Campus Collaboration shares first living bibliography
In a time of heightened disagreement, communities and institutions are experimenting with ways to build connection across difference. Universities have responded to more frequent and fractious disagreements on campuses with new research and initiatives that aim to foster social cohesion and generative disagreement.
As part of its work exploring these questions at the University of Sydney, the Sydney Policy Lab’s Campus Collaboration is sharing an interactive living bibliography, gathering and showcasing existing work on civic engagement and social cohesion.
The living bibliography is designed to centralise examples from different contexts, spark discussion and provide inspiration for responses.
“One of the key objectives of the Campus Collaboration is to support the University and its communities to engage constructively with difference, diversity and complexity, without collapsing into division and polarisation,” says Associate Professor Sophie Gee, who leads the Collaboration with Professor Danielle Celermajer and Dr Kate Harrison Brennan.
“We have been learning from colleagues and students here at the University of Sydney and from the activities of others. This living bibliography seeks to make what we are learning from others more readily accessible. Our hope is that it will be a resource for those wanting to exercise leadership for good.”
“By gathering and sharing these case studies, we are trying to show the creativity and deep engagement happening around the world, and in doing so, to solicit even more novel ways of fostering social cohesion and civility,” says Imogen Tyndale who led the research and coordinated this dynamic resource.
Sources in the living bibliography reflect the diverse projects of universities, arts organisations and civil society groups the Lab found while undertaking this research. Traditional and non-traditional formats are included from research projects and literature reviews to public dialogues, training programs and student discussions.
The bibliography is not intended to provide a comprehensive picture of everything that is going on. Rather, as Tyndale says, “the intention is this bibliography will be dynamic, contributed to by a growing community of researchers and practitioners.” The Lab invites readers to identify gaps and suggest related community initiatives, academic work and university projects for inclusion.
“Traditional literature reviews tend to have a short shelf life,” says Sydney Policy Lab communications specialist Max Hall. “Our new living bibliography tool allows anyone to explore and share annotated bibliographies, turning the dry task of summarising existing research into an ongoing, participatory activity.”
The Campus Collaboration is an initiative of the Sydney Policy Lab which responds to times of heightened disagreement and conflict by taking a community-led approach to invigorating life at the University of Sydney. The Collaboration will continue work with staff and students in 2025.