Abstract:
Science and art share the common ground of making sense of the data received by our senses. Making sense of or assigning meaning to any form of data is the normative process of interpretation, which lies at the core of both science and art. Similarly, interpreting sensory data guides the flow of each of our lives as integral parts of the natural world. But we are guided not only by our individual senses. As social beings we are guided in our individual and collective actions by norms and narratives. Narratives offer an invaluable interface through art to the normative landscape embedded within a particular context and are powerful ways to engage society meaningfully in that landscape. In the past decade, narratives have been increasingly recognized as sources of valuable and legitimate data for science. They reinforce social identities, cultures, and visions, and reflect or influence how individuals and communities respond to salient issues of sustainability. Since 2011 KLASICA (the Knowledge, Learning, and Societal Change Alliance) has contributed to this growing recognition and understanding of narratives. KLASICA 2.0 expands on this by forming a new international open research platform to catalyze innovative thinking, research, and practice that will gather narratives, develop and test new methods for analysis of key concerns and social dynamics from narratives, and provide output for improved policy and practice in advancing toward sustainable futures in the cultures and contexts of the world.
Bio:
Ilan Chabay is Head of Strategic Science Initiatives and Senior Scientist in the Real Deal EU project at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) in Potsdam Germany and Adjunct Professor in the School of Sustainability, Arizona State University. He co-leads KLASICA 2.0 (Knowledge, Learning, and Societal Change Alliance). After his first career of innovative research in laser physics, he became associate director of The Exploratorium Science Museum (San Francisco), then president of a company designing and producing interactive exhibitions for 230 museums around the world, including Disney, the Smithsonian, and NASA. In 2006 he began his current third career in sociology and sustainability science, focusing on understanding the narratives of vision and identity in communities and how they influence collective behavior change toward sustainable futures. In addition to research with 80+ publications in natural and social sciences, he continues designing games to inspire people for a more sustainable future.