rethinking social change for health: social movement responses to emerging threats to health equity...
TRANSCRIPT
Rethinking Social Change for Health: Social Movement Responses to Emerging Threats to Health Equity
Blake PolandDalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
Health Research with Real ImpactUniversity of Central Lancashire
May 15, 2013
In the next 15 minutes
emerging threats to health equity
social movement responses
the Transition movement
rethinking social change resilience thinking & complexity science practice theory 6 principles for greening settings
implications for practice
2 questions
Do you agree with the following?
1.Our current ways of being and doing (Industrial Growth paradigm) are overwhelming the capacity of the earth to support life. Y/N
2.The world’s problems cannot be solved at the same level of thinking that produced them. Y/N
Emerging Threats (to health equity)
Tony Biddle, 2010
SOURCE: Barnosky, A. D., et al. (2012). Approaching a state shift in Earth's biosphere. Nature, 486(doi:10.1038/nature11018), 52-58.
Social Movements Respond
Transition Towns build community resilience in the face of emerging threats by substantially reducing local dependence on fossil fuels, while upholding & strengthening societal commitment to equity & social justice
Goals of Transition Initiatives
“If it isn’t fun, it isn’t sustainable”
‘Going viral’?
Source: transitionnetwork.org 2013/05/9
* total exceeds sum of “muller” + “official”
• started in Totnes, UK in 2006
• as of May 2013:
Transition Initiative Status
World Canada
‘Official’ 449 26
Earlier stages of development
643 62
TOTAL 1105* 88
Rethinking Social Change
Conventional Assumptions New Transition Thinking, based on evidence
Social change starts by raising awareness and convincing people of the need for change (scared into action)
Fear can also breed denial /resistance
People want to be part of exciting, fun, hip and rewarding new initiatives
Awareness -> action Behaviour -> knowledge & beliefs
So few people know what’s going on – the amount of work to be done is overwhelming
A few key trigger events can spark a rapid sea change in awareness and willingness to act
Change is linear and predictable – you can compare energy expended with expected returns/impact, and decide whether it’s worth it
Social change is almost always non-linear & unpredictable, building critical mass can take time but social ‘tipping points’ come surprisingly quickly
One acts if one has enough hope and the chances of success are reasonable
One acts because it is the only right thing to do – we cannot control outcomes, but we can decide how we will be in the world
Hope is generated through action
Research Objectives:
1.Document and describe the emergence of Transition Towns in Canada.
2.Produce a contextualized account of this movement’s attempt to build lifestyles that are locally grounded, equitable, and sustainable..
3.Derive lessons learned that could be used by this and other movements in the future looking to mobilize hopeful, just, and sustainable responses to emerging challenges.
4.Contribute to theory about social movements and sustainability. (practice theory)
Practice Theory
practices are social, routinized, pre-reflexive, and collective
competence = enacting practices aligned with social field/expectations
changing practices is a collective effort, requiring enabling conditions (policies, resources, social expectations)
social movements catalyze change by questioning the status quo, proposing alternatives, unmasking resistance, creating a sense of the possible, and creating a community of practice for trying new ways of thinking & doing (Haluza-Delay, 2008)
Implications for practice
emerging threats will be key determinants of health in the coming decade
traditional health education applied to environmental issues is likely to fail miserably
social movements are major drivers of social change – public health needs to figure out how to be effective ally
new social movements like Transition Towns create spaces for people to experiment with more eco-friendly locally-appropriate ways of being and doing
need to pay attention to equity in transition
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/transition-2
In Transition 1.0: From oil dependence to local resilienceUK, 2009, documentary, colour, 50minProduced by The
Transition Network.
For more information:
www.TransitionEmergingStudy.ca