Track 7c

Advocacy and Public Participation

Track Chairs

Prof Simon Bell, Open University

This conference is all about people adapting or not. Frank Furedi, in his book, 'Politics of Fear', talked about the "construction of the vulnerable citizen". This idea contains within it notions of learned powerlessness and fatalism. The realization of a passive, materialistic and purely reactive global citizenry could be equated as a deliberate political consequence of social rejection of all politics, of cynicism and the embracing of ‘give up, who cares' as an apocalyptic ideology.

Stream 7c is keenly interested in papers which deal with the underlying concerns about public reaction to sustainable development and means which have been chosen to 'push back' against the ideology of ‘give up, who cares?'. In particular we are seeking papers from across disciplines which address such matters as:

• Overcoming fatalism in environmental matters
• Understanding the culture of fear and responding to it
• Proactive citizen = Resilient community?
• 'The New Civics'. A means to energise Generation Y?
• Public groups and the Tipping Point
• Affirmative public action for hope
• Group reflective practice

Contact: Simon.bell@open.ac.uk

You may submit your abstract by visiting the Ex Ordo abstract submission system (you will be required to setup an account first): http://isdrs2015.exordo.com/