Civic Engagement in Asia

Book excerpt: This book confronts issues relating to climate change and sustainable development innovations in Asia, with attention to key issues and applications in terms of advocacy, governance, citizen science, tradition, faith, leadership, and education. With contributions by 31 leading thinkers from countries in Asia, the book presents issues and poses potential solutions for sustainable development, responding to questions relating to problems prioritized by non-state actors for civic engagement. It also puts forward key strategies and methods used for civic engagement. Drawing from diverse sets of practical and scholarly experience and expertise in geographical and social arenas, authors draw from real-time engagement with specific peoples, often associated with civil society organizations, and conduct an exploration of the essential issue of what the world means in the context of different cultures, thus constructively fusing the two key themes of ecology and anthropology. In doing so, this book enables new ways of thinking about human relationships with nature, relating rich and diverse examples of transformative learning. Co-published with Indonesian press OBOR, this is a vital collection for practitioners and researchers working in areas of ecology, sustainable development, human ecology, governance, geography, environmental science and post-neoliberal economics, particularly in an Asian context. "Civic Engagement in Asia weaves together a set of fascinating stories and examples of sustainable development practice told from the perspectives of non-state actors. Written by a set of top scholars and activists from around the region, it will be an informative read for all those who feel a sense of urgency around the environmental, social, and economic transformations taking place across Asia today” - Celia Lowe, Professor of Anthropology and International Studies, University of Washington, Seattle