Building organizations for sustainability in an emerging region
PhD project 2000-2001
My ongoing PhD project is viewing communication and interplay between various actors in the Arctic, as arising from their contrasting ways of understanding the character and demands of global problems as manifested in the Arctic. The study aims to view the building of a sustainable development agenda in this evolving northern region, and political fora prerequisites for including the participation of groups aimed at in the initiatives. In that, this work views the construction of 'Arctic', 'environment' and 'sustainable development' in sustainable development initiatives under the Arctic Council and its predecessor body, and how the Barents Council in a sample analysis can be seen to deal with similar organizational difficulties. These actions can be seen as responses to global change and parts in a global search for tools to comprehend and enclose / delimit the rapid social and resource use change associated with modernity.
The study is undertaken on a basis of social constructivism and discourse analysis structured around empirical observations. Here, the 'argumentative discourse analysis' model applied has special benefits in highlighting change among actors as arising from for example consensual practice, and providing possibilities for theory development through indications from cases. The project aims at generalizations of findings to further theory on how story-lines shape discourse and thereby perceptions of concerned actors, findings which could increase understanding of decision-making processes and assist policy-making in arctic and wider areas. As a basis, this work implicates that one needs to question the use of concepts and motivations / assumptions implicated in these, not viewing any constructions as given but as enforcing and reinforcing larger dynamics by the use of and drawing upon images as frozen frames injustifying the inherently evolving cultures they represent. These images or imaginings act as operational definitions and make it possible for us to directly respond to statements and actions, by the interpretation and value we thereby attribute to them. World-views (here called perceptions to highlight their cognitive basises) can thereby be seen as particular discoursive-directed understandings of what quality, for example in terms of knowledge, is (thereby expressing a particular and delimited rationality). This work argues that a constructivist understanding of arguing and action as built and constructed in story-lines (with basises in cognitive factors) can provide an explanatory means of viewing decision-making and inclusion and non-inclusion in decision-making.
WORK PLAN 2000-2002 (including publication and outreach activities)
Background 1998 – 1999
The PhD study was initiated, and a project plan prepared. Most of the first year was used for the researcher getting accquainted with the Arctic issue area, including participation in the Circumpolar Sustainable Development in the Arctic conference, Whitehorse, Canada; and participation in the 1998 Circumpolar Arctic Social Science PhD Network in the Barents region. First studies of Arctic Council- and Barents Council-affiliated initiatives were undertaken. Literature studies on social science theory and methodology were undertaken, especially from points of view of sustainable development and global change frameworks. During the second year, the project plan dealing broadly with sustainable development and global change was overseen and specialized, and courses for the PhD degree in Social Sciences, University of Lapland, finalized (among others through participation in the Finnish Environmental Social Science PhD Network). The researcher participated in the International Sustainable Development conference in Umeå, Sweden; Circumpolar Northern Development and Sustainable Development conference in Aberdeen, Scotland; and 1999 Circumpolar Arctic Social Science PhD Network in Quebec, Canada. The PhD plan has been presented at numerous occasions, including the Circumpolar Arctic Social Science PhD Network cooperation.
2000
Visiting scientist at Institute for Arctic Studies, Dartmouth College, US. Literature studies and interviews. Planned participation in Information and Participation course, Internationale Frauenuniversität (IFU), Frankfurt, Germany. Awaiting acceptance and funding decision. (Possible participation in the Circumpolar Arctic Social Science PhD Network 2000, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA, funded by independent body.) Visiting scientist at Scott Polar Institute, Cambridge University, UK. Literature studies and interviews. Basis for possible visits to the Institute for Development Policy and Management (IDPM), University of Manchester, focusing human resource development; Institute of Development Studies (IDS), Sussex; and International Development Center, Oxford University for participation in their ongoing seminar series. Participation in the British International Studies Association annual conference, December 2000.
2001
Participation and planned paper presentation at the International Studies Association / British International Studies Association conference 'Globalization and Its Challenges in the 21st Century', late July 2001, Hong Kong. Participation and possible paper presentation in the annual conference of the International Studies Association; and Nordic Environmental Studies Conference in Arhus, Denmark. Organization of and participation in the GLAIR two-day seminar on Global Change in the Arctic and Institutional Responses, spring 2001, Rovaniemi. Write-up of the work and disposition of material into articles/chapters for submittence to journals; in preparation for defense of the thesis in 2002. Publication of popular science articles.
2002
Finalization of writing up, with following thesis publication and defense, including press conference; planned publication of scientific journal articles.
Takaisin Globaaliprojektin sivulle