MATIN Seminar – Kate Massarella
14/12/2023, 13h30-15h00 CET, Kate Massarella (Tilburg University), Politicising and pluralising transformation
Registration here: https://forms.gle/hHbPeBKunX5VyL74A

Bio:
I am a critical social scientist focusing on the political and social aspects of sustainability, particularly related to biodiversity governance, forest conservation, and climate change mitigation. This includes exploration of social and environmental justice, environmental policy processes, and knowledge production. My work is conceptually grounded in political ecology, science and technology studies, and justice theory, and normatively grounded in the pursuit of just transformations to sustainability. I work as a lecturer in the Humanities and Digital Sciences at Tilburg University in the Netherlands.
Abstract:
In light of ongoing and widespread reduction in biodiversity globally, there are increasing calls for transformation in the way in which we govern and relate to non-human species. However, there remains little clarity on what is actually meant by transformation in relation to biodiversity loss (and more broadly in relation to sustainability) and it risks becoming a buzzword or ‘empty signifier’ that loses its potential for radical change. In this talk, I will critically engage with some of the dominant proposals for global transformation in relation to biodiversity loss, unpacking the proposed means and ends of transformation. I will also present some of my initial thoughts on data I collected at the end of 2022 in Tanzania, where I discussed some of these proposals with national and regional professionals working on biodiversity conservation. I will bring this all together by arguing for a need to ensure transformation remains both politicised and pluralized if we want radical change to happen.
Massarella, K., Nygren, A., Fletcher, R., Büscher, B., Kiwango, W.A., Komi, S., Krauss, J.E., Mabele, M.B., McInturff, A., Sandroni, L.T. and Alagona, P.S., 2021. Transformation beyond conservation: how critical social science can contribute to a radical new agenda in biodiversity conservation. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 49, pp.79-87.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2021.03.005
OpenEdition vous propose de citer ce billet de la manière suivante :
Berkowitz Heloise (19 octobre 2023). MATIN Seminar – Kate Massarella. Managing & Assessing Transition Innovation Network. Consulté le 16 mai 2025 à l’adresse https://doi.org/10.58079/raqp