Initiatives

At the Institute of Global Sustainable Development (IGSD) there are some key initiatives which cut across our research themes:

Global Sustainable Development Hub

This online learning hub provides staff and students working on GSD extensive training resources for their professional development. Topics include co-design and participatory methods, diverse knowledges, good partnership practices etc. 

Reading Group: Political Ecology

The Political Ecology reading groups meets regularly during the course of the academic year to discuss newly published papers, draft work from members of the group, current debates in the discipline and new research proposals. New members are welcome. Email Megnaa Mehtta for information.

Reading Group: Development Alternatives

Development Alternatives is a study group supported by the Sheffield Institute for International Development which engages with scholarship on development alternatives that emerge from distinct disciplines and draw on, both, Northern and Southern perspectives. This includes, among others, current work on alternatives to economic growth or sustainable development framed through concepts such as Buen Vivir in Latin America, degrowth in Europe and North America, Ubuntu in Southern Africa, and Swaraj in India.

Decolonising our Research Practices

Since 2016, IGSD has been a leading partner in initiatives at the university to support equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and to decolonise our research practices. On this ongoing journey we have hosted workshops and events ranging from conceptualising decolonisation, asking partners from the south to examine and critique our practices, promoting less-cited work from less powerful voices, and decolonising STEM subjects. In this process we seek collective and individual learning opportunities in an atmosphere of respect and care.