EADI Virtual Dialogues - A Bit Too Simple: Narratives of Development, Sustainability and Climate Change
Taking point of departure in Mette Fog Olwig’s new book A Bit too Simple: Narratives of Development, Sustainability and Climate Change (Cambridge University Press) this roundtable discussed the role of local stories and narratives vs. geopolitical metanarratives in shaping development, sustainability and climate action. Shared narratives are an integral part of human society and can play an important role in creating cohesion and belonging. It is not these narratives, however, that typically drive international action. Rather, global metanarratives that build on a long legacy of geopolitical storytelling, are propelled across the world by elites such as colonial and post-colonial officers, missionaries, celebrities, practitioners, businesspeople and administrators.
The book demonstrates how metanarratives like those portraying development workers as heroes and local populations as victims needing to be saved from their own unsustainable practices have led to problematic policies and interventions. Speakers discussed metanarratives in their own research pertaining to topics ranging from tree planting initiatives in high schools in Tanzania to the wind energy frontier in India and “sustainability superheroes” in Denmark.
The session aimed to both critically discuss the different ways in which various actors are affected by, respond to, challenge, but also perpetuate the same circulating hegemonizing metanarratives on sustainability, development and climate change, and to counter these metanarratives with locally grounded stories, narratives and experiences.
Speakers included:
- Mette Fog Olwig, Roskilde University, Denmark
- David Andre Karnail Singh, The Centre de Sciences Humaines, India
- Lisa Ann Richey, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark
- Conrad John Masabo, Roskilde University, Denmark
- Moderator: Adam Moe Fejerskov, Danish Institute for International Studies