Social Ecology

The central question facing social ecology as the science of societal relations to nature is how can crisis-laden relations between society and nature in a globalized world be recognized, understood and, in turn, shaped. In dealing with this question social ecology moves between two poles: as policy-oriented research it looks for solutions to practical societal problems, while as a theoretical science it attempts to organize methodically produced knowledge. A creative tension between these two poles is maintained by means of a transdisciplinary approach to research.

The manifold patterns of relations between society and nature, involving an intertwining of material-energetic and cultural-symbolic processes, constitute the research object of social ecology. This research object is analyzed, however, in terms of problems arising within concrete areas of societal action, with these problem complexes forming the foci of research at ISOE; for it is within these concrete problem complexes that one sees most clearly the mutual interaction of societal action and ecological effects. Of particular importance here is how non-knowledge and societally contested evaluations of scientific knowledge is dealt with.

In this regard one can view social ecology as a form of ‘possibility research’ in which possible developments are analyzed, criteria for desirable paths of development identified and conceivable ways of moving in the direction of these desirable development paths described. The goal here is to move thinking and action in the direction of new possibilities. For example, there are very different ways to design supply structures for elementary goods and services such as water and energy, food, or mobility. Using the social-ecological concept of supply systems an approach to analyzing the current form, future potential and consequences of supply structures can be developed.

The theoretical basis of such a science is consists of a network of interdependent terms and concepts containing numerous nodes and open ends. Thus social ecology is a theory and research practice open to development and adaptation; rather than a fixed and immutable theoretical construction.

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