SEI Director receives prestigious appointment to examine the impact of converging ecological, social and political crises

The Jane and Aatos Erkko Visiting Professorship in Studies on Contemporary Society is an invitational fellowship (appointed by invitation rather than an open call), which spotlights “cultural and social research themes with a topical significance for contemporary society and social justice”. 

The focus of Professor David Schlosberg’s six-month appointment will be to investigate the impact of converging ecological, social, and political crises on evolving conceptions of environmental justice and practices of democratic innovation and experimentation. This will include examining contemporary instances of this evolution, including the expanding use of citizen assemblies on climate action; the growth of attention to justice and inclusion in adaptation planning; spontaneous and grassroots community responses to climate disasters, and experiments on combining Indigenous and western knowledges and concepts such as kinship in environmental management and climate policy development. 

Professor Schlosberg will give a public lecture in February 2024 on ‘Climate Turbulence and Justice: Disruption, Displacement, and Democratic Innovation’ and lead a Europe-wide workshop in June, focused specifically on climate turbulence and democratic innovation.

While undertaking his Visiting Professorship, Schlosberg will be working as a partner on a University of Helsinki based project, MUST: Enabling Multispecies Transitions of Cities and Regions, which aims to help design and implement nature-based solutions to resilience and adaptation planning that are inclusive of multispecies communities.

Professor Schlosberg will also represent the University of Sydney at several of our European partner institutions, including The University of Glasgow, The University of Edinburgh, Utrecht University, and Copenhagen University.

SEI is pleased to announce that Deputy Director – Academic, Professor Danielle Celermajer, will step into the role of Acting Director for the first six months of 2024 while Professor Schlosberg is away. 

The Institute wishes Professor Schlosberg all the best as he undertakes this esteemed appointment.