Celebration "30 years CDO"

The Centre for Sustainability Studies (CDO) celebrates its 30th birthday.

On Thursday 20 November we have two activities.

In the (early) afternoon, between 12.00 and 17.00, we organise four workshops related to our research. In between, we serve sustainable birthday cake. See below for a full description of the workshops. The workshops all take place in Technicum 1, room 2.1 and 3.1. 

Evening, from 19.45 onwards

We have a small birthday party, where we will also present our new book, CDO’s ABC van duurzaamheidsonderzoek: verteerbare inzichten voor stille momenten. The party is more or less next door, in Foyer Theatre Hall (entrance via café Vooruit), VIERNULVIER, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 23, 9000 Gent.

Afternoon workshops

🕖From 12.00 till 14.00

• Workshop 1. Politics & Power: who and what counts? (location: Room 2.1, Technicum 1)(organisation: Thomas Block, Kim Vandenhole, Raf Reuse, Maxime Vandenberghe, Ward Maréchal, Tina Kasse B'nicco) In this session, colleagues from different research groups and departments within our faculty will first present theoretical and analytical frameworks related to politics and power. Who finds which framework relevant and why? How can we analyse controversies or conflicting interpretations and perspectives? How can we map power dynamics that include or exclude certain actors, interests, and concerns? These presentations will provide a basis for the subsequent discussion with all participants. We will use a concrete virtual setting to collaboratively map power dynamics.
• Workshop 2. Social movement research: a reality check (location: Room 3.1, Technicum 1)(organisation: Lucas Remue, Niko Vandebos, Erik Paredis)
  Research on social movements is often disconnected from the questions that arise within social movements (e.g. tactics, strategy, ideology...). This workshop focuses on the relationship between social movements and research on social movements. We will work with video messages from activists from the Palestinian, climate and women's movements in Belgium to reflect on the role of academia in social movements. By starting with questions raised by activists, we aim to hold up a mirror to academic research, encourage reflection on the role of research in and for social movements and spark debate between researchers.

🕖From 14.00 till 15.00: time for sustainable birthday cake for workshop participants!

🕖From 15.00 till 17.00

• Workshop 3. Cards on the Table: Responsibility in Research (location: Room 2.1, Technicum 1)(organisation: Gert Goeminne, Kasper Ampe) What does responsibility mean in academic research? In this interactive workshop, we use a deck of cards to explore the choices and dilemmas we encounter in academic research. Join a round of cards with colleagues and open up a conversation about your own role and assumptions. Reflexivity wins the hand!
• Workshop 4. Sustainability transitions: a matter of learning by doing? (location: Room 3.1, Technicum 1)(Katrien Van Poeck and LESTRA team) The LESTRA project team conducts research on (the facilitation of) learning in view of sustainability discussions. We present our ongoing work and will, in this workshop, pay particular attention to how we can understand and empirically investigate (the role of learning in) potential transitions that are still ‘in the making’, to (the facilitation of) public engagement, spatial embeddedness in social movements, and the role of affect (e.g. feelings of loss, desire) in transition processes.