TY - JOUR
T1 - Narratives of change
T2 - Strategies for inclusivity in shaping socio-technical future visions
AU - Dobroć, Paulina
AU - Bögel, Paula
AU - Upham, Paul
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was supported by the project “Connect to transform: Enabling transitions via quadruple helix co-creation” funded by The Swedish Research Council Formas (decision no. FR-2018/0010 ). We would also like to thank student assistant in the project Maleen Rüthers who supported the authors with search tasks and during the analysis phase.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors
PY - 2023/1
Y1 - 2023/1
N2 - Narratives of change are increasingly becoming the focus in the context of sustainability transition, and one reason for this is the growing awareness of the impact of language on our environment. Drawing on an analysis of narratives of change of the Swedish strategic innovation program Viable Cities, in our article we illustrate how intermediary organizations seeking to facilitate sustainable futures use narratives to develop their strategies for inclusivity, and we discuss the value of narrative analysis to understand such mediation. In so doing, we draw on a narrative approach from literary studies and show the added value of analysis of textual presentation techniques for sustainability transitions research. As interpretations of discourse, narratives shape social communities and not only tell us about change, but also witness, and are intended to drive, specific changes. Our analysis of the presentation techniques of the narrative of Viable Cities reveals the ways in which the narrative seeks to achieve the goal of inclusion, to help drive change towards the goals of sustainability. This is done through the plurality of the storylines and the narration; while the plurality of perspectives is maintained through the essayistic character of the texts, as well as through stretching the time of the narrative.
AB - Narratives of change are increasingly becoming the focus in the context of sustainability transition, and one reason for this is the growing awareness of the impact of language on our environment. Drawing on an analysis of narratives of change of the Swedish strategic innovation program Viable Cities, in our article we illustrate how intermediary organizations seeking to facilitate sustainable futures use narratives to develop their strategies for inclusivity, and we discuss the value of narrative analysis to understand such mediation. In so doing, we draw on a narrative approach from literary studies and show the added value of analysis of textual presentation techniques for sustainability transitions research. As interpretations of discourse, narratives shape social communities and not only tell us about change, but also witness, and are intended to drive, specific changes. Our analysis of the presentation techniques of the narrative of Viable Cities reveals the ways in which the narrative seeks to achieve the goal of inclusion, to help drive change towards the goals of sustainability. This is done through the plurality of the storylines and the narration; while the plurality of perspectives is maintained through the essayistic character of the texts, as well as through stretching the time of the narrative.
KW - Future visions
KW - Inclusivity
KW - Narrative analysis
KW - Narratives of change
KW - Urban transition
KW - Viable Cities
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85144789841&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.futures.2022.103076
DO - 10.1016/j.futures.2022.103076
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85144789841
SN - 0016-3287
VL - 145
JO - Futures
JF - Futures
M1 - 103076
ER -