David Harnesk

Challengers struggle against more powerful elites and authorities to resolve environmental problems driven by social forces, but can sustainability research contribute to such collective action while remaining scientific? After five years of movement-relevant sustainability research using Burawoy’s extended case method, I seek to make three contributions. Empirically, I present strategic alliances and scale shifts within contentious politics at four scales adopted by Indigenous Sámi reindeer pastoralists to address the pasture availability problem. Theoretically, I show how the internal and external factors that shape such multi-scalar mobilization are influenced by ecological dynamics in forests. Methodologically, I suggest a multi-scalar approach that can help address concrete environmental problems aggravated by social drivers. With that, I seek to nurture dialogues between sustainability and social movement research and practice; discussing how scientific knowledge can help foster emergent properties for collective action for sustainability through analysis and engagements based on reflective sympathy and mutual integrity.