Abstract
Abstract. The twofold aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the current state of resilience research with regard to climate change in the social sciences and propose a research agenda. Resilience research among social scientists is characterized by much more diversity today than a few decades ago. Different definitions and understandings of resilience appear in publications during the last 10 years. Resilience research increasingly bears the mark of social constructivism, a relative newcomer compared to the more long-standing tradition of naturalism. There are also approaches that are indebted to both “naturalism” and “constructivism”, which, of course, come in many varieties. Based on our overview of recent scholarship, which is far from being exhaustive, we have identified six research avenues that arguably deserve continued attention. They combine naturalist and constructivist insights and approaches so that human agency, reflexivity, and considerations of justice and equity are incorporated into systems thinking research or supplement such research. Ultimately, we believe that the overarching challenge for future research is to ensure that resilience to climate change does not compromise sustainability and considerations of justice (including environmental, climate, and energy justice).
Highlights
A brief and non-exhaustive overview of resilience scholarship published in the period 1970–2020 reveals a diversification of research foci and themes, approaches and methods, and theoretical frameworks
Given the different appraisals of the very concept of resilience with respect to climate change among social scientists, it has been widely questioned whether resilience can possibly operate as a theoretical model or a unifying paradigm – and whether such a unifying paradigm would be desirable in the first place (Alexander, 2013; Thorén, 2014; Bourbeau, 2015; Fainstein, 2015; Pizzo, 2015)
Resilience to climate change is a concept that is incorporated in different theoretical approaches that are linked to contrasting scientific approaches
Summary
A brief and non-exhaustive overview of resilience scholarship published in the period 1970–2020 reveals a diversification of research foci and themes, approaches and methods, and theoretical frameworks. Resilience research increasingly bears the mark of social constructivism, a relative newcomer compared to the more long-standing tradition of naturalism Given this history, it is hardly surprising that social scientists focusing on resilience to climate change should initially have borrowed the research methods common to natural and applied sciences. It is suggested that social scientific inquiry into resilience in the context of climate change could be raised to the level if these two different approaches meet and interact To this end, we reconstruct contemporary debates in that particular field of studies and distill recurrent research topics that divide social scientists. We point out that future resilience research in the social sciences – that is, the types of questions raised, theoretical frameworks, and modes of analysis – will be determined by changing conditions (ecological, political, and socioeconomic)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
