THE COSMOPOLITAN KAROO RESEARCH FORUM (CKRF)

DST/NRF SOUTH AFRICAN RESEARCH CHAIRS INITIATIVE (SARChI)

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We are delighted to host Alta de Vos at our forum, who will be giving a presentation on “Transdisciplinary Networks & Approaches for Navigating a Changing World through a Social-Ecological Lens”. You can join us in person in Room 429 of the Arts and Social Sciences Building, or you can attend online via the Teams link available here. The event will take place from 15:00 to 17:00. Please find the abstract below.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Abstract:

Bending the curve on biodiversity loss, climate change and inequality calls for approaches that take seriously how deeply social and ecological systems are intertwined. Complex systems thinking shows that social-ecological systems are context-dependent, with causes that are non-linear and outcomes that are often emergent. This raises a central question: what kinds of science and knowledge do we need to inform decisions for transformative change towards just and sustainable futures? Transdisciplinary (TD) research is well placed to respond, but it is hard to sustain. It rarely has long-term institutional support, and there are few shared methods for learning across places without flattening what makes each one distinct.

In this talk I introduce the new DSI/NRF SARChI Chair in Transdisciplinary Social-Ecological Networks at Stellenbosch University. The Chair treats these gaps partially as a question of infrastructure (broadly defined): the networks, platforms, relationships and training that shape what knowledge gets produced, by whom, and for whom. It works across four linked themes:
building collaborative infrastructure through the Society for Social-Ecological Systems (SocSES), including a shared database of place-based cases; developing methods and mid-range theory for synthesising place-based knowledge; rethinking doctoral education so it is rooted in Southern contexts and TD practice; researching pathways towards just and resilient futures in multi-use landscapes, including the wildlife economy and Mega Living Landscapes.

I would welcome discussion on points of connection with the Cosmopolitan Karoo programme. Both Chairs treat places as local and globally networked at the same time, and both are interested in how land relationships and place-making shape sustainability outcomes. Both also look at how new land uses are reshaping rural landscapes and whose futures they make possible.