What would sustainable research and higher education mean as a vocation? Drawing on the sociologist Max Weber’s famous lecture on science as a vocation, Gorgi Krlev, outlines a vision of sustainable science, arguing that for academic research to effectively contribute to resolving the major challenges facing society it must embrace profound change on four levels

Krlev, Gorgi

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Sustainable	Science	as	a	VocationWhat	would	sustainable	research	and	higher	education	mean	as	a	vocation?	Drawing	on	the	sociologist	MaxWeber’s	famous	lecture	on	science	as	a	vocation,	Gorgi	Krlev,	outlines	a	vision	of	sustainable	science,	arguingthat	for	academic	research	to	effectively	contribute	to	resolving	the	major	challenges	facing	society	it	must	embraceprofound	change	on	four	levels.The	usual	academic	job	application	includes	a	cover	letter,	CV,	evidence	about	courses	taught,	and	mostimportantly,	a	list	of	journal	publications.	However,	I	recently	came	across	a	notable	addition	to	this	list,	hopefullyone	that	does	not	remain	a	singularity:	an	institution	asking	for	a	“sustainability	statement	as	a	scholar”	that	lays	outthe	candidate’s	vision	and	their	personal	way	of	embodying	sustainability.	what	would	it	mean	for	a	scholar	to	make	sustainable	science	their	vocation?The	statement	requested	was	for	a	position	explicitly	focused	on	sustainability	management.	However,	the	questionof	how	academics	intend	to	play	their	part	in	understanding	and	promoting	sustainable	development,	that	is	maketheir	contribution	to	addressing	grand	societal	challenges,	is	becoming	louder	across	the	social	sciences.	Journalsfor	example	call	their	contributors	to	move	from	what	is	interesting	to	what	is	important,	and	accolades	arebestowed	to	those	who	not	only	contribute	to	understanding,	but	who	also	help	alleviate	a	social	problem.Yet,	it	seems	more	profound	contributions	to	sustainability	are	currently	being	held	back	less	by	ambition,	than	by	aresearch	and	higher	education	system	that	is	incentivized	to	be	narrow	and	inward-looking.	So,	what	would	it	meanfor	a	scholar	to	make	sustainable	science	their	vocation?Be	boldResearchers	must	be	more	concerned	with	“why”	and	less	with	“what”.	Research	questions	need	to	be	bold.	Thisdoes	not	mean	bold	as	in	finding	the	“big	gap”	and	identifying	pertinent	questions	that	require	more	research,	but	asin	re-embracing	radical	design	and	imagination	and	moving	from	diagnosis	to	prescription.	Carrying	out	boldresearch	may	require	embracing	elements	of	slow	science	and	even	failure.	It	does	not	mean	that	we	should	furtherslow	the	“glacial	pace	of	academic	publishing”,	but	that	we	should	design	research	processes	that	are	trulycollaborative	and	where	the	research	is	not	neatly	geared	towards	producing	another	academic	paper.	The	sameprinciples	could	be	extended	to	the	entire	research	process,	for	instance	by	acknowledging	the	vital	role	of	grantapplications	(failed	or	successful,	and	with	all	their	eccentricities)	in	academic	capacity	building,	which	is	essentialfor	addressing	complex	sustainability	challenges.Be	comprehensiveThe	sustainable	vocation	should	be	driven	by	the	desire	to	understand	important	phenomena	in	their	entirety.	Thismay	require	a	shift	from	contributing	to	a	neat	stream	of	theory,	or	specialising	in	a	certain	methodology,	to	applyingcombinations	to	meet	the	needs	of	the	problem	at	hand.	What	has	been	stated	in	relation	to	mission-oriented	policyfor	sustainable	development,	is	likely	true	for	related	areas	of	research.	It	needs	to	focus	on	understanding	theinterconnectedness	of	problems	and	puzzles,	beyond	disciplinary	boundaries	and	single	actors.	Much	as	in	the	wayCOVID-19	has	mobilised	researchers	from	across	many	disciplines,	research	of	a	social	scientist	who	seeks	tocontribute	to	sustainability	might	range	from	examining	petitions	to	policies,	and	from	studying	social	movements	tohedge	funds.Impact of Social Sciences Blog: Sustainable Science as a Vocation Page 1 of 3		Date originally posted: 2021-03-16Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2021/03/16/sustainable-science-as-a-vocation/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/Be	relevantScholars	need	to	work	with,	not	only	talk	to	practitioners.	This	does	not	mean	contracted	industry	research,	butinstances	of	co-creation,	which	occur	when	people	devote	time,	energy	and	passion	into	open-ended	processesthat	might	not	neatly	fit	into	yet	another	pre-defined	project,	yet	still	drive	innovation	and	impact.	Academics	areideally	placed	to	be	brokers	between	actors	from	different	‘worlds’	and	should	be	encouraged	to	apply	theirknowledge	by	serving	on	boards,	advising	student	initiatives,	or	providing	expert	knowledge	to	internationalinstitutions,	but	such	forms	of	service	are	often	perceived	as	mere	additions	to	their	responsibilities	as	academics.Social	scientists	should	aim	to	make	their	voices	heard	across	the	board—rather	than	from	one	discipline—if	associologist	Armin	Nassehi	puts	it	“[they	do	not	want]	their	positions’	existence	to	cling	merely	on	their	own	survivalrather	than	the	durability	of	the	post”	(author’s	translation).Be	educators	for	allPerhaps	the	most	neglected	way	in	which	academics	influence	the	future	is	through	shaping	the	minds	andcompetencies	of	their	students.	While	lockdowns	have	pushed	academics’	skills	in	teaching	online,	we	still	mainlysee	better	teaching	at	the	level	of	individual	educators.	What	might	higher	education	look	like	if	instead	efforts	aredirected	to	co-developing	content	and	systemizing	and	sharing	existing	resources?	If	the	benefits	of	academiceducation	were	more	broadly	shared	across	society,	with	greater	involvement	from	students	in	content	creation,	aswell	as	pursuing	geographic	inclusivity	and	life-long	learning?	Allied	to	this	vision	of	sustainability	would	be	moredeveloped	approaches	to	action-learning	formats	and	forms	of	learning	that	focus	on	social	problem	solving.Becoming	sustainable?While	there	seems	to	be	a	deep-seated	longing	in	many	academics	to	do	all	the	above.	Rising	pressure	to	publishin	well-ranked	journals	and	a	pervasive	culture	of	overwork	and	burnout,	can	make	the	current	academic	system	initself	feel	unsustainable	and	any	alternatives	seem	to	be	wishful	thinking.In	his	famous	lecture,	“Science	as	a	Vocation”	the	sociologist	Max	Weber	laid	out	a	number	of	principles	about	thenature	of	science	as	a	calling	and	its	place	within	society.	Whilst	I	do	not	advocate	for	a	return	to	this	past,	theyprovide	a	way	of	thinking	about	what	it	might	mean	for	science	to	become	more	sustainable	and	more	sustainabilityoriented.Impact of Social Sciences Blog: Sustainable Science as a Vocation Page 2 of 3		Date originally posted: 2021-03-16Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2021/03/16/sustainable-science-as-a-vocation/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/In	line	with	Weber’s	arguments,	we	need	to	foster	far-reaching	research	and	thinking	that	carries	a	vision	for	thefuture,	rather	than	the	pursuit	of	academic	trends.	One	obstacle	to	achieving	this	are	our	own	expectations	ofacademia.	It	is	not	helpful	to	have	professors,	as	I	have	heard,	advise	their	junior	peers	that	writing	books,	toaddress	an	interconnected	set	of	issues,	is	only	for	people	over	40,	or	to	stay	away	from	certain	topics	or	concepts,since	there	are	less	contested	alternatives.	If	anything,	we	need	more,	not	less	contestation.It	also	means	that	we	need	to	embrace	a	shift	away	from	the	image	of	the	scientist	as	lone	genius,	towards	a	moredistributed,	collective,	and	co-operative	modes	of	value	creation.	This	includes	cultivating	more	of	what	Weberconsidered	the	rare	breed	of	individuals,	who	are	good	researchers	and	educators	at	the	same	time—and	who	seekto	overcome	resistance	to	educational	innovation.	Such	aspects	should	become	core	parts	of	a	widerunderstanding	of	academic	impact,	which	continues	to	be	connected	largely	to	published	papers.It	also	means	that	we	need	to	embrace	a	shift	away	from	the	image	of	the	scientist	as	lone	genius,towards	a	more	distributed,	collective,	and	co-operative	modes	of	value	creationIn	direct	opposition	to	Weber’s	position,	and	at	a	time	when	critical	studies	have	again	come	under	attack,	despitethe	need	to	review	power	dynamics	and	inequalities	for	sustainable	development.	We	are	past	a	stage	whereblanket	value-neutrality	should	rule	academic	research	and	teaching.	The	normative	grounding	of	research	ratherthan	being	denied	should	be	surfaced,	as	stressed	for	example	in	the	Responsible	Research	and	InnovationInitiative	of	the	European	Commission.	While	objectivity	in	appreciating	the	evidence	and	rhetorical	argumentsneeds	to	be	upheld,	fostering	sustainable	development	requires	a	clear	assessment	of	how	these	goals	areinherently	tied	to	political	positions.Although	some	commentators	see	reasons	for	a	resurgence	of	academics	as	public	intellectuals,	who	mayinfluence	society	for	the	better,	it	is	important	to	realise	that	we	are	likely	to	fail	addressing	the	integrated	problemsof	sustainability	with	segregated	approaches.	If	we	academics	want	to	make	sustainable	science	our	vocation,	weneed	to	stop	playing	by	the	rules	so	many	seem	to	disagree	with	and	start	being	the	change.	Note:	This	article	gives	the	views	of	the	author,	and	not	the	position	of	the	Impact	of	Social	Science	blog,	nor	of	theLondon	School	of	Economics.	Please	review	our	Comments	Policy	if	you	have	any	concerns	on	posting	a	commentbelow.Image	Credit:	Photo	montage,	Max	Weber	1918,	via	Wikimedia	Commons	(Public	domain),	Eric	Barbeau,	&	PawelNolbert,	via	Unsplash.Impact of Social Sciences Blog: Sustainable Science as a Vocation Page 3 of 3		Date originally posted: 2021-03-16Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2021/03/16/sustainable-science-as-a-vocation/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/

Sustainable science as a vocation

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Sustainable science as a vocation

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