Funded by a Natural Environment Research Council grant,the University of Oxford is supporting a new initiative for the establishment of Environmental Social Sciences and Humanities (ESSH) Supporters to work within and alongside its existing Oxford Networks for the Environment (ONE) and in close collaboration withTORCH (the Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities), which houses a programme in Environmental Humanities.
These Supporters will represent and advance the distinctive contribution ofESSH to ONE networks (in the areas of: energy, water, food, climate andbiodiversity), and in the wider arena of social and environmental research at the university. It is envisaged that each of the ONE networks will have a group of ESSH Supporters, and that the Supporters will also work collectively across networks.
ESSH encompasses a huge diversity of academic traditions,from environmental history to Indigenous scholarship, and from political ecology to feminist philosophy. ESSH Supporters will help to build a foundation for showcasing and enhancing the contributions of ESSH to environmental research within and beyond the University ofOxford. To do so, they will be invited to work collectively during Hilary Term 2022 to produce a series of short statements (one statement for each ONE network) outlining how the distinctive perspectives of ESSH might enhance and expand understanding of the complex, converging environmental challengesbeing addressed by the ONE networks, including through:
- Methodologies
- Concepts and theories
- Case-studies
- Strategies for media and public engagement
These statements will be considered by each ONE network and hosted on their webpages. This will provide the basis for further collaborations and integrations that are envisaged to continue beyond Hilary term 2022.
To support this work, ESSH Supporters will attend:
- Week 5-6: preliminary meeting with the relevant ONEnetworks (held online)
- Week 9: combined workshop to develop and finalisestatements (in person [with online option], including lunch)
ESSH Supporters will be aligned with the University’sambition to produce greater inter- and trans-disciplinarity across divisions in line with the 2018-2024 Strategic Plan.
They will help generate a more holistic, robust and equitable approach toresearch engaging with responses to environmental challenges, including with respect to energy, water, food, climate and biodiversity. They will be wellpositioned to contribute to future initiatives for the integration of ESSH within the university.
Applications are welcomed from University of Oxford departmental post-holders (professors, post-docs,departmental lecturers, etc) and academic staff from affiliated institutes and colleges. Each group is likely to receive support from a senior mentor from within the University.
The project is explicitly interested in fostering disciplinary cross-overs andconversations, and we therefore aim to embed diversity and inclusion throughout. We want to make sure we include and connect with a broad spectrum of academics, including those that are typically underrepresented in UK academia, including those from Black, Asian and other minority ethnic backgrounds, identifying as women, marginalised genders, and with disabilities.
Please submit a short expression of interest to mark.hirons@ouce.ox.ac.uk by Monday 7th February. This should include: name, post, discipline, oneparagraph rationale for interest, including which, if any, of the ONE networks most closely aligns with your work. Please get in touch if youwould benefit from an informal discussion before making an application. We welcome all forms of experience and interest.
