ABSTRACT
The purpose of this chapter is to move towards a deeper theoretical understanding of the idea of sustainability. No theoretical approach can ever deliver the full concept of sustainability, or any other given concept. What a theory can do is to deliver a certain point of view from which we might be able to understand more clearly at least some aspects of the questions brought up for discussion. The purpose of this chapter is to conceptualise a theoretical framework, keeping in mind the overall research issue of this book, namely how should we understand how community-based action research in upstream public engagement can further new research orientations towards sustainability.
