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Organisation

Centre for Research on Environmental and Social Change

Research Group

Main organisation:Department of Sociology
Lifecycle:1 Oct 2018 →  Today
Organisation profile:CRESC is a research center within the Department of Sociology at the University of Antwerp. The center focuses on sociological research on environmental and social change, in the urban context and in the wider living and natural environment. Examples of environmental and social changes that we study are sustainability transitions in the energy and food system, integrated water management, social innovations in the fight against poverty, network formation between social work organizations, new forms of solidarity in superdiversity, identity formation in a diverse society, innovation in civil society organizations and the changing role of expertise in society. CRESC has a special interest in the interaction between social and environmental change processes. Dynamics of inclusion and exclusion, the interaction between knowledge and policy, processes of (de-) institutionalization, new forms of solidarity and citizenship and the role of culture in social and ecological change are at the heart of our research. Our research is mainly (but not exclusively) inspired by insights from urban and environmental studies, poverty and social work research, cultural sociology and science and technology studies. We use a wide range of research methods. We have developed methodological expertise in social network analysis, social mapping, policy evaluation and qualitative research methods such as focus groups, (participatory) observation, document analysis, debate forms and interviews. The research is organized into three research clusters: (1) urban and environmental studies; (2) poverty and social work research; and (3) science and society.
Keywords:DIVERSITY, POVERTY, ENVIRONMENT, SOCIAL WORK, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, CITIES
Disciplines:Urban and regional design, development and planning, Applied sociology, Social change, Social work, Other sociology and anthropology