Who We Are
The Center for Environment and Development Studies Research Forum (CEFO) is a transdisciplinary research forum open to researchers and Ph.D. students at Uppsala University, SLU, and other universities in Sweden. CEFO activities focus on environment, development, and sustainability studies. We collaborate with other universities and departments to enrich research education through our transdisciplinary Sustainability Seminars, Ph.D. courses, workshops, lectures, and field trips. CEFO was initiated by Ph.D. students, staff, and students at CEMUS in 2002 as a research school between Uppsala University and Swedish Agricultural University (SLU).
CEFO is mainly driven by Ph.D. students from across Uppsala University, along with senior faculty support. Our affiliated members and other participants are from diverse departments and disciplines, bringing multiple perspectives to the discussions. We encourage conversations framed by problem, not by discipline.
What We Do
Twice per month we host a research seminar series featuring talks and workshops from CEFO members and invited speakers. We run skills workshops and organize field trips. We also initiate and run student-driven Ph.D. courses in collaboration with faculty and offer opportunities for getting feedback for your research from a wider audience. We welcome new members from all departments who hope to broaden their horizons. Seminars, workshops, and events are open to any interested Ph.D. students, researchers, master’s students, and the interested public.
Sounds interesting?
Below you find a schedule for our activities, you are of course welcome to join them. In addition to that, we would be happy to send you invites to our activities, if you are interested in that please send an e-mail to our recruitment coordinator – cefocoordinator@outlook.com
To become a formally affiliated Ph.D. student see the affiliation agreement and contact the recruitment coordinator (Ryan). If you are a master student or researcher we would be happy to include you in our group as a non-affiliated member. The more the merrier!
AUTUMN 2022 SCHEDULE
The interdisciplinary seminar takes place Tuesdays 10:15-12:00 twice per month during term time via zoom or/and in the Baltic Library, at the Department of Earth Sciences, Villavägen 16. The first and last seminar each term includes planning discussions where PhD-students and researchers suggest future activities. The seminar is hosted by affiliated CEFO Members and supported by CEMUS, NRHU and the Climate Change Leadership Node at Uppsala University.
The theme of this seminar series, ‘Universities, Democracy and the Ecological Crisis’, lies at the juncture between the institution of central importance for a democratic society, the university, and the most urgent crisis facing humanity, the ecological crisis. It aims to reveal links between the decline of democracy, the failure of governments to respond to the ecological crisis and the transformation of universities into business corporations. More importantly, it aims to provide practical ways that the university can respond creatively and imaginatively to this vicious cycle.
Fostering this kind of response is incredibly important. As British philosopher Alfred North Whitehead put it, ‘Universities create the future so far as rational thought and civilized modes of appreciations can affect the issue’. It’s hard to see how one can creative the future without enabling imagination. So, considering Whitehead’s limits, how should universities respond to the ecological crisis? What effects do current conceptions of the university have on its ability to respond effectively to global challenges? How do we re-evaluate good and bad science in the context on an ecological crisis? What kind of teaching and research does it necessitate? And how must the relationship between teaching and research be rethought to facilitate a more effective responses to this and other major challenges facing humanity?
| Time | Title and speaker | Location and Zoom Link |
| Sep 20th 10:15 – 12 | Azril Bacal: The erosion of democracy in our times, from a critical perspective of identity and ethno-politics | Baltic Sea Library – Geocentrum zoom link |
| Sep 29th 13:15 – 15 | Jenny Helin: Artful making of temporal presence: exploring academic writing during troubling times | Baltic Sea Library – Geocentrum zoom link |
| Oct 4th 10:15 – 12 | Michel Weber – Whitehead’s politics of education | Baltic Sea Library – Geocentrum zoom link |
| Oct 18th 10:15 – 12 | Alexandre Raffoul: Listen to the science: which science? | Baltic Sea Library – Geocentrum zoom link |
| Nov 1st 10:15 – 12 | To be finalised | Baltic Sea Library – Geocentrum zoom link |
| Nov 15th 10:15 – 12 | Joëlle Rüegg: Sustainable Future Project | Baltic Sea Library – Geocentrum zoom link |
| Nov 29th 10:15 – 12 | To be finalised | Baltic Sea Library – Geocentrum zoom link |
| Dec 13th TBD | Universities, Democracy and the Ecological Crisis – A Panel Discussion | Baltic Sea Library – Geocentrum |
Below you find an introductory movie:
Supported by
Uppsala University Climate Change Leadership Node and NRHU Natural Resources and Sustainable Development Programme, and CEMUS, the Centre for Environment and Development Studies, an interdisciplinary centre for education, outreach, and research at Uppsala University and Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU).