Welcome!

This site contains information for the workshop on “Sustainable resource management in comparative and historical perspectives,” part of the ESRC-funded UK-South Korea Connections network.

In recent years, there have been multiple challenges to developing balanced, human-centred approaches to economic growth and environmental sustainability. There is growing awareness of climate change and the depletion of natural resources, but the uneven economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the lingering repercussions of the 2008 financial crisis continue to raise important questions about social and economic equality. Led by Dr Holly Stephens, an interdisciplinary network of researchers is exploring diverse models of economic cooperation and sustainable resource management. The network involves researchers from the humanities and social sciences, including historians, anthropologists, political scientists, geographers, and sociologists.

The research uses a comparative approach, uncovering the specific contexts around historic models, and searching for links between these and contemporary case studies. In particular, it uses the example of the Korean kye – a type of organisation that has been used to manage a wide range of resources throughout Korean history including forests, fishery rights, education, and financial resources. The project is developing strong ties between researchers in South Korea and the UK through visiting research fellowships and international workshops and conferences. These will not only provide a valuable contribution to academic knowledge, but also support researchers – especially early career researchers – to develop future projects and international collaborations around sustainable resource management.