School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work

A seminar with Professor Joram Tarusarira, University of Groningen, supported by our MSc in Sociology and Global Inequality:

Religious perceptions and determinants of climate change and related peace and security risks: Insights from Mozambique and Zimbabwe

Students, staff and members of the public are welcome attend. No need to register.

Cultural and religious values are crucial in defining and framing climate change and its impacts. However, current humanitarian and development discourses emphasize biospheric, environmental, and vulnerability approaches, which favor macro and institutional strategies for climate action. These methods marginalize cultural and religious values by suggesting they cannot be objectively observed, validated, or measured. My presentation will focus on the interaction between climate-related conflict, migration, and displacement. It is based on participatory methodologies and ethnographic research conducted in Mozambique and Zimbabwe. It will demonstrate how religious and cultural values are key to interpreting, defining, and shaping responses to climate-related conflict, migration, and displacement. It will critique the dominance of technological innovations not because it finds the science behind them wrong or unnecessary but because there is more to the story than what technoscience conveys. Furthermore, it will argue that cultural and religious values impart meaning to climate crises and influence the everyday practices that affect people's vulnerability and adaptive capacity. Ultimately, it will encourage a more inclusive approach to climate change that respects and integrates diverse cultural and religious values.

Biography:
Joram Tarusarira is an Associate Professor of Religion, Conflict, and Peacebuilding at the University of Groningen. He is also a Climate Peace and Security Research Associate and Special Advisor to the Climate Security Initiative of the CGIAR. His areas of expertise are conflict, peacebuilding, reconciliation, climate change, and religion. His research is connected to the Sustainable Development Goals, especially Climate Action (SDG 13) and Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions (SDG 16).