Seminar: Connor Cavanagh on responses to violent eviction
Room 221, Institute of Development Studies Library Road, Falmer, Brighton, United KingdomDifferentiated dispossession: ‘Hunter-gatherer’ responses to violent eviction from Embobut Forest Reserve, western Kenya Seminar by Connor Joseph Cavanagh Convening Space, Institute of Development Studies Library Road, Falmer, UK Critical scholarship on global land and ‘green’ grabbing has begun to examine the politics of variegation in diverse ‘responses from below’, or the ways in which various...
Rapid Energy Transition
A conference on energy transitions at the Centre for Alternative Technology on 29 April 2016. Part of the 'Rapid Transitions' event series.
Nexuses of the Urban (Nexus Network workshop)
Sussex University campus Falmer, United KingdomNexuses of the Urban: Interactions between water, energy and food provision for sustainable cities University of Sussex, Brighton, UK This workshop is the latest in a series of events organised by the Nexus Network. It is fully booked, but you can follow the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #UrbanNexus. Background Cities are dynamically connected...
Bon appétit? A citizens’ jury on the future of food – in or out of Europe?
The Duke of Cambridge, 30 Saint Peter's Street London N1 8JT Register to attend this event on Eventbrite Speakers include Erik Millstone (STEPS Centre/SPRU, University of Sussex) Joan Walley (former Labour MP) Prof Tim Lang (City University) Guy Watson (founder of Riverford Organic) Whether it’s the straight banana Euromyth, the high price of healthy food...
Can we govern the climate?
Fulton A Lecture Theatre, University of Sussex Falmer, Brighton, United KingdomPublic lecture by Prof Harriet Bulkeley, Professor of Geography at Durham University, on 16 May 2016 at the University of Sussex.
Future of food: burgers…or bugs?
SILO Restaurant, 39 Upper Gardner Street Brighton, UK How and what we eat, the journey it’s been through and how much is left is over has a huge impact on the world's resources. With population growth, climate change, diet-related diseases and huge inequality in the food system, do we need to take a fresh look...
Havin Guneser on Abdullah Öcalan’s Manifesto for a Democratic Civilization
A talk on Abdullah Öcalan's writing by Havin Guneser in Brighton on 24 May 2016, organised by STEPS and the Sussex Kurdish Community.
Havin Guneser on Abdullah Öcalan’s Manifesto for a Democratic Civilization
A talk on Abdullah Öcalan's writing by Havin Guneser in Brighton on 24 May 2016, organised by STEPS and the Sussex Kurdish Community.
‘Transformations’ events at the Hay Festival
At the Hay Festival in Wales, three discussion events in our 'Transformations' series will investigate how change happens in different arenas, and how rapid and just transitions can be achieved to create more sustainable futures. Tickets can be purchased online in advance from the Hay Festival website. How Quickly Can We Change…Culture? 31 May 2016...
CANCELLED: Towards a class-based approach to global energy transition
Convening Space, IDS Library Road, Falmer, Brighton, United KingdomSeminar with Kolya Abramsky on a class-based approach to energy transition.
Reimagining development in Least Developed Countries: what role for the SDGs?
Central LondonThe challenges and opportunities that the Sustainable Development Goals create for least developed countries will be discussed at an event in London next month. The Least Developed Countries Independent Expert Group, the International Institute for Environment and Development and the ESRC STEPS Centre will host a dialogue on Monday, 13 June to discuss the challenges and...
Rapid transition in finance and economics: recent and historical perspectives
Monsoon Room Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, UK See event page (Lady Margaret Hall website) This event is part of a series of Transformations events, organised by the New Weather Institute, the Centre for Global Political Economy at the University of Sussex, and the ESRC STEPS Centre. Charge: Free, but please register in advance by email...
Rapid transition in finance and economics: recent and historical perspectives
Monsoon Room Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, UK See event page (Lady Margaret Hall website) This event is part of a series of Transformations events, organised by the New Weather Institute, the Centre for Global Political Economy at the University of Sussex, and the ESRC STEPS Centre. Charge: Free, but please register in advance by email...
Webinar: African Farmer game
The African Farmer game will be presented at a webinar organised by CORE Group's Social and Behavior Change Working Group. Register online to attend this webinar. It will be held from 11am - 12pm Eastern Time. Presenters John Thompson, Senior Research Fellow, Rural Futures Cluster; Institute of Development Studies James Jackson, Designer/Developer; African Farmer Project...
STEPS: to a systemic ecology of mind – seminar with Ray Ison
Convening Space, IDS Library Road, Falmer, Brighton, United KingdomConvening Space, Institute of Development Studies Library Road, Falmer, UK This seminar will cover a broad sweep of issues under the general rubric of building systemic governing capability in the context of the Anthropocene. Prof Ison's starting point will be to lay down a challenge as to whether those present have a systemic ecology of...
Andy Stirling on Nexus Methods (7th ESRC Methods Festival)
ESRC Methods Festival, Room 3.16 University of Bath, UK STEPS co-director Andy Stirling (SPRU) is speaking on Nexus Methods as part of the 7th ESRC Methods Festival. The presentation is split into two parts: The depth, scope and diversity of 'nexus' challenges to methodology An illustrative practical response: the STEPS pathways approach and multicriteria mapping...
IDS 50: Sustainability transformations: the intersecting roles of state, market and society
Room 100, Institute of Development Studies Library Road, Falmer, United KingdomPart of the Institute of Development Studies 50th Anniversary Conference: States, Markets and Society, this panel session will examine the politics of sustainability transformations through different cases, drawing on the work of the STEPS Centre and the emerging STEPS Global Pathways to Sustainability Consortium. The panel will open with an overview of the different ways...
Webinar: Transformative Knowledge Networks – solutions-oriented research in practice
Tuesday, 5 July 2016 16:00 – 17:00 CEST (14:00 – 15:00 UTC) Research on global change and sustainability increasingly goes hand in hand with calls for profound change and social transformation – but what do we know about these processes in different, concrete contexts of application? What can social science-led research contribute to generating solutions and...
STEPS at the SPRU 50 conference – Transforming Innovation
University of Sussex Falmer, Brighton, United KingdomTania Li: ‘What is politics?’
Room 221, Institute of Development Studies Library Road, Falmer, Brighton, United KingdomSTEPS Seminar, all welcome Convening Space, Institute of Development Studies Library Road, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9RE Listen to the seminar Hear Tania Li's seminar below, including questions and answers with the audience. Abstract: My seminar will cover a broad sweep of issues under the general rubric of building systemic governing. In my discipline of anthropology,...
Kolya Abramsky: ‘Towards a Class-Based Approach to Global Energy Transition: Shifting Energy Demand, Expanding the Renewable Energy Sector and Phasing Out Fossil Fuel’
Room 221, Institute of Development Studies Library Road, Falmer, Brighton, United KingdomSTEPS Seminar - all welcome Convening Space, Institute of Development Studies Library Road, Falmer, BN1 9RE Abstract: Terms such as “energy democracy” and “climate justice” have gained increasingly widespread usage and acceptance over the last 5 years. In order to give weight to these slogans, it is necessary to understand the class relations behind the...
Who is the digital revolution for?
Panel at the event: Ann Light, Kat Braybrooke, Tim Jordan, Caroline Bassett and Andrew Sleigh. Lighthouse, 28 Kensington Street Brighton, BN1 4AJ, UK This public event on 28 September 2016 explored how society and digital technology can shape each other for the common good. The event, part of the Brighton Digital Festival, is part of...
Is the future nuclear? Battle of Ideas debate with Andy Stirling
BooksFrobisher Auditorium 1 Battle of Ideas, Barbican Centre, London STEPS co-director Prof Andy Stirling (SPRU) will debate the role of nuclear power in the future of energy, at a debate hosted by the Battle of Ideas, the flagship festival run by the Institute of Ideas in London. The event is open to Battle of Ideas...
Emancipatory Transformations: Engaging Radical Democracy in Kurdistan
A public event and workshop on 3-4 November in Brighton, UK focused on the remarkable political transformations happening in Rojava (Western/Syrian Kurdistan) in the midst of bloody conflicts and a humanitarian crisis. In the region, citizens are experimenting with ‘democratic confederalism’ and ideas from feminism and ecology as part of an ambitious project of radical...
Food Agendas in a Post-Brexit Future: BSUFN Symposium 2017
Brighton , United KingdomBrighton, UK (buy tickets) There has been much talk of the ways in which the United Kingdom leaving the European Union, or ‘Brexit’, will impact British farmers due to changes to the Common Agricultural Policy. We believe that Brexit will have far reaching effects across the food systems in many ways, in the UK, Europe...
Sustainability in Turbulent Times
Central London‘Sustainability in turbulent times: How can research, policy and business meet global challenges?’ CUSP/Nexus Network/CECAN conference Venue: Central London Twitter: Follow the conference at #SITT2017 Over the next few years, the British exit from the EU, a new US administration, and unpredictable waves of populism and authoritarianism are likely to recast key environmental and social...
Transforming Innovation: Addressing Nexus Challenges with Radical Change
Central LondonWhat kind of innovations are needed to address the interconnected 'nexus' of challenges related to water, food, energy and other resources in a changing world? This event in central London is organised by the Nexus Network, an ESRC funded initiative to support thinking about the interdependencies, tensions and trade-offs between nexus resources and issues. It...
STEPS Seminar: Where are the missing co-authors? Authorship practices in participatory research
Room 221, Institute of Development Studies Library Road, Falmer, Brighton, United KingdomJoin us for a STEPS Seminar with Louise Fortmann (University of California at Berkeley), on 3 April 2017 at the Institute of Development Studies. The increase in publications based on participatory research has raised questions about crediting the contributions of non-academic collaborators. Using qualitative and quantitative methods, trends and patterns in authorship and acknowledgment practices...
Rapid Transitions: how did we do that?
Brighton , United KingdomJoin in on Twitter: #RapidTransitions In the face of environmental crises and global inequality, how can we work together for more sustainable futures? What can we learn from great transitions and transformations of the past? This event brought together activists, academics and practitioners to explore what we can learn from history and how we accelerate...
STEPS Seminar: Todd Crane – Interdisciplinary science and subjectivities in research for development
Room 221, Institute of Development Studies Library Road, Falmer, United Kingdom‘Interdisciplinary science and subjectivities in research for development: What are the implications of methods and measures?’ STEPS Seminar - all welcome Socio-ecological research continues to grapple with how to represent social and biophysical phenomena in integrated and balanced ways. Methodological choices, especially regarding representation of the social, have important implications for the robustness of the...
Seminar – Ruth Hall: The Reinvention of Land Reform in South Africa: State, Market and Citizens
Room 221, Institute of Development Studies Library Road, Falmer, United KingdomInstitute of Development Studies seminar with Ruth Hall, Institute of Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS), South Africa This event will be accompanied by a live audio stream and online discussion. Land reform, one of post-apartheid governments’ main transformatory programmes, has itself been transformed over the past twenty years, reflecting changing policy agendas and ideological...
STEPS Seminar: Charles Tonui on the co-management of mangrove forest in Gazi Bay, Kenya
Room 221, Institute of Development Studies Library Road, Falmer, United Kingdom‘The Role of Community Based Organisations and Associations in Co-management of Forests in Kenya: The case of Mikoko Pamoja Community Based Organisation (MPCBO) and Gogoni-Gazi Community Forest Association (GOGACFA) in the Co-management of Mangrove Forest in Gazi Bay, Kenya’ STEPS Seminar with Charles Tonui, African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS), Kenya. All are welcome to...
STEPS Annual Lecture: Achim Steiner
Fulton A Lecture Theatre, University of Sussex Falmer, Brighton, United KingdomDOOMED TO FAIL OR BOUND TO SUCCEED? Sustainable Development and the Green Economy Agenda - Revisited Achim Steiner delivered the 2017 STEPS Annual lecture at the University of Sussex on 15 May. Steiner is former Executive Director of UNEP and now director of the Oxford Martin School at the University of Oxford. In April 2017...
The Emancipatory Rural Politics Initiative: Launch Event
Room 221, Institute of Development Studies Library Road, Falmer, Brighton, United KingdomSeminar & launch event with Ruth Hall (Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies) and Ian Scoones (Institute of Development Studies/STEPS Centre). All welcome - registration is not required. Deepening inequalities, failed livelihoods, mass (under)employment, climate chaos, and racist anti-immigrant attacks characterise many settings across the world. Forms of ‘progressive neoliberalism’ have failed to stem...
Resilience 2017: Resilience Frontiers for Global Sustainability
STEPS Centre members and our partners from the Pathways to Sustainability Global Consortium will be taking part in the Resilience 2017 conference in Stockholm on 20-23 August 2017. The conference will discuss resilience as a key lens for biosphere-based sustainability science. It will reflect back on the scientific progress made, and aim to set out...
Transformations 2017: Transformations in Practice
Forum Theatre, Level 1, Arts West The University of Melbourne, Parkville campus Forum Theatre, Level 1, Arts West The University of Melbourne, Parkville campus, Melbourne, AustraliaMembers of the STEPS Centre, along with colleagues from the Pathways to Sustainability Global Consortium, will be attending the Transformations 2017: Transformations in Practice conference in August. The Transformations conference is hosted by the Centre for Environmental Change and Human Resilience (CECHR) at the University of Dundee. It is the third in a biennial series...

4th BICAS Conference: New Extractivism, Peasantries and Social Dynamics, Moscow 2017
Bacchus Room, New Orleans Marriott 555 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA, United StatesNew Extractivism, Peasantries and Social Dynamics: Critical Perspectives and Debates BRICS Initiative in Critical Agrarian Studies fourth conference Moscow, 13-16 October 2017 A call for abstracts has been published, with a deadline of 15 June 2017. About the conference Over the past two decades, agrarian economies and food systems have been undergoing a profound restructuring...
Can we all learn about how to respond to global uncertainties from pastoralists at the margins?
European University Institute Sala Triaria, Villa Schifanoia, Via Giovanni Boccaccio, Fiesole, Florence, ItalyEuropean University Institute, Fiesole, Florence, Italy Lecture by Ian Scoones at the European University Institute as part of the ERC-funded project Pastoralism, Uncertainty and Resilience: Global Lessons from the Margins. Find out more about this project Uncertainties are everywhere: climate change, financial crises, migration flows, infrastructure development, disease outbreaks and more. Yet contemporary institutions and...
Precaution in the Governance of Technology
UCL Roberts 106 LT Roberts Building, Torrington Place, London, United KingdomSTEPS co-director Andy Stirling will give the Centre for Law and the Environment's 2017 Annual Lecture, entitled 'Precaution in the Governance of Technology'. Details: Tuesday 31 October 2017, 18:00 - 19:00 UCL Roberts 106 LT, Roberts Building, Torrington Place, London WC1E 7JE Speaker: Professor Andrew Stirling (University of Sussex) Chair: Professor Maria Lee (University College...
STEPS Seminar – Channing Arndt: ‘Faster Than You Think: The Global Energy Revolution and Developing Countries’
Room 221, Institute of Development Studies Library Road, Falmer, United KingdomSTEPS Centre seminar with Channing Arndt, Senior Research Fellow, International Food Policy Research Institute Institute of Development Studies, Room 221, 15 December 2017 An energy revolution is underway. Driven by an enormous and unexpected downward shift in the full cost of renewable generation technologies, global investment in renewable electricity generation has exceeded investment in conventional...
Seminar: Ian Scoones – Can pastoralists help us respond to global uncertainties?
Convening Space, Institute of Development Studies Library Road, Falmer, Brighton, United KingdomSeminar by Ian Scoones, Director, ESRC STEPS Centre and Professorial Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies. Watch video of this event Tuesday 9 January 2018 13:00 to 14:30 IDS Convening Space All welcome Part of the Complexity and Development seminar series Uncertainties are everywhere: climate change, financial crises, migration flows, infrastructure development, disease outbreaks...
How are the pathways to resilience in pastoralist areas of Eastern Africa evolving?
Forum Theatre, Level 1, Arts West The University of Melbourne, Parkville campus Forum Theatre, Level 1, Arts West The University of Melbourne, Parkville campus, Melbourne, AustraliaWebinar panel discussion organised by the Feinstein International Centre at Tufts University from 9 - 10am EST, 10 January 2018. Register here (Tufts website) Another ongoing and severe drought in East Africa has reopened debates on the viability of pastoralism, alternative livelihoods, and ways to support resilience. The Feinstein International Center has been studying these...
A Crisis of Expertise? Legitimacy and the challenge of policymaking
Forum Theatre, Level 1, Arts West The University of Melbourne, Parkville campus Forum Theatre, Level 1, Arts West The University of Melbourne, Parkville campus, Melbourne, AustraliaSTEPS Co-Director Andy Stirling will deliver the Keynote address on the final day of The 2018 Melbourne School of Government's conference, talking about expertise and democracy: from adversarial crisis to mutualistic renewal. ABOUT THE EVENT The economic, social and environmental governance challenges facing contemporary societies are growing in severity, scope and complexity; yet trust in...
Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation in Urbanising India
National Agriculture Science Complex, Pusa Delhi, India This event in Delhi explores how urban authorities and other parts of civil society can improve their approaches to ecosystems and the services they provide in urbanising contexts. The event involves people involved in decision-making, research and practice related to urbanisation and ecosystems. The organisers aim to share...
International conference: ‘Authoritarian Populism and the Rural World’
Institute of Social Studies The Hague, Netherlands17-18 March 2018 International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) The Hague Netherlands Authoritarian populism is on the rise, boosted by support from rural areas. This conference examines why, and explores the alternatives: the social and political processes in rural spaces that are resisting or responding to regressive, authoritarian politics. Organised by the Emancipatory Rural Politics...
When the Wolf Guards the Sheep: Green extractivism and confronting the industrial machine
Room G22, Jubilee Building University of Sussex, Brighton, United KingdomAs part of the Politics of Nature reading group, Dr Alexander Dunlap, co-hosted by the CGPE and STEPS centre, presents a seminar on the merits of an anarchist political ecology in assessing extractive projects and charting new directions in (re)imagining ecological, unruly and dignified futures. Drawing on case studies of Europe’s largest opencast coal mine, the Hambach...