Geography Research Seminar on Culture and Sustainability

Geography Research Seminar on Culture and Sustainability 

Professor Janet Stephenson, Otago University, New Zealand 

2pm Wednesday July 12^th, AC113 Geography Seminar room  

How does culture relate to sustainability? Janet Stephenson draws from her new book Culture and Sustainability to show how cultural analysis can help with sustainability endeavours in research and policy.  She introduces the cultures framework, a well-tested approach for analysing culture at any scale and in any context.  Using examples of its diverse applications around the world, Stephenson illustrates how culture can in some circumstances be highly resistant to change, and in other circumstances can change rapidly. Cultural analysis can assist with policy development and reveal why some policy interventions have unintended consequences. Understanding sustainability problems through a cultural lens can bring new insights into the potential for transformational change.

Bio

Janet Stephenson is a research professor at the Centre for Sustainability, an interdisciplinary research centre at the University of Otago, New Zealand.  A social scientist, she is interested in the challenges of transitioning to a sustainable future and the influence of culture in seemingly intractable problems.  Much of her research in recent years has focused on energy and transport issues as well as the challenges of climate change adaptation for place-based communities.  Her recent book Culture and Sustainability draws on one-and-a-half decades of research to offer theoretical and analytical insights into the role of culture in sustainability transitions.