SASI Workshop: The humanities and sustainable development
1.45-4.30pm
6th November 2013
venue tbc
There is a way of thinking that ‘sustainable development’ is less about a technical
response to an environmental crisis and more about a questioning of what it means
to be human; how the external influences of globalisation, consumption and
resource exploitation influence us as individuals and community; and how we
consider ourselves in relation to each other and ‘nature’. The humanities have much
to contribute to the way we perceive, understand and act in response to the social
and ecological challenges of our time. The St Andrews Sustainability Institute (SASI)
thus invites you to a workshop in which we can explore the contributions of the
humanities to the theory and practice of sustainable development.
Aims
 To identify colleagues interested in questions regarding social inequalities,
development and the environment
 To bring critical new meaning to these terms; perhaps arguing for social
diversity, reconceptualising development and exploring humans as part of
nature?
 To explore how we might build on the strengths of the humanities at St
Andrews to offer new insights on the discourse(s) of sustainable
development
We hope that, if there is appetite, this may be the first of a series of occasional
meetings focusing on the humanities and sustainable development. We thus
propose that the meeting includes an opportunity for each interested individual to
speak for 5 minutes (with one powerpoint slide if you wish) on your research
interests in relation to sustainable development (as broadly conceived). Many of us
have deepened our interests through teaching on the SD Programme or researcher
engagement through SASI already. We will allow space for open discussion; and we
will invite someone from elsewhere to provoke and/or inspire us.
The day is open to those who may not see themselves as embedded in the
humanities but who have an interest in how the humanities contribute to these
debates or in collaborating in humanities in humanities research.
Please respond to Penny Stephenson at sasi@st-andrews.ac.uk in order to:
 Register attendance (for catering purposes)
 Register interest in a 5 min slot (for timetabling purposes)
 Register interest but can’t attend (for future planning purposes)
PTO
Proposed agenda
1.45 coffee and network
2.00 welcome and aims
2.10 Individual research contributions
3.00 Discussion in groups (or all if small workshop)
3.45 Talk from visitor
4.15 Concluding remarks
4.30 Close
Rehema White, Emilia Ferraro and Jan Bebbington