Traditional Knowledge, Revitalization, and Sustainability

Dear Colleagues,

During the past few decades, the parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and later also the Intergovernmental Science–Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) have stressed the role of indigenous peoples and local communities in the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity. Indigenous and local peoples are also seen as promoters and/or custodians of traditional ecological knowledge essential to achieving the sustainable development of society as a whole. This is a line of argument that has long been taken by indigenous and local peoples in order to strengthen their role in the governance of their traditional territories. Consequently, instances of cultural revitalization, where people look to cultural traditions to address contemporary ecological problems, are often identified as essential steps in strengthening indigenous and local communities while promoting sustainable uses of natural resources. This Special Issue deals with the inter-relations between traditional knowledge, revitalization, and sustainability and we are interested in examining the uses and potential benefits of these claims in practice and in theory.

We are looking for papers that investigate if, and if so in what way, revitalization of traditional knowledge and practices does or can contribute to sustainable development, both locally and from a broader perspective. This Special Issue engages with the relation between environmental and social sustainability by examining how traditional knowledge and practices can be enacted for a more sustainable usage of environmental resources.

The revitalization of traditional knowledge and practices highlights the inter-relationship between humans and their environment and foregrounds the political significance of culture and identity in relation to environmental sustainability. In many cases, people are turning to tradition and privileging the local to find sustainable alternatives to industrialized ways of life, and to protect a diversity threatened by a dominant and unsustainable lifestyle. Non-industrial traditions and practices are reworked and recontextualized in every-day life.

There are many different topics that could be analyzed, and we are non-exclusively looking for papers that address such issues as:

1) Validation: From a scientific point of view, there is often a request for validation of traditional knowledge and, consequently, we are interested in studies comparing traditional statements and scientific perspectives to show similarities and differences.

2) Revitalization: Empirical or theoretical studies of the relevance of revitalization in order to achieve sustainability.

3) Studies of cultural expressions and their direct or indirect relevance to sustainability.

4) Studies of relevance to the issue of sustainability of customary use of biological resources.

The issue of traditional knowledge, revitalization, and sustainability can be addressed from many different perspectives and this Special Issue is open to contributions from all disciplines and regions but would be particularly directed towards environmentalist, social science, and humanities scholars and invite a wider range of articles on issues relating to traditional knowledge, revitalization, and the impact on environmental, social/cultural, and economic sustainability. Multidisciplinary contributions are especially welcome.

Abstract submissions: 15 March 2021. Upon acceptance of the abstract the deadline for full manuscript submissions 31 May 2021. Papers will be published on an ongoing basis (feel free to contact us if an extension is needed).

Dr. Håkan Tunon
Dr. Johanna Dahlin
Dr. Åsa Nilsson Dahlström
Dr. Martin Fredriksson
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.