Ecology and Belonging
Those best able to tell us what the environmental future must look like are the least equipped to talk about belonging. And those best able to conjure a sense of belonging seem determined to ignore warnings of environmental catastrophe. In this context, Ecology and Belonging seeks an understanding of belonging that is deep enough to connect people to the environment; powerful enough to rival populism; and open to newcomers. Supported financially and intellectually by the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities and Social Sciences, the project takes place between September 2024 and August 2026. The Urban Futures Studio will combine academic research with societal engagement to develop understandings of belonging that are simultaneously of use to academics, politicians, policymakers, and activists.
Publications
Climate Confessions Blog: Sustainable Belonging in a Migratory World by Timothy Stacey
Our approach
- Creative visioning
Deep-diving into newspapers, poetry, and art, as well as commissioning new works, we will highlight creative expressions of belonging, demonstrating the multifaceted ways in which it is experienced and performed.
- Critical engagement
Taking a critical eye to the state of the art in environmental futuring, from party manifestoes to mapping projects, we will assess whether and how belonging is addressed.
- Crossing boundaries
We will deliberately cut through ideological, ethnic, disciplinary, and sectoral boundaries. We will draw together experts on eco-modernism, indigenous thought, deep ecology, conservatism, and eco-fascism, and collectively engage with a range of practitioners, from traditional farmers to activists.
- A new belonging
Together, we will seek to offer a new vision of belonging that is a) deep enough to inspire sustainable futures; b) powerful enough to rival right-wing populism; and c) open to newcomers.
- Realising belonging
We aim to share findings in multifaceted events that enables academics, politicians, policymakers, and activists to collectively imagine the role of belonging in their respective fields.