sustainable development

Feb

2025

The Epistemicide of USAID: A Call to Action for Global Knowledge Communities

Urgent call to action in the USAID and the new burning of the books in digital and ideological epistemicide. A call to action-article by Sarah Cummings, PhD (she, her), Nancy Wright White and Bruce Boyes on the epistemicide taking place through the gutting of USAID, including its invaluable knowledge resources:

“In summary, removal and destruction of USAID’s knowledge should be identified as epistemicide. It should be stopped. It violates the fundamental understanding that all knowledges and unheard voices must be included if we are to solve complex problems. Undermining this knowledge will lead to less effective development. It will bolster ignorance that will hurt many initiatives and approaches. We must examine these actions in the context of a wider epistemicide, including the purge of diversity and inclusion initiatives, ending access to critical health data, and the rewriting of science to exclude reference to gender.”

Nov

2020

New publication: New Community Research and Action Networks – Addressing Wicked Problems Using Patterns and Pattern Languages

Schuler, D., de Moor, A., & Bryant, G. (2020). New Community Research and Action Networks Addressing Wicked Problems Using Patterns and Pattern Languages. Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on ICT for Sustainability, 330–337. doi.org/10.1145/3401335.3401818

[Download PDF]

See also the presentation of our paper that co-author Doug Schuler gave at the LIMITS 2020 Sixth Workshop on Computing within Limits on June 21.

Abstract:

The goal of this paper is to present a vision of research and associated practice that is intended to help transcend many of the barriers that are preventing society from adopting the sustainable goals that will help them survive, and even thrive in the coming decades. We believe the research enterprise could be expanded to meet contemporary needs, and to see it as more of a collaborative undertaking involving thinking, implementing, monitoring and evaluations of interventions with larger groups of people (not only specialists) and would be more focused on social benefit.

Mar

2008

eCampaigning Forum 2008

I have just received confirmation that I can participate in eCampaigning Forum 2008, to be held at St. Anne’s College, Oxford, on April 10-11. Last year, I attended their social dinner while visiting a friend, and was struck by the nice mix of expertise and friendliness of the participants. I am really excited about being part of that crowd myself this year!

What it is?

“The 2008 eCampaigning Forum brings together e-campaigning practitioners, managers, freelancers, entrepreneurs and bloggers to share the essential and emerging trends and practices in campaigning (advocacy) using interactive media. The experts are the participants and this event ensures those who attend get to spend most of their time engaging with their peers on topics that concern them most.”

Mar

2008

Another Perspective on Design – Symposium

Yesterday, an interesting symposium was organised in Breda by COLIN (Creative Organisations Linked in Networks) , named “Another Perspective on Design“. Here are some notes I took during the presentations. They are not comprehensive, but should capture some of the highlights.

Speaker: Mary-Ann Schreurs, chairwoman of the working group Design of the Eindhoven city council

Design has enormous economic potential
- One reason DAF trucks has become so succcessful is because of their truck cabins having been optimally designed for their human users.
Designers bring together ideas from all disciplines, combine them into a form. Design is leading.
Governments need to create the necessary conditions for design to have its effect.
- For example, never enough workspaces for starting entrepreneurs!

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