Sustainability and Civil Society (with methodological focus on discourse analysis) - Einzelansicht

Talk about ecological, economic, and social crises is everywhere. Widespread distrust against political and economic leaders seems to have found new nourishment in the failure of the climate negotiations in Copenhangen. The question therefore is more pertinent than ever: What really is the status of civil society as a "countervailing force"? Before turning to this question, the seminar will start with an introduction into the concept of sustainability and an overview over the fundamental tension between human economic activity and limited natural resources. Do we need a "post-growth" society and what could it look like? What could - and should - be the contributions of actors from civil society, from the business sector, and from the political and administrative apparatus to this "post-growth" society? With its methodical focus on discourse analysis, the seminar aims at discussing these questions in the light of printed literature, the websites of important organisations, and documentary films. To support the analysis of a controversial public discourse, students are invited to participate in the seminar discussions "as if" they belonged to one of the three groups of actors (civil society, politician, or business leader).

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Seidl, Irmi und Angelika Zahrnt (2010): Postwachstumsgesellschaft. Neue Konzepte für die Zukunft.