Permaculture Research Digest

Friday 6 March 2015

Critiquing the concept of 'resilience' (#journal)

Resilience for Whom? Emerging Critical Geographies of Socio-ecological Resilience

Resilience has become a popular catchphrase used by governments, NGOs, community groups and activists all over the globe. Yet there remains confusion over what resilience is and the purpose it serves. Resilience can speak to a desire to respond to disruptions outside of the status quo. However, this usage shows a lack of consideration for power, agency and inequality. Criticism has also been raised regarding the use of resilience to justify projects informed by neoliberal ideologies that aim to decrease state involvement and restructure social services. Despite this, resilience is also being used by community and activist groups that aim to address local and global environmental and social issues. Thus the need has arisen to question what is being maintained, for whom and by whom, through these discourses of resilience.

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