Re-/Searching to Transgress.
Collaborative Formats and Practices of Social-ecological Transformation
April 10th and 11th 2025, Graz (Austria)
In light of the ongoing climate crises and the deep-rooted issues of power and injustice intertwined with related developments, the discussion on sustainable futures is gaining renewed urgency. Consequently, a social-ecological transformation is extensively discussed within different disciplines. At the heart of these discussions are visions for sustainable and livable futures for everyone, which often involve conflicts of interest, negotiations and power struggles at various scales. Impactful participation in shaping and negotiating transformation processes is therefore essential for their success.
It is evident that the realization of a social-ecological transformation requires new formats and practices interweaving approaches from transformative research, emancipatory education and social activism. In this context, participatory and transdisciplinary approaches–such as Participatory Action Research or Community Based Research–have increasingly been adopted across various disciplines such as geography, sociology, psychology, and public health studies. While different formats and practices originate from different traditions, they are united by their ability to cross boundaries, transgress routines and open up spaces of and for experimentation and prefigurative action, thereby allowing participants to experience themselves and the world anew.
This conference wants to bring together experiences and expertise from different fields of research that are concerned with formats and practices of transdisciplinary collaborations, seeking to explore and navigate pathways towards societal change. It further aims to gather perspectives from different disciplines, allowing for the production of common knowledge and contributing to the creation of a new research and education culture. We thus look forward to contributions that focus on – and beyond – the following questions:
- What (positive) experiences with participatory/transdisciplinary formats and practices in the context of social-ecological transformation research exist?
- Which methods can foster transdisciplinary collaboration, and in what ways?
- What challenges and opportunities do transdisciplinary approaches bring with them?
- How do we navigate/transgress the boundaries of research, education and activism within transdisciplinary collaborations towards social-ecological transformation?
- What expectations do academics/practitioners/educators have towards transdisciplinary formats, and how can these be met?
- What insights can be gained regarding the educational value of different formats and practices of transdisciplinary research and how do they promote social learning processes in social-ecological transformation?
Submissions. We welcome proposals for individual presentations. Contributions on research questions and projects at any stage and from scholars at all career stages are welcome. The main working language of the conference will be English. Please send your proposal as a short abstract of max. 250 words including title and author/s by 15th of January 2025.
Registration. If you would like to attend without presenting, please register by 28th of February 2025. There is no conference fee.
Contact. To submit, register or in case of any further questions, comments, or suggestions, please contact us at transgress2025@uni-graz.at.
Venue
University of Graz
Department of Geography and Regional Science
Heinrichstraße 36
8010 Graz, Austria
Important dates
Deadline for abstract submission: 15th of January 2025
Feedback on proposals: 31st of January 2025
Deadline for registration: 28th of February 2025
Conference: 10th and 11th of April 2025