Culture and Sustainability

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xvii

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Janet Stephenson

   Pages 1-22Open Access

3. Culture’s Divergence

   • Janet Stephenson

   Pages 23-49Open Access

4. Culture’s Convergence

   • Janet Stephenson

   Pages 51-68Open Access

5. The Cultures Framework

   • Janet Stephenson

   Pages 69-94Open Access

6. Cultural Stability

   • Janet Stephenson

   Pages 95-123Open Access

7. Cultural Change

   • Janet Stephenson

   Pages 125-151Open Access

8. Using the Cultures Framework for Policy Analysis

   • Janet Stephenson

   Pages 153-189Open Access

9. Using the Cultures Framework for Research

   • Janet Stephenson

   Pages 191-227Open Access

10. Conclusion

    • Janet Stephenson

    Pages 229-238Open Access

11. Back Matter

    Pages 239-243

    PDF

This Open access book brings a cultural lens, and a distinctive analytical framework, to the problem of transitioning to a sustainable, low-carbon future. 

The world faces a seemingly impossible hurdle – to radically alter long-established social, economic and technological systems in order to live within the biophysical limits of the globe, while ensuring a just and enduring transition.  The overarching premise of this book is that this cannot be achieved without widespread cultural change.  ‘We need a change in culture’ is often used rhetorically, but what does this really mean?

Stephenson starts by exploring culture’s elusiveness, describing its divergent interpretations before identifying core features of culture that are common across most definitions.  These characteristics form the core of the cultures framework, an extensively tested approach to studying the links between culture and sustainability outcomes. The framework makes culture an accessible concept which can be analytically applied to almost any sustainability problem. Using many examples from around the world, Stephenson illustrates how cultural stability, cultural flexibility and cultural transformation all have a part to play in the sustainability transition.  She guides the reader in the use of the cultures framework for policy development and to underpin research undertaken by individuals or by multi-disciplinary teams.

Clearly and engagingly written, Culture and Sustainability is essential reading for academics, students, policy makers and indeed anyone interested in a sustainable future. 

• sustainable transitions
• low carbon transition
• energy transition
• sustainability
• sustainable development goals
• culture and sustainability
• energy cultures
• culture framework
• socio-technical transitions
• Open access

• Centre for Sustainability, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

  Janet Stephenson

Janet Stephenson is a research professor at the Centre for Sustainability, an interdisciplinary research centre at the University of Otago, New Zealand.  A social scientist with a background in sociology, planning and cultural geography, she has a longstanding interest in the social determinants of the transition to a sustainable future.  Much of her research examines the interplay between culture and sustainability in a variety of contexts.  She is passionate about collaborative, interdisciplinary research and the contribution of different knowledge systems to solution-finding.