A sustainable world in balance with the planet's limits, where people do not fall into poverty or are forced to move because of environmental degradation, climate change, war, conflict or persecution, implies profound changes - societal transformations. To meet the sustainability challenges of today and tomorrow, research is needed both on and for such transformations.
With the profile area Societal Transformations, LiU contributes to understanding both ongoing and insidious changes as well as conscious, active societal transformations. We study symptoms and solutions to unsustainability, and how such solutions can be democratic and inclusive while considering intergenerational perspectives. We also analyze what happens when policy makers and citizens are forced to make difficult trade-offs between the conflicting interests that may exist between different generations and social groups.
Societal Transformations brings together researchers from several research environments at LiU. The focus is on four areas that are crucial for future societal development:
- environmental and climate change
- migration
- digitalization and democracy
- environmental technology and production systems.
LiU currently conducts internationally prominent research and education in each of these areas. The profile area will further deepen knowledge and identify problems, solutions and areas of collaboration that we do not yet fully understand. To achieve this, we use interdisciplinary approaches that combine social, cultural, technological, political, economic and ecological perspectives. The sustainability challenges we investigate are so multidimensional and involve so many parts of society that they cannot be addressed in isolation. With this profile area, we also develop LiU's strong tradition of collaboration with the surrounding society.
