Universities as sustainable development actors: Exploring the potential of a Critical Realist conceptualisation

• In Event: Reconceptualizing the higher education-sustainable development nexus

Proposal

Universities have a role to play in addressing the challenges of sustainable development, as highlighted in recent literature (Chankseliani & McCowan, 2021; Leal Filho et al., 2023; Stein, 2023; Žalėnienė & Pereira, 2021). This talk explores the potential of utilising Critical Realism as a framework to conceptualise universities as actors advancing generative social change towards achieving sustainability. A sustainable society is one that strives for inclusivity, respect for planetary boundaries, social justice, and an enhanced quality of life for all members, both present and future.
Applying a realist ontology to the conceptualisation of university’s role in achieving sustainability requires, first and foremost, acknowledging that sustainability challenges have an existence beyond individual experiences and perceptions. Critical Realism recognises the complex interplay between social structures, cultural dynamics, and the exercise of human agency, acknowledging that these interconnected factors shape and are shaped by one another (Archer, 2000; Donati & Archer, 2015). In the context of universities as institutional actors for sustainability, this involves the analysis of how institutional structures and cultures enable or constrain individual and collective agency towards advancing sustainability. For instance, it is important to explore how universities can empower students, academics, and administrators to engage in sustainable practices and initiatives, and how individuals within the institution can exercise agency to influence sustainability-related decision-making.
Critical Realism emphasises the identification and understanding of the mechanisms and causal powers that produce social phenomena. Causal powers and mechanisms are distinct but interconnected concepts. Causal powers are the inherent capacities or abilities of entities, while mechanisms are the processes or pathways through which these powers operate to bring about specific effects or outcomes. Mechanisms can be described in terms of their generative capacities, indicating their potential to produce specific outcomes when activated. Mechanisms are the ‘hows’ of causation. To understand universities as transformative actors for sustainability, it is essential to analyse the mechanisms through which universities can generate change. For instance, within the sustainability context, a mechanism could be the process through which university research and knowledge production (causal power) contribute to the development of sustainable policies and practices in society. The mechanism might encompass steps such as conducting interdisciplinary research, engaging with stakeholders, disseminating findings, and influencing policy decisions.
Critical realism emphasises that mechanisms are context-dependent and contingent. Therefore, understanding universities as actors for sustainability requires analysing the broader social, economic, political, and cultural contexts in which universities operate. This includes analysing external factors such as government policies, sustainability frameworks, stakeholder expectations, and societal demands that shape universities' sustainability initiatives and their potential for transformative change.
By applying critical realism to understand universities as institutional actors for sustainability, we can gain insights into the mechanisms, causal powers, contexts, and the interplay between structure, culture, and agency that influence universities' transformative potential. This framework can shed light on the challenges, opportunities, and contradictions that universities face in their sustainability efforts, thereby informing strategies to enhance university’s role in fostering sustainability.

Author

• Maia Chankseliani, University of Oxford