Online workshop, 23 May 2024 at 5pm UK time / 6pm CET

On zoom, register here: https://bham-ac-uk.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIqdO-pqT4oH9EWHBhs_AZpH42rUL-Jt9zy

Oscar Berglund is a Senior Lecturer in International Public and Social Policy at the University of Bristol. His research looks at political contestation of global processes like neoliberalisation, austerity and climate change. This includes both non-violent contestation by social movements and parliamentary forms of contestation. Oscar’ research draws on a historical materialist theoretical framework with a focus on political agency and contestation, and he is particularly interested in how social movements use civil disobedience to achieve their aims and how they justify their law-breaking.

Discussants

Louisa Rosemary Parks is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Trento

Laurence Cox is a Professor of Sociology at Maynooth University

The workshop will loosely revolve around the article How effective are climate protests at swaying policy? available here: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03721-z

Abstract

Climate protests have been increasingly studied across many academic disciplines since 2019. This is not least because many scientists have themselves become activists through groups like Scientist Rebellion and XR Scientists. Probably because of the heavy scientist engagement, there is a hunger for evidence-based claims of effectiveness of different kinds of protest. As somebody who has studied these movements from a critical political economy perspective since 2019, Oscar Berglund has been invited to co-author pieces on the topic in Nature and Nature Climate Change, as well as give talks to large audiences of scientists. In this talk, Oscar will discuss what Critical Political Economy as a discipline can contribute to this newfound urge for changing the world amongst the broader scientific community.