in order to aid a shift towards a sustainable mobility structure.
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| 7. |
- Essebo, Maja, 1980
(författare)
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The Story of Sustainable Mobility - the Role of Myths in Sustainable Mobility Transitions
- 2011
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This compilation licentiate contains a kappa followed by two papers with the common purpose of introducing the conceptual framework of myth theory to the study of sustainable mobility transitions. Myth is presented here as story that reflects ideology, alleviates anxiety and rationalises everyday practices. A myth holds the power of the obvious; that which goes unquestioned or is simply taken for granted. It is asserted that truth neither makes nor breaks myth, as myths are based on belief rather than factual support. The two papers discuss myth in the context of human geography in general and the research field of sustainable mobility in particular. The first paper – Sustainable Mobility as Make-Believe – reviews the concept of myth and discusses the two mobility myths of prosperity through mobility and sustainable mobility. Paper two – Contradictions of Mobility: The Illogic of Growth and the Logic of Myth – further develops the myth of sustainable mobility. It argues that this myth should be seen not as one, but two stories – development as quantitative growth and the discourse of sustainability – the combination of which circumvents the ecological unsustainability of perpetual mobility growth by making sustainability a type of rather than a limit to quantitative growth. The kappa builds on the foundations in the two papers with the aim of developing the concept of myth towards practical application in sustainable mobility research. The construction of myth is further developed and discussed in relation to the central concepts of language and truth and its conceptual relatives discourse and narrative. The multi-level perspective is presented as a potential heuristic tool for guiding the application of myth theory in transition studies. In a final section, the upcoming case-study set in a highly mobile region trying to achieve urban sustainable mobility is presented, emphasising the material aspect of myth.
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| 8. |
- Essebo, Maja, 1980
(författare)
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Transport for Suburbia
- 2011
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Ingår i: European Planning Studies. ; 19:10
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Recension (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 9. |
- Gerhardt, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Nog nu, politiker – ta klimatkrisen på allvar
- 2022
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Ingår i: Aftonbladet Debatt. - 1103-9000. ; -:-
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Tidskriftsartikel (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- 1944 svenska forskare och anställda i forskarvärlden: Vad är det ni inte förstår?
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| 10. |
- Scholl, Christian, et al.
(författare)
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Guidelines for Urban Labs
- 2017
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Bok (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- These guidelines are intended for team members and managers of urban labs and, more generally, for civil servants and facilitators in cities working with experimental processes to tackle complex challenges. They aim to support the everyday practice of collaboratively experimenting and learning how to create more sustainable and inclusive cities.
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