The volume aims to expand on an emerging and dynamic field of scholarly works that examine the polycrisis concept, with a key focus on existing gaps in research.
Context
Polycrisis is a relatively new concept, that has spread in academic literature and policymaking in the recent years.
Within the PolyCIVIS project, polycrisis is characterised from a Euro-African perspective, by its trans-boundary effects, multiple causality, and complex system properties and recognise its anthropogenic dimension.
While this definition is central in the PolyCIVIS edited volume, the proposal is to pay more attention to Morin’s holistic approach of polycrisis, considering that
there is no single vital problem, but many vital problems, and it is this complex intersolidarity of problems, antagonisms, crises, uncontrolled processes, and the general crisis of the planet that constitutes the number one vital problem” (Morin and Kern, 1993, p. 74).
The main novelty and contribution to existing research are:
- Advancing discussions by going beyond Euro-centric analyses of the polycrisis, that biases current knowledge. Authors will give special attention on Euro-African perspectives, through analyses from European, African and global contexts that consider nuances and differences due to historical trajectories, socio-economic structures, and geopolitical realities.
- Promoting interdisciplinary research and new methodological thinking to achieve a more nuanced understanding of polycrisis, with an anchorage in different research fields, disciplines and geographies.
- Providing recommendations for preparedness, resilience and solutions as well as proposing research for improvements in and changes to current governance, economic, political, social and environmental models.
