@article{b89dce7b8bd444f28611432adef5874c,
title = "Constructing sustainability science: Emerging perspectives and research trajectories",
abstract = "Over the last decade, sustainability science has emerged as an interdisciplinary and innovative field attempting to conduct problem-driven research that links knowledge to action. As the institutional dimensions of sustainability science continue to gain momentum, this article provides an analysis of emerging research agendas in sustainability science and an opportunity for reflection on future pathways for the field. Based on in-depth interviews with leading researchers in the field and a content analysis of the relevant literature, this article examines how sustainability scientists bound the social, political and normative dimensions of sustainability as they construct research agendas and look to link knowledge to social action. Many scientists position sustainability science as serving universal values related to sustainability and providing knowledge that is crucial to societal decision-making. The implications of these findings are discussed with an eye towards creating a space for a more democratic and reflexive research agenda for sustainability.",
keywords = "Boundary work, Knowledge to action, Reflexive, Research agenda, Science and technology studies, Sustainability science",
author = "Miller, {Thaddeus R.}",
note = "Funding Information: Since the publication of the NRC report and Kates et al. (2001), research agendas and the institutional elements of a growing scientific field including the establishment of research and education institutions, dedicated peer-reviewed journals and various funding opportunities, have gained significant momentum. Early and ongoing efforts of sustainability scientists have been supported by several national and international scientific bodies, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Forum on Science and Technology for Sustainability, the Roundtable on Science and Technology for Sustainability Program at the National Academy of Sciences, and the Initiative on Science and Technology for Sustainability and the Earth System Sustainability Initiative sponsored by the International Council of Science. Several peer-reviewed journals have emerged including Sustainability Science, Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy; International Journal of Sustainable Development; and Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability. Clark (2007) marked an especially important point in the development of the field with the establishment of a section devoted to sustainability science in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Funding Information: Methodologically, this analysis follows Takacs{\textquoteright} (1996) study of conservation biologists and biodiversity. Through interviews with leading figures in conservation, Takacs examines how they have defined, shaped and promoted the concept of biodiversity, including its normative character. In a similar fashion, the present analysis provides a rich description of how sustainability scientists are constructing sustainability science and how they envision the knowledge produced by the field contributing to society. In-depth interviews were conducted with 28 key researchers1 in sustainability science between June 2009 and January 2010. Interview subjects were identified through their involvement in important developments in the sustainability science literature (including papers in Science, Nature, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and Sustainability Science as well as major reports including Our Common Journey and the more recent US National Science Foundation funded Toward a Science of Sustainability), association with sustainability research programs (including the Sustainability Science Program at Harvard, the Stockholm Resilience Centre, and the Graduate Program in Sustainability Science at the University of Tokyo) and by key informants. While the list of interview subjects does not capture all of the major researchers in the field, it provides a robust sample with which to understand the major developments and perspectives in this young field. In addition to the interviews, a literature review of the leading journals (including Science, Nature, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and Sustainability Science), reports, funding proposals and conference proceedings in the field was performed. These documents were analyzed for definitions of sustainability, construction of research agendas for sustainability science, and the role of sustainability in decision-making or social action. Funding Information: Acknowledgments The author owes a debt of gratitude to all of the interview subjects. Without their openness and generosity with their time, this article would not have been possible. It has benefitted from significant input from Ben A. Minteer, Daniel Sarewitz, Charles L. Redman and Arnim Wiek. Finally, the author would also like to thank Britt Crow and Tischa Mu{\~n}oz-Erickson for valuable input. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0504248, IGERT in Urban Ecology at Arizona State University. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendation expressed in this material are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Copyright: Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.",
year = "2013",
month = apr,
doi = "10.1007/s11625-012-0180-6",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "8",
pages = "279--293",
journal = "Sustainability Science",
issn = "1862-4065",
publisher = "Springer Japan",
number = "2",
}