Research relating to Crises and Transformation

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The interdisciplinary initiative “Crises and transformation” adopts a holistic perspective on crises and transformation, in which an analysis of the underlying causes of crises is regarded as being just as important as the crisis and the transformation itself.

The initiative is broad in scope but has three focal areas:

  1. War and crisis
  2. Violence, crime and equality
  3. Sustainable transformation

“Crisis and Transformation” is grounded in scientifically based sustainability models, such as Raworth’s Doughnut model. According to this model, ecological sustainability constitutes the ceiling and social sustainability the floor.

Between the ceiling and the floor lies a safe space for humanity and for a regenerative and distributive economy. The floor encompasses peace, the rule of law, food, water, energy, infrastructure, democracy, gender equality, equality, and education. The ceiling is defined by the planet’s natural resources. Breaching either the ceiling or the floor may be both an effect of and a factor contributing to crises.

Crises

A crisis may be defined as a situation that challenges human behaviour, social interactions, societal structures, and means of communication within a specific temporal and spatial context. Within the initiative, crises are studied as ecological, cultural, political, psychological, and social phenomena, with a focus on their causes, consequences, and management.

A crisis is a serious event affecting many people and requiring transformation, either in the short or the long term. The security situation has gradually changed significantly in Sweden and internationally, with an escalating spiral of violence involving increasingly younger perpetrators and victims, attacks on civilians, and a growing need for preparedness due to international conflicts.

Recent examples of crises include the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic. Crises may also take the form of natural disasters caused by volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, fires, floods, and earthquakes. Terrorist attacks and coups d’état are further examples.

Different societal institutions may also be in crisis when they are challenged in various ways — the rule of law, for example, when confronted with organised crime, and democracy when challenged by anti-democratic forces. Research itself may also be subject to crises, where its reliability is questioned, for instance due to the use of flawed methods or external threats to academic freedom.

Society is facing a number of serious health crises, including increasing mental ill health and suicide among young people, as well as rising levels of sick leave due to long-term health conditions. Crises have a significant impact on both mental and physical health, making the health dimension of crises central.

Crises need not be physical; they may also take the form of an economic crisis, a major cyber-attack, or the crisis in the information society sometimes referred to as the “post-truth crisis”.

The climate crisis differs from many of the crises described above in that, although it requires immediate transformation, it develops gradually. This means that the effects of inaction are not immediately visible everywhere.

However, the climate crisis can give rise to immediate crises, such as natural disasters, drought, and famine, which in turn may lead to armed conflicts over access to water or other natural resources. In this way, the climate crisis may form part of the theoretical framework for many other crises.

The initiative encompasses both local crises and international and global crises.

Transformation

Transformation is a process that changes how societies and individuals are organised, communicate, and act in response to new challenges or needs. It involves creating sustainable solutions through innovation and the transformation of systems, behaviours, and values.

Within the initiative, emphasis is placed on the social, ecological, socio-technical, and cultural dimensions of transformation, including the role of education, policy development, and global justice. Transformation may be immediate or part of a longer-term societal transition. As crises are of a serious nature, they require a range of different measures. These may include emergency response, civil defence, military operations, policing, judicial measures, communication strategies, cultural policy initiatives, and healthcare.