The Links Between Resilience, Diversity and Inequality: The View from Transition Durham

An MSc dissertation by Louise Senior focussing on the links between resilience, diversity and equality, using Transition Durham as a base.

Using participatory methodologies, Louise worked alongside and within Transition Durham undertaking action research aimed at exploring the opportunities for increasing diversity and addressing inequality in the local community.

This paper comes recommended by Catrina Pickering who worked as Transition Network's UK based Diversity Coordinator, and our Chair of Trustees, Pete Lipman.

It was written in September 2011 and here are some details from the abstract:

The Transition Movement is a grassroots response to the challenges posed by peak oil, climate change and economic contraction. Transition initiatives aim to build local resilience to these threats through community responses culminating in economic relocalisation. Despite a rapid growth in support for the movement, it has failed to attract a wide diversity of people.  

A review of the relevant literature examines and assesses the extent to which diversity is an important element in cultivating community resilience. It concludes that whilst diversity is essential, without simultaneously addressing inequality, its presence will be insufficient.  

Using participatory methodologies, I worked alongside and within Transition Durham undertaking action research aimed at exploring the opportunities for increasing diversity and addressing inequality in the local community. 

This paper doesn't give the answers to how these levels of diversity and inclusion might arise, but it does a very good job of laying the groundwork for next steps in figuring out those answers.