ABSTRACT

Throughout this book I have sought to explore how community-based action research in upstream public engagement can further new research orientations towards sustainability. I have been particularly interested in understanding how processes of social learning between citizens and scientists might further researchers in more reflexively taking into account complex social and environmental challenges faced in modern everyday life in deprived urban communities. To do so, I have been triangulating different theoretical perspectives in order to examine the empirical experiences of a particular case: the UK Citizen Science for Sustainability (SuScit) project. Addressing the overall question above, two particular research questions have been analysed throughout the book. First: How can empirical orientations towards sustainability in the SuScit process be understood and challenged by theoretical concepts of sustainability? Secondly: How can the SuScit process be understood in terms of social learning? In the following I shall combine the insights emerging from these analyses before reflecting on further perspectives for future action/research.