Making and disseminating environmental knowledge from the Global South: experiences, practices, and challenges for Sustainable Development Goals on reducing knowledge inequalities

In an era where the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent both a challenge and a call to action, the urgency to address the global crisis threatening human existence and the environment is paramount. This urgency necessitates an ethical commitment from the scientific community to collaborate and advance knowledge capable of addressing these critical issues. Central to this endeavour is understanding how knowledge is generated, particularly in the context of SDG 10, which focuses on reducing inequalities within and between countries.

This international seminar aims to spotlight a frequently overlooked inequality: the disparity in how knowledge is produced and disseminated, especially from the Global South and non-Anglophone contexts. Our objective is to foster a rich discussion, sharing experiences and research advances in interdisciplinary topics related to sustainable development, critical studies, social and human sciences, Science and Technology Studies (STS), and other critical findings originating from the Global South.

The seminar will concentrate on identifying barriers and critical topics in the publishing process within major circulation networks, such as Web of Science (WOS) journals, particularly for scholars from non-Anglophone backgrounds. We aim to explore opportunities for the Global South to contribute unique perspectives, topics, and notions born from legitimate otherness.

This event is co-organized by the Montpellier Advanced Knowledge Institute on Transitions (MAK’IT, University of Montpellier) and the UMR-SENS Laboratory (CIRAD, IRD, University Paul-Valéry). It is held in collaboration with the Global Understanding IGU Commission, ANID (Chilean Agency for Research and Development), and the University of Chile’s Department of Geography.

Program

13:30     Welcome Address by Patrick Caron, Montpellier Advance Knowledge Institute on Transitions, France.

13:40     Introduction by Enrique ALISTE, University of Chile, Chile, and 2023-2024 MAK’IT Fellow

The Imperative of Reducing Knowledge Inequalities as an SDG Challenge.

13:50     SDGs: Discourses and Actions around the World (Moderator: Enrique ALISTE, University of Chile, Chile)

• Gabriela LITRE, University Paul Valéry, France & University of Brasilia, Brazil.

The Narratives and Language Barriers of the SDGs

• Sébastien VELUT, University Sorbonne Nouvelle, France.

A Geopolitical Overview for SDGs: Challenges for Latin America

14:30     Reactions and comments with Frances CLEAVER, University of Lancaster, UK.

14:55     Networking Break

15h10   Knowledges and Sciences from the Global South (Moderator: Geoffroy FILOCHE, UMR SENS, France)

• Carlos SANHUEZA, University of Chile, Chile.

Cosmos Under Construction: Alexander von Humboldt and the Global Circulation of Knowledge

• Marta Inez MEDEIROS MARQUES, University of São Paulo, Brazil (remotely).

Metabolic Rift and Green Business in the Global South

15:50     Reactions and comments with Frédéric THOMAS, IRD-SENS, France.

16:15     Networking Break

16:30     Controversies, Tensions, and Conflicts in Sciences: Voices from the South (Moderator: Eve BRATMAN, Franklin & Marshall College, USA)

• María Gabriela MERLINSKY, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Environmental Conflicts and Knowledge Controversies

• Rodrigo BOOTH, University of Chile, Chile.

The Construction of Global South Knowledge: Libraries, Sources, and Archives

17:10     Reactions and comments with Thaura GHNEIM-HERRERA, Montpellier Advanced Knowledge Institute on Transitions, France.

17:35     Discussion panel: concluding remarks

• Enrique ALISTE, University of Chile, Chile.
• Patrick CARON, Montpellier Advanced Knowledge Institute on Transitions, France.
• Tania LI, University of Toronto, Canada, and 2023-2024 MAK’IT Fellow.

18:00     Networking Cocktail Reception.

Speakers

Enrique Aliste. Full Professor in the Department of Geography at the Universidad de Chile, focusing on socio-environmental issues and sustainability in Latin America, he has been recognized for his contributions to the interdisciplinary approach of geography. He is also MAK’IT/FIAS Fellow in 2023-2024.

Rodrigo Booth. Associate Professor at the Institute of History and Heritage, Universidad de Chile. His research focuses on the history of landscape in Patagonia, exploring transformations in the region’s environmental ethics.

Eve Bratman. Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at Franklin & Marshall College and 2023-2024 MAK’IT/FIAS Fellow, her work combines sustainability governance with social justice. Her research interests include urban sustainability, climate justice, and pollinator protection.

Patrick Caron: Director of the Montpellier Advance Knowledge Institute on Transitions (MAK’IT) at the Université de Montpellier and Vice-President of One CGIAR. His research work is focused on critical areas such as farming systems, livestock farming, and the formulation of international sustainable development strategies.

Frances Cleaver. Professor and Chair in Political Ecology at Lancaster University and 2023-2024 MAK’IT Visiting Scientist Fellow/UMR G-EAU. Her research is on natural resource governance, particularly institutions shaping water, land, and forest governance.

Geoffroy Filoche. Researcher at the JRU SENS (IRD). His research encompasses international treaties and indigenous community norms, focusing on biodiversity-related norms, both tangible (forest protection, species exploitation) and intangible (knowledge circulation, intellectual property).

Thaura Ghneim-Herrera. Scientific Officer at MAK’IT, Université de Montpellier, and Professor at ICESI University, specializes in crop species’ responses to environmental challenges using genomic tools. Her work focuses on genetic innovation in agri-food systems and bridging science with societal needs.

Tania Li. Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Toronto and visiting researcher at MAK’IT/FIAS/UMR-SENS in Montpellier. Her work examines land, labour, development and environment with a particular focus on Indonesia

Gabriela Litre. Associate Researcher at the Universidade de Brasília and in the Université Paul Valéry, focusing on global environmental change and public policies. Her work involves participatory processes and knowledge co-production for climate change adaptation.

M. Gabriela Merlinsky. Researcher at CONICET and the Gino Germani Institute, focusing on Environmental Sociology. She coordinates the Group of Environmental Studies and is a Professor in the Social Sciences Faculty at the Universidad de Buenos Aires.

Marta Inez Medeiros Marques. Professor in the Department of Geography of the Universidade de São Paulo, her research in Natural Sciences and Geography emphasizes social movements in rural areas, land market dynamics, agribusiness, and agrarian issues.

Frédéric Thomas. A researcher at the JRU SENS (IRD) specializes in the history of science, anthropology of knowledge, and environmental history. His research explores diverse themes such as colonial forest management, plant genetics, and biodiversity governance.

Carlos Sanhueza Cerda. Associate Professor in the Department of History at the Universidad de Chile, focusing on expertise and material culture. He has contributed significantly to the History of Science, exploring Latin American perceptions of Europe, travel, and identity.

Sébastien Velut. Professor of geography at the Institut des Hautes Études de l’Amérique Latine (Université Sorbonne Nouvelle) and researcher at TREE (energy and environmental transitions, CNRS-UPPA). His work has focused on the political geography of development in Latin America, with particular emphasis on energy and environmental issues.