„Origins, peace negotiations and failures in Estonian ‚forest war’“ – next Scientific Coffee ‚Human-Forest-Relationships‘ with Peeter Vihma (Estonian University of Life Sciences) | 15 February 2023

While Estonian forest sector was the first public policy field where collaborative principles were introduced in the 1990s, the field is ridden with conlflicts. These escalated in 2016 to such levels that it is currently publicly known as the „Forest War“. The Ministry of Environment noticed this and attempted to alleviate tensions during the writing of the Estonian Forestry Development Pland Until 2035 (FDP 2035) by incorporating a large number of stakeholders in the process, hired discussion facilitators and applied other innovative negotiation techniques. However, the process was unable to mitigate tensions between the participants. The presentation looks at the institutions before and during the eruption of the „Forest War“ in search for explanations to its dynamics. The presentation is based on both scientific articles and first-hand experience as an advisor for the Ministry of Environment for designing the FDP 2035 process.

Peeter Vihma received his PhD in sociology in 2022 from the University of Helsinki in Finland. Since January 2022 he is a researcher at the Institute of Forestry and Rural Engineering at the Estonian University of Life Sciences. Peeter Vihma has been involved in forestry governance and civil society analyses and has made extensive analyses about the Estonian forestry debate.

zoom-link: https://uni-jena-de.zoom.us/j/61027392103, Meeting-ID: 610 2739 2103, code: 513063

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Scientific Coffee “Human-Forest-Relationships”

Let’s sit and talk in the scientific café! The “Scientific Coffee HFR” sessions give room for open and relaxed discussions on current research subjects related to human and society relations to forests. It warmly welcomes all interested in forest-related research to join online sessions.
Each session lasts approximately two hours. It starts with a 30-minutes presentation of a guest speaker. After the presentation, with coffee or tea and cookies at hand, participants have plenty of room for an open discussion and exchange.
The “Scientific Coffee HFR” takes place two to three times per semester on Wednesday afternoons.

Guest speakers wanted! If you are interested in contributing to the “Scientific Coffee HFR”, please contact either romy.langeheine(at)uni-jena.de or tuulikki.halla(at)uef.fi with info on your subject (title and short abstract) and a preferred Wednesday (13-15 CET / 14-16 EET).
The idea for a scientific coffee HFR came up during a cooperation between Finnish and German researchers in 2021. The Finnish research project Human-Forest Relationships in Societal Change and the German research group Mentalities in Flux (flumen) organized the workshop “Contested Society-Nature-Relations. Forest related Emotions, Practices & Conflicts in Times of Societal Change” in May 2021. The first “Scientific Coffee HFR” session was held in September 2021.

The “Scientific Coffee HFR” is organized by:

Lecture by Katharina Zimmermann and Vincent Gengnagel on “Sozial-ökologisches Wissen: Distinktion und Delegitimierung. Klimapolitische Meinungen und Wissensbestände in der Laienkommunikation über den Klimawandel” at the flumen colloquium on Thursday, 26 January 2023, 10-12, online

On Thursday, 26 January, from 10-12, there will be an online lecture by Katharina Zimmermann and Vincent Gengnagel on “Sozial-ökologisches Wissen: Distinktion und Delegitimierung. Klimapolitische Meinungen und Wissensbestände in der Laienkommunikation über den Klimawandel”. It will take place as part of the flumen colloquium.

Abstract (German):

Welche Positionierungen zur sozial-ökologischen Wende können in sozialen Gruppen mit unterschiedlichem sozioökonomischem Hintergrund sowie unterschiedlichen kulturellen Werthaltungen beobachtet werden und wie verhalten sich diese Positionierungen zu Fragen der gesellschaftspolitischen Steuerung und der wissenschaftlichen Expertise?

Eine gelingende klimapolitische Wende müsste sowohl materielle Risiken der von Strukturwandel betroffenen Bevölkerungsgruppen (z.B. Arbeitsplätze im Kohlebergbau) sowie ungleiche Lastenverteilung neuer Konsummodelle (z.B. Benzinpreise) abfedern. Die oftmals vorausgesetzte Bedingung hierfür ist eine gesamtgesellschaftliche Einsicht in die Notwendigkeit der sozialökologischen Transformation. Diese ist zwar aus wissenschaftlicher Sicht unbestritten, allerdings haben nicht alle Bürger:innen gleichermaßen teil am politischen Diskurs und seinen wissenschaftlich-objektiven Begründungen – und haben verschiedenste Gründe, ihm skeptisch gegenüberzustehen. Das vorgestellte Projekt untersucht, wie klimapolitische Meinungen und Wissensbestände in der Laienkommunikation über Klimawandel vorgetragen werden. Das vorgestellte Material wertet Fokusgruppen aus, die sozialstrukturell und werthaltungsbezogen rekrutiert sind. Sie ermöglichen jeweils homogene Diskursräume zur Artikulation von konservativen und liberalen Werthaltungen in Unter- und Oberschicht, bevor sie diese dann in heterogenen Aushandlungsgruppen aufeinandertreffen lassen. Dabei zeigen sich verschiedene, oftmals aufeinander vermeintlich bezogene diskursive Strategien: Wie die Analyse der Abgrenzungspraktiken und solidarischen Bezugnahmen zeigt, stellen grüne Distinktionsgewinne und die Delegitimierung fossiler Lebensstile einerseits und die reaktionäre Defensive materiell oder symbolisch prekärer Milieus keineswegs eine klare Spaltungslinie dar. Vielmehr werden verschiedene und zum Teil hoch disparate Bezugsnahmen auf klimapolitische Verantwortung und die Gestaltung der Transformation der Gesellschaft vorgenommen. Dabei wird zwar die gesamtgesellschaftliche Herausforderung durchaus adressiert, oftmals aber auch durch Strategien der Tabuisierung oder Delegitimierung alternativer Deutungen umgangen. Diese Entlastungsfunktion wird an Fragen der gesellschaftspolitischen Steuerung und der Politisierung von Expertise besonders deutlich. 

Martin Fritz and Matthias Schmelzer speak at the conference “Bioeconomy Policies, Actors, and Transformations: Achievements, Challenges, and Recommendations” at Humboldt-Universität Berlin, 22-23 February 2023

Mentalities in the bioeconomy as a social-ecological transformation: Historical and sociological perspectives

In our presentation we show how a comprehensive understanding of the transformations envisioned and contested in the bioeconomy debate can be achieved by broadening the view beyond policy debates and stakeholder positions. We focus on the views and social-ecological mentalities that are present within the general population towards different aspects of the transition from a fossil economy towards a post-fossil bioeconomy. While existing mentalities are historically shaped by the extensive use of fossil resources, exerting dominance over nature and modes of living relying on the ever-increasing use of existing fossil stocks of resources and energies, the intensifying climate crisis has made many people more and more aware that transforming society is necessary. Yet there are different ideas how this transformation should take place and some even doubt that a transformation is desirable at all – the stances towards bio-economic change in the general population are diverse and go beyond the usual divide between green growth and postgrowth/sufficiency that dominates the political debate.
Starting from a historical discussion of the making of existing fossil mentalities, we use data from our representative multi-mode survey conducted in Germany 2021/22 that gathered information about respondent’s social and ecological attitudes, preferences and values, their stances towards the bioeconomy as well as social status and position to explore social conflicts and coalitions for and against the bioeconomy as a social-ecological transformation. Applying factor and cluster analysis we identify social-ecological mentalities in Germany and locate them in a ‘bioeconomic option space’ (Hausknost et al 2017) constructed from the views of the general population instead from the concepts discussed among stakeholders and experts. The results show that issues around the bioeconomy as a social-ecological transformation are more contested among the population than in policy debates. As this entails significant potential for social conflicts, it will be important to establish ecologically sustainable and socially just transformation pathways in democratic and participatory ways.

“Greening Bourdieu” – Martin Fritz and Dennis Eversberg speak at the “Climate Change and Social Sciences” conference at Freie Universität Berlin, 2-4 February 2023

Greening Bourdieu. How eco-social mentalities help to understand social and political conflicts over climate change.

An important aspect in understanding the political and social configurations of the current societal conflicts over climate change are the mentalities that exist among the general population. For example, the growth paradigm is deeply engrained in the ways many people think about how to organize our economy and society. Human-nature-relations are often shaped by domination and control. There are people who are uninterested in social and ecological issues, and others are mainly concerned about themselves and their private issues. While such dispositions make it hard to find political solutions for climate change that are supported by a majority, there is also ecological and caring thinking, mentalities that emerge from recognizing the dependence of society from nature and the relatedness of all beings. These could provide a fertile ground for co-creating the highly demanded social-ecological transformation. All such different mentalities feed into social conflicts, tensions, cleavages and commonalities between classes and into political struggles as they are strongly shaped by social experiences and social positions.
This paper seeks to provide an holistic understanding of societal conflicts over climate change and contribute to the conference theoretically and empirically. Combining Bourdieu’s relational sociology with the theory of society-nature relations, we identify eco-social mentalities and investigate how they are connected to social inequalities and socio-cultural differences. We use data from a representative multi-mode survey conducted in Germany 2021/22 that gathered information about respondent’s social and ecological attitudes, preferences and values, their social status and position. Applying dimension reduction methods such as factor-, correspondence- and cluster analysis the eco-social mentalities that currently exist in Germany are discovered and plotted in the space of social positions. The result is a complex picture of the eco-social landscape of Germany where the links between mentalities, social inequalities and social differences appear. The picture also reveals four dimensions of political and social conflict over the questions whether and how a social-ecological transformation should take place in Germany.

Lecture by Lilian Pungas on “Sozial-ökologische Mentalitäten in der Semisubsistenzlandwirtschaft in Estland” as part of the flumen colloquium on Thursday, 15.12.22, 10-12 a.m.

On Thursday, 15 December 2022, from 10-12 a.m., the lecture of our colleague Lilian Pungas on “Sozial-ökologische Mentalitäten in der Semisubsistenzlandwirtschaft in Estland” will take place in the context of flumen’s research colloquium. Lilian’s lecture will be held in presence in flumen’s offices on the 15th floor of JenTower.
(The lecture will be held in German)

Lecture by Knut Tullius on the topic “Mentalities in Transition. Transformation experiences in the care sector in East Thuringia” as part of the flumen colloquium on Thursday, 08.12.22, 11 am – 1 pm.

On Thursday, 08 December 2022, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Knut Tullius’ lecture on the topic “Mentalitäten im Umbruch. Transformationserfahrungen im Pflegesektor in Ostthüringen” will take place as part of the flumen colloquium. Where? Senatssaal, 1. floor, UHG, Fürstengraben 1.
(The lecture will be held in German)