Esercizi di sostenibilità per lo sviluppo

Overview & Synopsis

Sustainable development remains a highly contested and widely debated concept, both within academic scholarship and public discourse. This volume approaches the notion through the lens of rural social-ecological systems in the Mediterranean, shedding light on their inherent challenges and potential trajectories. By combining theoretical insights, methodological reflections, and empirical evidence, the contributions collected here engage with the increasing environmental, social, and cultural complexity of rural territories, adopting an interdisciplinary and community-based perspective. Grounded in a critical examination of key development theories, the authors highlight the limitations of purely technical and standardized approaches to socio-environmental problems. In response, they advocate for the integration of scientific knowledge with tacit and local forms of expertise, as a strategy to address the intensifying pressures linked to climate change. The theoretical arguments are further substantiated by international research carried out across the Mediterranean region. These empirical investigations frame social-ecological systems as complex cultural systems, where interactions among local actors, institutions, and the natural environment are crucial in shaping sustainable responses. Particular emphasis is placed on participatory action research and the deployment of Living Labs as tools for co-design and inclusive governance practices. Overall, the volume advances an interdisciplinary and practice-oriented framework, aiming to conceptualize sustainability as a transformative social process.