| 1. |
- Ahlborg, Helene, 1980, et al.
(author)
-
Ecology and sociotechnical systems research – motivations for theoretical and methodological integration across fields
- 2017
-
In: International Sustainability Transitions conference 2017.
-
Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Currently, we are witnessing a number of global trends that do not promise well for the future. Accelerating climate change, loss of biodiversity, chemical pollution, disappearance of natural forest and degradation of fishing grounds and agricultural lands are just a few of the serious environmental problems that threaten the functional and structural integrity of ecosystems, to an extent that also human societies risk collapse. The scale of human impact is now such that scholars suggest that we live in the Anthropocene. The trends are driven by several linked factors, which are not easily disentangled into manageable specific problems to be solved by specific policies. More than ever, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaborations are needed in order to address these urgent challenges. The objective of this paper is to argue for the importance of research on socio-technical-ecological systems (STES) rather than social-ecological (SES) and sociotechnical systems (STS) separately. Hence, we address researchers in both the social-ecological and sociotechnical fields. We organize the argument around six reasons why “technology” should be integrated into SES studies. We call these reasons: (1) the interface and mediation aspect, (2) ambivalence, (3) the agency aspect, (4) the question of scale, (5) the question of governance and politics, and (6) the question of epistemology and framing. We also highlight potential conceptual conflicts and mistranslations. Our discussion is primarily a theoretical argument, exemplified with empirical examples.Among the conceptual challenges, we note that SES scholars, if they consider technology in their analyses, generally treat it as an exogenous factor or as a passive background element. Similarly, STS scholars tend to neglect ecological dynamics and refer to the ecological domain mainly in terms of inputs and outputs, e.g. natural resources, environmental and health problems caused by human activities. In light of the discussion, we conclude that the importance of collaborating across the two fields goes beyond each field adding pieces together. We argue that integration and translation across these domains will lead to qualitative change in the theoretical and methodological approaches of both fields; and that technology, society and ecology should be given symmetric analytical attention.
|
|
| 2. |
|
|
| 3. |
- Gallardo, Gloria, et al.
(author)
-
We adapt … but is it good or bad? Locating the political ecology and social-ecological systems debate in reindeer herding in the Swedish Sub-Arctic
- 2017
-
In: Journal of Political Ecology. - Arizona : The University of Arizona. - 1073-0451. ; 24:1, s. 667-691
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Abstract Reindeer herding (RDH) is a livelihood strategy deeply connected to Sami cultural tradition. This article explores the implications of two theoretical and methodological approaches for grasping complex socioenvironmental relationships of RDH in Subarctic Sweden. Based on joint fieldwork, two teams – one that aligns itself with political ecology (PE) and the other with social-ecological systems (SES) – compared PE and SES approaches of understanding RDH. Our purpose was twofold: 1) to describe the situation of Sami RDH through the lenses of PE and SES, exploring how the two approaches interpret the same empirical data; 2) to present an analytical comparison of the ontological and epistemological assumptions of this work, also inferring different courses of action to instigate change for the sustainability of RDH. Key informants from four sameby in the Kiruna region expressed strong support for the continuation of RDH as a cultural and economic practice. Concerns about the current situation raised by Sami representatives centered on the cumulative negative impacts on RDH from mining, forestry and tourism. PE and SES researchers offered dissimilar interpretations of the key aspects of the RDH socio-economic situation, namely: the nature and scale of RDH systems; the ubiquitous role of conflict; and conceptualizations of responses to changing socioenvironmental conditions. Due to these disparities, PE and SES analyses have radically divergent sociopolitical implications for what ought to be done to redress the current RDH situation.
|
|
| 4. |
-
Posthumanistiska nyckelstexter
- 2012. - 1
-
Editorial collection (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Den här boken introducerar några viktiga författare på samtidsaktuella teoriområden. Donna Haraway, Karen Barad, Rosi Braidotti, Michel Callon, Gilles Deleuze, Félix Guattari, Michel Serres och Annemarie Mol presenteras i boken, som också innehåller översatta texter av dessa namn. Boken ger en bakgrund till och en överblick över ett område i intensiv teoriutveckling. Här presenteras den så kallade materiella, posthumana eller ontologiska vändningen. Här kartläggs grunderna för olika posthumanistiska förhållningssätt till de både mänskliga och icke-mänskliga (djur, miljö, teknik) krafterna i vår värld så som de begreppsliggjorts inom filosofi, feministisk teori, kulturstudier och samhällsvetenskapliga studier av naturvetenskap, medicin och teknik. Genom lästips och en omfattande litteraturlista öppnar boken för fortsatta studier och vidare diskussioner. Avslutningsvis finns också en omfattande ordlista med viktiga nyckelbegrepp som i sig ger en introduktion till ett heterogent forskningsfält. Boken riktar sig till studenter, doktorander och andra nyfikna forskare inom olika tvärvetenskapliga eller disciplinära former av humaniora och samhällsvetenskap.POSTHUMANISTISKA NYCKELTEXTER ger i de inledande kapitlen en överblick och en introduktion till posthumanistiska studier och till materiell-semiotik. Här behandlas tankeströmningar som rör det humanas natur, humanismens etik och humanvetenskapernas framtid. Boken ger en introduktion till det som inom genusvetenskap och tekniksociologi kommit att kallas den ontologiska vändningen mot de materiaaliteter och världsliga relationer som både gör och förgör oss. Här kartläggs grunderna för posthumanistiska förhållningssätt till de både mänskliga och icke-mänskliga (djur, miljö, teknik) dimensionerna av vår värld så som de begreppsliggjorts inom filosofi, feministisk teori, kulturstudier och sociala studier av vetenskap och teknik. POSTHUMANISTISKA NYCKELTEXTER erbjuder introduktioner till viktiga författare och översättningar av nyckeltexter skrivna av Donna Haraway, Karen Barad, Rosi Braidotti, Michel Callon, Gilles Deleuze med Felix Guattari, Michel Serres och Annemarie Mol. Boken innehåller även en omfattande ordlista med viktiga nyckelbegrepp som i sig ger en introduktion till ett mångfaldigt forskningsfält.
|
|
| 5. |
- Almered Olsson, Gunilla, 1951, et al.
(author)
-
Revisiting drivers for Environmental Migration in Africa
- 2016
-
In: Deveopment Research Conference 2016. August 22-24, Stockholm University. - Stockholm : Stockholm University, VR, Formas, SIDA.
-
Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- International migration is one of the burning global challenges for sustainable development. Environmental migration is a contested concept since destruction of livelihood conditions that leads to the deterioration of options for securing a living, is caused by a number of interacting variables such as changes in climate, land use, local and regional ecological conditions, socio-cultural-economic and political dynamics. The different factors act at different temporal and spatial scales that makes the outcome difficult to generalize for a specific site, which adds to the confusion of the interpretation and application of the concept. Yet migration due to livelihood deterioration is ongoing and environmental migrants seem to be an increasing challenge. This is also acknowledged by the EU, whose governance system related to migration does not cater for the environmental dimension. In spite of much of environmentally induced migration to the EU originates from Africa, this topic has not until recently been up on the agenda of policy discussions between the EU and Africa. The Valletta Summit on Migration, November 2015, was organised to discuss the ‘migration crisis’ experienced in Europe and Africa. The summit resulted in the EU setting up an Emergency Trust Fund to promote development in Africa, in return for African countries to help out in the crisis. We are reporting from a project on the complex interactions of different drivers acting on the local African livelihoods and thus driving migration. The aim is inform the development of sustainable governance mechanisms at different institutional levels in the EU-Africa relations.
|
|
| 6. |
- Hallquist, Mattias, 1969, et al.
(author)
-
Photochemical smog in China: scientific challenges and implications for air-quality policies
- 2016
-
In: National Science Review. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 2095-5138 .- 2053-714X. ; 3:4, s. 401-403
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In large areas of China severe air pollution events pose a significant threat to human health, ecosystems and climate. Current reduction of primary emissions will also affect secondary pollutants such as ozone (O3) and particulate matter (PM), but the magnitude of the effects is uncertain. Major scientific challenges are related to the formation of O3 and secondary particulate matter including Secondary Organic Aerosols (SOA). Large uncertainties also remain regarding the interactions of soot, SOA and O3 under the influence of different SO2, NOX and VOC concentrations. To improve the understanding of these secondary atmospheric interactions in China, scientific areas of central importance for photochemically induced air pollutants have been identified. In addition to the scientific challenges, results from research need to be synthesized across several disciplines and communicated to stakeholders affected by air pollution and to policy makers responsible for developing abatement strategies. Development of these science-policy interactions can benefit from experience gained under the UN ECE Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP)
|
|
| 7. |
- Hassler, Björn, 1964-, et al.
(author)
-
Collective action and agency in Baltic Sea marine spatial planning: Transnational policy coordination in the promotion of regional coherence
- 2018
-
In: Marine Policy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0308-597X .- 1872-9460. ; 92, s. 138-147
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Despite the increasing attention given to marine spatial planning and the widely acknowledged need for transnational policy coordination, regional coherence has not yet improved a great deal in the Baltic Sea region. Therefore, the main objectives in this article are: (a) to map existing governance structures at all levels that influence how domestic marine spatial planning policy strategies are formed, (b) to identify specific challenges to improved regional cooperation and coordination, and (c) to discuss possible remedies. Based on data from in-depth case studies carried out in the BONUS BALTSPACE research project, it is shown that, despite the shared goal of sustainability and efficient resource use in relevant EU Directives, action plans and other policy instruments, domestic plans are emerging in diverse ways, mainly reflecting varying domestic administrative structures, sectoral interests, political prioritisations, and handling of potentially conflicting policy objectives. A fruitful distinction can be made between, on the one hand, regulatory institutions and structures above the state level where decision-making mechanisms are typically grounded in consensual regimes and, on the other hand, bilateral, issue-specific collaboration, typically between adjacent countries. It is argued that, to improve overall marine spatial planning governance, these two governance components need to be brought together to improve consistency between regional alignment and to enhance opportunities for countries to collaborate at lower levels. Issue-specific transnational working groups or workshops can be one way to identify and act upon such potential synergies. © 2018 The Authors
|
|
| 8. |
- Lundsten, Jonas, et al.
(author)
-
Motives for Participation in Formal Standardisation Processes for Geographic Information : An Empirical Study in Sweden
- 2017
-
In: International Journal of Standardization Research (IJSR). - : IGI Global. - 2470-8542 .- 2470-8550. ; 15:1, s. 16-28
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The purpose of this article is to investigate the personal motives for participation in formalstandardization processes for geographic information. The method involved interviewing membersof technical committees at the Swedish Standards Institute, SIS. The results are that the majority ofthe interviewees are very motivated in their work and they think their participation is well-financedby their organizations allocating them to a technical committee. The main motives are to contributeto development of society and be at the forefront of development. However, this article also showsthat several members participating in this study felt that they do not have sufficient time for workingwith tasks related to their technical committees. Their daily work in their respective organizationsoften has higher priority in relation to standardization work. This contrasts with the organizationalgoals of the participating organizations and may slow down the development of standards and otherpublications due to lack of resources.
|
|
| 9. |
|
|
| 10. |
- Petersson, Jesper, 1974
(author)
-
Medicine At A Distance In Sweden: Spatiotemporal Matters In Accomplishing Working Telemedicine
- 2011
-
In: Science Studies. - 0786-3012. ; 24:2, s. 43-62
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper examines the accomplishment of making technology work, using the discourse around telemedicine in Swedish healthcare during 1994-2003. The paper will compare four projects launched in the mid-1990s and policymakers’ visions of healthcare through telemedicine. I will employ a sociotechnical approach developed within Actor-Network Theory that understands functioning technology not as something intrinsic but as an outcome of an ongoing process of negotiations. In the paper, I will extend the sociotechnical approach of what constitutes working technology to include spatiotemporal matters. I will also approach the closely related issue of space that has become a concern of Actor-Network Theory scholars interested in the accomplishment and continued workings of technology as it travels. In this discussion, an emphasis on fixed relations (network space) has been challenged by investigations into changing relations (fluid space). This paper suggests that in order to travel well, technology must be both fixed and fluid.⁰
|
|
