Global Sustainable Development News
Funding success for GSD researcher Dr Marco J Haenssgen
GSD Assistant Professor Dr Marco J Haenssgen has won a £19,793 GCRF Catalyst award to support the research project “Dynamism of land use and livelihood strategies among highland ethnic minorities in Northern Thailand: Co-producing narratives of change.”
Together with the Thai anthropologists Dr Mukdawan Sakboon and Dr Prasit Leepreecha from Chiang Mai University, the research team will use the innovative qualitative research method of story completion to document and illustrate livelihood changes in the highlands of Chiang Mai Province, Thailand. Over the past 30 years, livelihoods among highland ethnic groups have changed dramatically, with government-orchestrated shifts away from opium production and self-sufficient agriculture towards cash and mono crop cultivation, capitalist systems of production, and tourism business. Not only has this created new definitions of “rich” and “poor” villagers, but it also changed people’s relationship to the natural environment. In the fluid political environment of Thailand, villagers’ livelihoods and their uses of the land they live on have again come under scrutiny, raising fears of expropriation and displacement. This project aims to use the story completion technique together with visual media to produce narratives that give villagers a new channel to engage policy and the broader public with their personal experiences and livelihood changes.
Paper accepted for publication: Laughter in oral histories of displacement
Recently, the Head of School for Cross-faculty Studies Dr Stéphanie Panichelli-Batalla’s paper on laughter in oral histories of displacement was accepted for publication by The Oral History Review. The Oral History Review aims to explore the nature and significance of oral history and advance understanding of the field among scholars, educators, practitioners, and the general public.
Title: Laughter in oral histories of displacement: 'one goes on a mission to solve their problems'
Abstract
Although the use of humor and laughter in oral history has started to appear in oral history literature, it is still very much under-researched. Most of the studies analyze humor and laughter together, while Kate Moore focuses on laughter on its own. Humor and laughter, although linked, are two different concepts. While humor is a mental ability to perceive and/or express something funny, laughter on the other hand is a sound or a sequence of expirations, produced as the expression of an emotion, which can be set off by a humorous trigger, but not necessarily. It is therefore important to distinguish both. This paper will build on Moore’s study by exploring the use of unilateral laughter in eleven oral histories of exiled Cuban internationalist healthcare professionals. However, unlike Moore’s study, this research will not be limited to difficult memories. Our analysis will deepen our knowledge on the history of the Cuban global universal healthcare system by giving a voice to its participants, analyzing therefore, not solely the facts and statistics of the program but, as Portelli states, the meaning that its participants give to it when reflecting on their experience from the present. By exploring the occurrence of laughter, this paper intends to shed light on the relevance of focusing on unconscious reactions in oral history narratives, in order to better understand emotions linked to the narrated memories. The analysis will show that unilateral laughter is recurrent in the interviews when participants reflect on a change in their identity, the implications of working for a state program, and their need for respect of human dignity. It will highlight the impact the mission had on their personal and professional lives during and after their humanitarian experience. These stories of displacement will also show what Norrick has called the dual humorous perspective of the participants, but rather than solely referring to the time of the interview and age of the participants, we will also assert that another key factor to be taken into consideration is the situation of displacement as well as the degree of acculturation of the participants.
Education Studies and GSD degree launches for 2020 entry
Global Sustainable Development (GSD) is pleased to announce a new undergraduate joint honours degree in partnership with Warwick’s Centre for Education Studies. Education Studies and GSD, a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences (BASc) degree, will launch in Autumn 2020.
About the course
Education is essential in enabling a more sustainable future. It is a fundamental tool in the promotion and achievement of all the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and Goal 4 specifically sets targets for Quality Education. This unique degree programme, therefore, represents a flagship contribution to UNESCO’s International Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) agenda, and its graduates will be well-positioned to make a difference to their world now and in the future.
The teaching for this course will be split equally between the GSD Department and the Centre for Education Studies. The combination of subjects will allow students to explore the relationship between education and Sustainable Development and the challenges facing the education sector at home and abroad. This transdisciplinary programme will also encourage students to discover new ways to promote learning about sustainability challenges.
“This degree offers students an in-depth understanding of the contemporary social and environmental challenges that face our world, but also how education might be conceived and practiced, in a manner that finally realises its long touted potential to respond. Education must be a core component of the Sustainable Development agenda, and this degree will well equip students to make sure of this!”
Dr Alastair Smith, Senior Teaching Fellow, GSD
Applications
Education Studies and GSD (BASc) is now available on UCAS for applications for 2020 entry. If you’re interested in applying, please find out more about this unique degree on our Department page and our Study Page. If you have any questions about the course or admissions, please get in touch with our Department or our Undergraduate Admissions Team.
Key information
- Bachelor of Arts & Sciences (BASc)
- Three years full-time programme
- Joint Honours degree with Education Studies and GSD
- Study abroad or work placement opportunities
- Entry requirements
- UCAS
Dr Jess Savage comments on the long-term impacts of plastic waste
A sperm whale that died after stranding on the Isle of Harris in Scotland had 100kg of litter in its stomach, including fishing nets, rope, packing straps, bags and plastic cups. Dr Jess Savage, a Senior Teaching Fellow in Global Sustainable Development, warns that "the long-term impacts of plastic waste are only just beginning to become apparent". She suggests that tackling ocean pollution will take more than banning single-use plastics.
GSD students showcase cutting-edge research
Warwick's Undergraduate Research Support Scheme (URSS) is an exciting opportunity for students from different disciplines to undertake cutting-edge research over the summer. Each year, the URSS hosts a showcase to celebrate each participant's achievements. This year, the showcase took place on Wednesday 13 November 2019 in the Rootes Building on campus. The event was a great opportunity for participants to display their own work and also engage with other students' research.
Four GSD students were involved in the scheme this year (see below). They presented their research on a range of topics including microplastics in river sediment, sustainable finance in Singapore, climate change in Italy and an economic framework for carbon neutrality. Congratulations to Louisa, Priscilla, Nicola and Joaquin for their impressive and inspiring work.
What does good research in global development look like?
Drawing on his ten years’ experience of interdisciplinary research work in Asia and Europe, Assistant Professor in Global Sustainable Development Dr Marco J Haenssgen’s new book is a practical introduction to qualitative research methods. Dr Haenssgen has designed this as a resource for students, researchers and research partners working on global development projects.
Published today, Interdisciplinary Qualitative Research in Global Development – a Concise Guide, contains a wealth of practical examples and resources to help students and practitioners think through what good research looks like. The guide highlights some of the practical and ethical challenges which can face teams drawn from different academic disciplines working on interdisciplinary issues.
CHANGE Festival: Imagining a better future
Last month, CHANGE Festival took place on campus at the Warwick Arts Centre. This new, not-for-profit arts festival featuring over 20 events brought together shows, talks, comedy and workshops, with the aim to inspire visitors to imagine a better, more positive future for all.
GSD students were involved in both the organisation of the thought-provoking festival and the events themselves. Maddie Booth, a final year Politics, International Studies and GSD student, worked with CHANGE Festival's producer Becky Burchell to bridge the gap between the University and the festival. Maddie was also the Events Co-ordinator in the weeks leading up to the festival. Ellie Church, a final year Economic Studies and GSD student was also involved, sitting on the Council of the Future over the course of the festival.
New publication: What public engagement can learn from international development
Recently published in the interdisciplinary journal Global Health Action, Assistant Professor Dr Marco J Haenssgen in Global Sustainable Development discusses and exemplifies how common evaluation criteria used in international development aid can encourage more transparent and balanced assessments of public engagement with research.
Students voice hope and concern at Warwick Climate Negotiating Forum
The inaugural Warwick Climate Negotiating Forum (WCNF) took place at the University across two days last month. Run by students and led by GLOBUS Warwick, the student-run online journal at the School for Cross-faculty Studies, this project was the first of its kind at the University. The event gave students the opportunity to experience global climate negotiations first-hand, in a setting that encouraged a rounded learning experience by inviting guest speakers and offering a number of workshops.
Dr Leon Sealey-Huggins to be the keynote speaker at the Political Ecologies of the Far Right Conference 2019
The Political Ecologies of the Far Right conference, taking place from 15-17 November 2019, is an interdisciplinary academic-activist event organised by the Human Ecology Division at Lund University. The conference is in collaboration with The Zetkin Collective, a group of scholars, activists and students working on the political ecology of the far right, and the Centre for Studies of Climate Change Denialism at Chalmers University.
The conference will explore:
Two trends (which) intersect in the present: rapidly rising temperatures and rapid advances of the far right. What happens when they meet?
During the next three days, we will explore this formidable conundrum, and consider together what is to be done, both in terms of research but also in terms of practice. We aim to make this conference a platform to bring together both academics and activists to meet, share learnings, network, build alliances, and start unlikely conversations. They need to happen. This is the first systematic inquiry into the political ecology of the far right in the twenty-first century.
Dr Leon Sealey-Huggins, an Assistant Professor in Global Sustainable Development, will be the keynote speaker at the conference delivering a talk entitled “Between apocalypse and survival: the violence of climate breakdown in, and for, the Caribbean” from 5:30pm-6:30pm on Saturday 16 November 2019. Dr Leon Sealey-Huggins will also be part of the roundtable session and final discussion from 2:45pm-4:30pm on Sunday 17 November 2019.