Archetype Analysis in Sustainability and Land Governance Research

The specific objectives of this Working Group are:

1. to consolidate the archetype approach by taking stock of applications, methods, roots, opportunities and current limitations;

2. to push current methodological frontiers by encouraging methodological debate and cutting-edge applications;

3. to advance understanding of key sustainability challenges and opportunities by presenting new applications of archetype analysis;

4. to provide a platform to bridge land system science and institutional analysis/commons research communities to advance case study synthesis methods and analysis of land governance, and

5. to provide a platform for a next generation of archetype analysis.

Open Science Meeting 2019

We are organizing a session entitled “Archetype analysis in sustainability research: meanings, methods, and applications” at the 4^thOpen Science Meeting (OSM) of the Global Land Programme in Bern, Switzerland, April 24-26, 2019. The session objectives are, first, to present and discuss the major findings and implications of the upcoming Special Feature in Ecology & Society. Second, this session shall provide an important space for presenting and discussing new and ongoing research on archetypes.

Next to this research session, we will organize two other events on archetypes at the OSM. First, a so-called ‘innovative and immersive session’, in which we will use an interactive World Café methodology to stimulate lively debate about the overarching question: “Are there archetypes of land system transformations towards sustainable development?” Second, we will hold a planning meeting among all who can participate to discuss next steps to be taken in the evolving network on archetypes (e.g. upcoming themes and innovations; upcoming events such as the planned third workshop etc.). You will be cordially invited to attend the WorldCafé and planning events at the OSM, but no further action from your side on this is needed at the moment.