About us
Vision, Mission & Values
Vision
UCC Futures - Collective Social Futures (CSF) is a globally networked interdisciplinary platform and collegiate community committed to advancing, supporting and showcasing the Social Sciences at UCC through world-leading theoretical, blue skies, creative, socially engaged and psycho -social research that is policy-oriented and has impact.
Collective Social Futures is premised upon the fact that in order to address global, social and environmental challenges we need the inter-disciplinary Social Sciences because the Social Sciences are key to understanding the mutual interdependencies that underpin the complex social worlds in which we live.
Collective Social Futures examines and addresses key societal global challenges through better knowledge and understanding in order to re-imagine and enact our Collective Social Futures.
Mission
Collective Social Futures positions UCC as a thought leader in re-imagining alternative social futures, by bringing exciting ideas from the social sciences into conversation with scientific knowledge and public discourse; and developing innovative methods of meaningful co-production with communities and organisations beyond the university. CSF research is oriented towards social action, social impact and social transformation.
CSF is an incubator and catalyst for the generation and dissemination of (i) innovation in the ways in which society is understood and imagined; (ii) participatory and creative methods of meaningful co-production with communities, civil society stakeholders and academic partners; and (iii) knowledge oriented towards social action and transformation.
Our research agenda foregrounds three intersecting axes of understanding, envisioning and enacting alternative social imaginaries:
- Critically Analysing Societal Complexities. Key examples include social difference, migration, diversity, gender-based inequalities, geo-political shifts, spatial inequity, and conflicts. How can we best take account of and understand rapidly changing societal complexities everywhere and at all scales? Addressing today’s societal challenges requires social scientific theories that can adequately grasp social complexity, from the rapid increase in complexity of global migrations and mobilities giving rise to superdiverse cities and communities, to the complex power relations driving psycho-social and intersectional inequalities involving gender, class, race, age, dis/abilities and sexualities.
- Re-envisioning Social Futures: Care, Inclusivity and the Collective. How can social relations be re-imagined in ways that are more caring, inclusive, just and liveable, that pay attention to relational and sustainable futures? How can these be manifest in cities, towns, neighbourhoods and remote places? Drawing on current thinking in global ethics of care, and grounded in recognition of society’s mutual interdependence, the CSF platform will explore how ideas of interdependence and care can be applied to addressing global crises that are characterised by neoliberal individualism and lack of care (for one another, for the public good, for the earth and for the environment).
- Enacting Social Futures: Democracy, Activism and Social Transformation. How can democracy and collective engagement be co-created to achieve social futures based upon inclusive and ecologically sustainable and culturally-sensitive social transformations? Addressing societal challenges requires modes of governance that have the capacity to mobilise collectivities and solidarities, to foster new modes of decision-making for the common good and to enhance democracy. Transdisciplinary research offers opportunities to explore innovative and participatory approaches to re-envisioning democracy, activism and movements for co-created social change and just transitions.
We welcome engagement from across the university in shaping this exciting research agenda.
CSF is committed to developing research that contributes to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, including reducing social inequalities, addressing gender inequality, creating sustainable cities and human settlements, ensuring good health and wellbeing, promoting peaceful and inclusive societies, enabling climate action and enhancing democracy, with a focus on developing knowledge and impact with and for civil society and various publics, as a ‘connected university’ and in line with Impact 2030.
CSF, as an inclusive research partnership led by ISS21 and the ISS21 Director, builds on the well-established track record of ISS21 and its research partners CCS, MaREI/, ERI, CPPU and IH, and catalyses synergies across and beyond the social sciences in UCC among academic and research units committed to collective social futures.
Values
Collective Social Futures is committed to re-imaging alternative social futures grounded in the values of interdependence, social justice, equality and collectivity.
Collective Social Futures Founding Partners
Collective Social Futures is founded on a partnership between the Institute for Social Science in the 21st Century (ISS21), the Centre for Co-operative Studies, MAReI/ERI, the Cleaner Production Promotion Unit and the Inclusion Health Research Group.
Participating Schools, Departments and Centres
The partnership between the founding partners, and Schools, Departments and other research units is operationalised through our board – the driver for the CSF platform. Schools and departments currently represented through the Collective Social Futures board include:
Adult Continuing Education; Centre for Planning Education & Research; Cork University Business School (CUBS); Department of Geography; Department of Government & Politics; Department of Economics; Department of Philosophy; Department of Sociology & Criminology; Department of Management & Marketing; Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology; School of Applied Psychology; School of Applied Social Studies; School of Education; School of History; School of Law; School of Nursing and Midwifery; School of Society, Politics and Ethics; School of Languages, Literature and Cultures; School of Public Health.
Engagement with researchers from other schools and departments is warmly welcome, as CSF continues to evolve. Find out more about how you can get involved at: Collaborate with us
External Research Partners
Researchers linked to Collective Social Futures work with a wide range of academic and non-academic partners. In recent years these have included: Age Action; ALONE; Cork Alliance Centre; Cork Migrant Centre; Cork Volunteer Centre; Family Carers Ireland; One Family; Sexual Violence Centre Cork; Traveller Visibility Group.