The One-Sidedness and Cultural Bias of the Resilience Approach

Kirchhoff, Thomas; Brand, Fridolin S.; Hoheisel, Deborah; Grimm, Volker

doi:10.14512/gaia.19.1.6

Cited by 34 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…It is widely acknowledged that the concept provides a crucial middle ground between social and environmental sciences, and that it has been important in bringing together scholars from these disciplines with a shared interest in environmental change leading to important research and insights (for example, Davidson 2010 andKirchhoff et al 2010). Capacities for adaptability, transformability, self-organization, and learning have become fundamental SER concepts (Folke et al 2010).…”

Section: Comparison Of Resilience Definitions and Conceptual Traditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Indeed, the idea that the ecological concept of resilience can be applied to social systems on the assumption that human communities function and behave similarly to ecological systems is highly contested (Adger 2000, Cote andNightingale 2012). One proposition that could have significant ramifications for resilience's practical effectiveness is that it is criticized for being a one-sided paradigm, termed ecological organicism by Kirchhoff et al (2010), with distinct but unacknowledged cultural presumptions about the relationship between individuality and society, captured by the term individual holism (Kirchhoff et al 2010). The problem is that other competing notions of individualism that might support consideration of alternative approaches to ecosystem management are excluded (Kirchhoff et al 2010).…”

Section: Integrated Communitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One proposition that could have significant ramifications for resilience's practical effectiveness is that it is criticized for being a one-sided paradigm, termed ecological organicism by Kirchhoff et al (2010), with distinct but unacknowledged cultural presumptions about the relationship between individuality and society, captured by the term individual holism (Kirchhoff et al 2010). The problem is that other competing notions of individualism that might support consideration of alternative approaches to ecosystem management are excluded (Kirchhoff et al 2010). Hence, Olsson et al (2015) contend that the http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol21/iss2/art27/ The assumption that systems will bounce back to their previous stable state after disturbance System identity retained Refers to retention of system function, structure and feedbacks despite experiencing disturbance Renewal via self-/ reorganization…”

Section: Integrated Communitymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Interrogating resilience: toward a typology to improve its operationalization

Davidson¹,

Jacobson²,

Lyth³

et al. 2016

E&S

210

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ABSTRACT. In the context of accelerated global change, the concept of resilience, with its roots in ecological theory and complex adaptive systems, has emerged as the favored framework for understanding and responding to the dynamics of change. Its transfer from ecological to social contexts, however, has led to the concept being interpreted in multiple ways across numerous disciplines causing significant challenges for its practical application. The aim of this paper is to improve conceptual clarity within resilience thinking so that resilience can be interpreted and articulated in ways that enhance its utility and explanatory power, not only theoretically but also operationally. We argue that the current confusion and ambiguity within resilience thinking is problematic for operationalizing the concept within policy making. To achieve our aim, we interrogate resilience interpretations used within a number of academic and practice domains in the forefront of contending with the disruptive and sometimes catastrophic effects of global change (primarily due to climate change) on ecological and human-nature systems. We demonstrate evolution and convergence among disciplines in the interpretations and theoretical underpinnings of resilience and in engagement with cross-scale considerations. From our analysis, we identify core conceptual elements to be considered in policy responses if resilience is to fulfill its potential in improving decision making for change. We offer an original classification of resilience definitions in current use and a typology of resilience interpretations. We conclude that resilience thinking must be open to alternative traditions and interpretations if it is to become a theoretically and operationally powerful paradigm.

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Section: Comparison Of Resilience Definitions and Conceptual Traditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Integrated Communitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Integrated Communitymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Interrogating resilience: toward a typology to improve its operationalization

Davidson¹,

Jacobson²,

Lyth³

et al. 2016

E&S

210

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Socio-economic benefits cannot be the main goal in tourism development if it is ecologically undesirable, so it is necessary to provide balance between protection of nature and socio-economic development [15]. Kirchhoff et al [16] and Levin et al [17] argued that a social-ecological system (SES) would be very useful in understanding and establishing synergies between tourism and landscape since this perspective advocates that tourism and landscape are conceptualized as an integrated system. Social-ecological system (SES) is a set of critical resources (natural, socio-economic and cultural) whose flow and use are regulated by a combination of ecological and social systems [18].…”

Section: Concept Of the Social-ecological Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental and Community Stability of a Mountain Destination: An Analysis of Residents’ Perception

et al. 2017

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This study aims to explore the use of the social-ecological system (SES) in tourism of a mountain area. Authors examined residents' perceptions of tourism impacts on four SES aspects: ecosystems, local knowledge, people and technology and property rights institutions. The aim is to find area that will be a "common ground" for community and area that can be a source of conflict and will require additional work to solve the differences. Second objective was to examine residents' perception towards future local development tourism policies (winter tourism, seasonality and environment and culture) and how those policies can affect natural, socio-economic and cultural aspects of mountain area. Residents' perceptions of sustainable tourism development potential, perceived tourism impacts, analysis of community attachment and employment sector of stakeholder were involved in this study. The authors applied the Q-methodology, as one SES-allied approach, in a small mountain community of Kopaonik, the Republic of Serbia. The results revealed that residents' agreement/disagreement is connected with two aspects: ecosystem and property rights and that ecosystem can be significantly influenced by all three development policies. Findings suggest that development of future natural conservation plans and new cultural attractions can have positive effects on all parts of social-ecological system. Some practical implications of those findings for tourism planning and development are also discussed.

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“…Much as Kirchhoff et al (2010) argued in an earlier issue of GAIA, the cultural presumptions of the adaptation approach frequently go unnoticed and policies generally neglect to consider the discursive framework within which "adaptation" is being presented and how the adaptation approach reflects (and prioritises) particular cultural values (Krüger et al 2015). Indeed policies in the name of "modernisation" often not only fail, but also undermine traditional mechanisms for coping with change (Heyd and Brooks 2009).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%