Symposium "Cultural Dimensions of Climate Change"

Final call for contributions


Up to now, climate change has been considered mostly from the perspective of
the natural sciences. Human beings and societies also enter into the
discussion, however, both as contributors to causal factors and as subjects
of the probable stark consequences of changed climatic conditions. The human
and the social sciences have an important part to play in addressing the
phenomena of climate change since we urgently need to determine how to
decrease the power of anthropogenic climate change drivers (mitigation) and
how to prepare for those impacts that are now becoming inevitable
(adaptation).

The basic assumption underpinning this symposium is that all personal and
societal change happens within frameworks of interpretation, valuation and
choice by subjects who see themselves as actual or potential agents. As
such, the symposium seeks to explore the cultural dimensions of individual
and social factors that may lead to mitigation and adaptation to climate
change. Reflection on schemas of interpretation and valuation that enable or
constrain our capacities for action gain a particularly important role when
we consider our ethical responsibilities toward present and future
generations of fellow human and non-human inhabitants of this planet.

We are still interested in a few contributions that address the cultural
dimensions of climate change from the perspective of any of the social or
human sciences. We particularly welcome presentations with an
inter-disciplinary approach. The final deadline for abstracts is 15 July.

Send abstracts to [log in to unmask] and the organiser of the SHE Conference,
Prof. Gene Myers, at [log in to unmask], and to [log in to unmask]

Symposium organiser: Thomas Heyd, Philosophy, University of Victoria,
[log in to unmask]

The Symposium on "Cultural Dimensions of Climate Change" is part of the XVI
International Conference of the Society for Human Ecology, "Integrative
Thinking for Complex Futures: Creating Resilience in Human-Nature Systems."

September 10 - 13, 2008, Huxley College of the Environment, Western
Washington University, Bellingham, Washington State, USA.

For further information on the Conference see
http://www.societyforhumanecology.org/, and in particular see
http://www.societyforhumanecology.org/SHEXVIFinalCall.pdf
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