Enabling collective agency for sustainability transformations through reframing in the Xochimilco social –ecological system

AbstractCollective agency, the capacity of individuals to mobilise according to shared goals, is crucial for social –ecological transformation. However, in stagnant situations, where individuals in a social–ecological system tend to resist transformation due to interests in the status quo, the emergence of collective agency faces numerous barriers. This research asks how to design and implement spaces and met hodologies that help to address such barriers. We posit that these spaces and methodologies ought to facilitate processes to reframe shared perceptions of social–ecological situations through: (1) questioning dominant narratives about a situation, (2) building capacities to reframe the situation, and (3) enacting new compelling narratives that support the group’s transformative agency. Our research shows that building a strong bond among participants is key but requires reframing tools that are infrequently used in academically driven participatory research; in particular, tools for reflex ivity together with creating safe-enough spaces where participants can be truly open. Reflexivity and openness are conditions for allowing deep transformations of meanings, fostering new collaborations and promoting agency towards novel pathways forward. Through convening diverse social actors—fro m local farmers, residents in irregular settlements, governmental and non-governmental organisations, to academics—our 2.5-year “Transformation Laboratory” (T-Lab) showed the ...
Source: Sustainability Science - Category: Science Source Type: research