Journal Publication: Martin Fritz (2025). Welche Bioökonomie wollen wir? Sozial-ökologische Mentalitäten und Vorstellungen von Bioökonomie in der deutschen Bevölkerung. Ökologisches Wirtschaften – Fachzeitschrift, 40(1), 34–39. https://doi.org/10.14512/OEW400134
Jana Holz, Philip Koch, Martin Fritz and former head of flumen Dennis Eversberg gave a presentation entitled “Tightened lines of conflict in the socio-ecological transformation? Mentalities and social structure in (de-)civilizing processes
Link: https://us.sowi.tu-dortmund.de/forschung/veranstaltungen/tagung-a-climate-of-de-civilization/
02 April 2025
6 am MST (BNOrth America) / 2 pm CET (Germany) / 3 pm EET (Finland)
Titel: „‘This is Nature Protecting itself’ – Forest Occupations Against Sand & Gravel Extraction in Germany”
Input by: Sebastian Garbe (Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Applied Sciences Fulda)
Presentation and discussion will be held online and in English.
About:
In recent years, forest occupations have become one of the most prominent and visible protest strategies within Germany’s climate justice movement. While some occupations have sought to protect forests from the expansion of open-cast lignite mining and the construction of motorways, a more recent occupation south of Frankfurt is resisting the expansion of a sand and gravel pit operated by a local company.
Departing from that occupation and building on ongoing ethnographic field research in the region, this talk takes up a variety of threads from this case study as an example of contemporary socio-ecological conflicts that revolve around protecting forests from sand and gravel exploitation. One thread points towards forest occupations as a protest strategy grounded in a distinct relational ontology of human-forest relationships. By focusing on sand and gravel as natural resources lying beneath forests, another trace explores the importance of introducing the conceptual framework of extractivism and the commodification of nature to contexts in the Global North. Finally, this case study also helps to showcase some of the effects of open-cast sand and gravel mining on local forests, the local population and the local climate justice movement.
Instead of presenting final research results, this talk invites the audience into ongoing ethnographic field research in the forests south of Frankfurt, following various threads laid by this case study.
To join the event, please use the Zoom Link: https://uni-jena-de.zoom-x.de/j/65854920539
Meeting-ID: 658 5492 0539; Kenncode: 008070
Coffee Talks Human-Forest-Relationships
Let’s sit, have a coffee and talk in the scientific café! The “Coffee Talks HFR” give room for open and relaxed discussions on current research subjects related to human and society relations to forests. It warmly welcomes all interested in forest-related research to join the online sessions.
Each session lasts 1,5 hours. It starts with a 20-30 minute presentation of a guest speaker. After the presentation, with coffee or tea at hand, participants have plenty of room for an open discussion and exchange.
The “Coffee Talks HFR” take place three to four times per term on Wednesdays at 6 am MST / 2pm CET / 3pm EET.
Guest speakers wanted!
If you are interested in contributing to the “Coffee Talks HFR”, please contact either jana.holz(at)uni-jena.de, jodie.asselin(at)uleth.ca or tuulikki.halla(at)uef.fi with info on your subject (title and short abstract) and a preferred date.
The interdisciplinary and international scientific “Coffee Talks HFR” have a long tradition. In 2021, a cooperation between the Finnish research project Human-Forest Relationships in Societal Change and the German research group Mentalities im Flux (flumen) launched and hosted the “Scientific Coffee Sessions HFR”. Since then, they hosted more than twelve sessions with speakers form interdisciplinary social science background and international participants. In 2024, the network broadened and the event got a new name: “Coffee Talks HFR”.
The “Coffee Talks HFR” are hosted by:
Pathways to Sustainable Welfare critically examines how cities can address the dual challenges of climate change and sustainability while ensuring the welfare of their populations. Focused on three Swedish cities, it explores the integration of environmental and welfare concerns in local policies, urban movements and public opinions.
26. February
2025, 6 am MST (North America) / 2 pm CET (Germany) / 3 pm EET (Finland)
Title: “Forest Politics in Kenya’s Tugen Hills: Conservation Beyond Natural Resources in the Katimok Forest”
Authors: Dr. Léa Lacan (Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Cologne, Germany)
Abstract:
Speaking from her recently published book of the same name, environmental anthropologist Léa Lacan will explore human-sylvan relations in the Katimok forest, Baringo highlands, Kenya, and aims to rethink the forest beyond questions of access and control of natural resources, as a habitat where forest politics and human lives are inextricably intertwined. Léa’s research shows, how – as with many forests in Africa – it has become constructed as a category and territory of nature under state control: an area both to be protected and turned into exploitable resources. For those living within and on the boundaries of the forest, this social-ecological transformation has had a significant impact. Despite now being settled outside Katimok itself, dispossessed by administrators heedless of local management practices, many former residents continue to maintain a close connection with the forest, not only to sustain their livelihoods, but also to maintain their intimate links with ancestral lands, where their stories and memories are materially inscribed and powerfully invoked.
To join the event, please use the Zoom Link: https://uni-jena-de.zoom-x.de/j/65854920539
Meeting-ID: 658 5492 0539; Kenncode: 008070
Coffee Talks Human-Forest-Relationships
Let’s sit, have a coffee and talk in the scientific café! The “Coffee Talks HFR” give room for open and relaxed discussions on current research subjects related to human and society relations to forests. It warmly welcomes all interested in forest-related research to join the online sessions.
Each session lasts 1,5 hours. It starts with a 20-30 minute presentation of a guest speaker. After the presentation, with coffee or tea at hand, participants have plenty of room for an open discussion and exchange.
The “Coffee Talks HFR” take place three to four times per term on Wednesdays at 6 am MST / 2pm CET / 3pm EET.
Guest speakers wanted!
If you are interested in contributing to the “Coffee Talks HFR”, please contact either jana.holz(at)uni-jena.de, jodie.asselin(at)uleth.ca or tuulikki.halla(at)uef.fi with info on your subject (title and short abstract) and a preferred date.
The interdisciplinary and international scientific “Coffee Talks HFR” have a long tradition. In 2021, a cooperation between the Finnish research project Human-Forest Relationships in Societal Change and the German research group Mentalities im Flux (flumen) launched and hosted the “Scientific Coffee Sessions HFR”. Since then, they hosted more than twelve sessions with speakers form interdisciplinary social science background and international participants. In 2024, the network broadened and the event got a new name: “Coffee Talks HFR”.
The “Coffee Talks HFR” are hosted by:
22. January 2025, 6 am MST (North America) / 2 pm CET (Germany) / 3 pm EET (Finland)
Title: „The Black Man of Villavuori sits in that forest, guarding the village border.“ Sacred forest sites of folk belief in Southwest Finnish village landscapes.
Authors: Dr. John Björkman (University of Turku, Finland)
Abstract:
In his doctoral thesis in Nordic Folkloristics, John Björkman studied natural places which were considered sacred, meaning magical, supernaturally dangerous or inhabited by supernatural beings in 19th century folk belief in Southwest Finland. Based on recorded historic folklore, Björkman was able to identify and localize 120 such places in the region of Southwest Finland and studied them as part of their contemporary village landscapes. Currently, he works in a research project exploring the transformation of the Finnish ritual forest relationship from prehistoric to modern times by combining the methods of archaeology, folklore, geoinformatics and art. The aim of the project is to increase understanding of the forest relationship and the importance of the experience of sacredness for the forest relationship.
To join the event, please use the Zoom Link: https://uni-jena-de.zoom-x.de/j/65854920539
Meeting-ID: 658 5492 0539; Kenncode: 008070
Coffee Talks Human-Forest-Relationships
Let’s sit, have a coffee and talk in the scientific café! The “Coffee Talks HFR” give room for open and relaxed discussions on current research subjects related to human and society relations to forests. It warmly welcomes all interested in forest-related research to join the online sessions.
Each session lasts 1,5 hours. It starts with a 20-30 minute presentation of a guest speaker. After the presentation, with coffee or tea at hand, participants have plenty of room for an open discussion and exchange.
The “Coffee Talks HFR” take place three to four times per term on Wednesdays at 6 am MST / 2pm CET / 3pm EET.
Guest speakers wanted!
If you are interested in contributing to the “Coffee Talks HFR”, please contact either jana.holz(at)uni-jena.de, jodie.asselin(at)uleth.ca or tuulikki.halla(at)uef.fi with info on your subject (title and short abstract) and a preferred date.
The interdisciplinary and international scientific “Coffee Talks HFR” have a long tradition. In 2021, a cooperation between the Finnish research project Human-Forest Relationships in Societal Change and the German research group Mentalities im Flux (flumen) launched and hosted the “Scientific Coffee Sessions HFR”. Since then, they hosted more than twelve sessions with speakers form interdisciplinary social science background and international participants. In 2024, the network broadened and the event got a new name: “Coffee Talks HFR”.
The “Coffee Talks HFR” are hosted by:
Together with Dr Martin Fritz and Dennis Eversberg, Linda von Faber has published the article “Mentalities in the energy and heat transition: A comparative study of German bioenergy villages.”
Abstract
Bioenergy villages (BED) cover a large part of their electricity and heat requirements with locally produced biomass. Particularly in the initial phase of their promotion around 20 years ago, there were hopes that a locally self-sufficient, decentralised and grassroots energy and heating transition could develop from this. The article analyses data from a Germany-wide representative survey and a postal survey of randomly selected BED residents across Germany in order to systematically 1) compare the social structure of BED with the cross-section of German villages and the overall German population for the first time, 2) determine the prevalence of types of socio-ecological mentalities in these three groups and 3) examine the attitudes of BED residents towards the transition process in their village and towards the energy and heating transition. The results show a combination of eco-social and conservative mentalities in BED, which offers potential for broadly supported local energy transition projects. However, more political support is needed for an expansion to other villages, as the conservative mentalities in rural areas are dominated by economic-calculative elements and the eco-social motivation is lower.
Article: Click here
An article has been published on the science page of taz.die tageszeitung that introduces the Sociological Forest Research Network and places it in the context of current challenges in forest management and the social science approach to it. Flumen employee Jana Holz launched the network in 2023 with the first sociological forest symposium in Jena in cooperation with Anna Saave (University of Freiburg), Ronja Schröder (formerly University of Oldenburg) and Ronja Mikoleit (FVA Freiburg). The online mailing list now includes over 100 people and the third symposium is already being planned for 2025.
13 Nov 2024, 6 am MST (North America) / 2 pm CET (Germany) / 3 pm EET (Finland)
Title: Exploring the Green Frontier: Patterns of Inequality in Europe’s Recent Forest Initiatives
Authors: Dr. Jodie Asselin (University of Lethbridge, Canada) and Dr. Agata Konczal (Wageningen University, Netherlands)
Abstract:
In recent decades, there has been a global consensus on the urgent need for coordinated efforts to combat forest loss and degradation, given forests’ critical roles in climate change mitigation, biodiversity, and local economies. However, the development and implementation of forest policies are complex and politically charged, often addressing ‘wicked’ problems with diverse actors and conflicting values. The proposed solutions—such as conservation, rewilding, certification, and forest expansion—introduce their own challenges. This paper introduces the concept of ‘green frontiers’ as a lens to better understand patterns and consequences of this new forest dynamic in Europe. Applying critical perspectives typically used for frontier studies in the Global South to the Global North, this paper addresses a gap in literature on frontier-making in Europe while highlighting how environmental discourses are reshaping landscapes and communities, often reflecting historical patterns of dispossession and exploitation.
To join the event, please use the Zoom Link: https://uni-jena-de.zoom-x.de/j/65854920539
Meeting-ID: 658 5492 0539; Kenncode: 008070
This event is part of the Coffee Talks Human-Forest-Relationships
Let’s sit, have a coffee and talk in the scientific café! The “Coffee Talks HFR” give room for open and relaxed discussions on current research subjects related to human and society relations to forests. It warmly welcomes all interested in forest-related research to join the online sessions.
Each session lasts 1,5 hours. It starts with a 20-30 minute presentation of a guest speaker. After the presentation, with coffee or tea at hand, participants have plenty of room for an open discussion and exchange.
The “Coffee Talks HFR” take place three to four times per term on Wednesdays at 6 am MST / 2pm CET / 3pm EET.
Guest speakers wanted!
If you are interested in contributing to the “Coffee Talks HFR”, please contact either jana.holz(at)uni-jena.de, jodie.asselin(at)uleth.ca or tuulikki.halla(at)uef.fi with info on your subject (title and short abstract) and a preferred date.
The interdisciplinary and international scientific “Coffee Talks HFR” have a long tradition. In 2021, a cooperation between the Finnish research project Human-Forest Relationships in Societal Change and the German research group Mentalities im Flux (flumen) launched and hosted the “Scientific Coffee Sessions HFR”. Since then, they hosted more than twelve sessions with speakers form interdisciplinary social science background and international participants. In 2024, the network broadened and the event got a new name: “Coffee Talks HFR”.
The “Coffee Talks HFR” are hosted by:
Flumen’s project manager, Martin Fritz, is visiting colleagues at Lund University in Sweden from October 7 to 17, 2024. Besides talking about the research results of flumen and ideas on co-operation, the current projects of the Swedish colleagues “Regulating the Polluter Elite: Exploring policy measures limiting carbon footprints of the rich” and “Economic Elites in the Climate Change Transformation: Practices, justifications and regulations of unsustainable lifestyles in Sweden” will also be the subject of the exchange and collaboration.
