https://www.iscap.pt/cei/e-rei/en/n13SI.html
This Special Issue comprises a core group of SHiFT COST Action transdisciplinary researchers and practitioners from the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, who gathered at the Centre for Intercultural Studies (CEI) of ISCAP-P.Porto, in March 2025, for a Writing Retreat that explored the intersections of cultural heritage and sustainability. This writing retreat became an effective yet informal way of meeting, co-working and advancing the preparation of solid scientific deliverables. Over the course of 3 intense days, researchers conducted focused discussions and shared insights drawn upon each other’s expertise and experiences across different social, political, economic, environmental and technological contexts. This Special Issue is the outcome of that collective effort to critically reimagine cultural heritage as a dynamic driver of sustainability through rigorous, cross-disciplinary dialogue and collaboration.
The Special Issue examines the intersections between biocultural heritage, cultural ecosystem services and climate resilience, informed by diverse disciplines, worldviews and positionalities. It seeks to foreground cultural and epistemic pluralism as essential to envisioning alternative pathways for a liveable future. Articles explore participatory, community-based, arts-informed and historically grounded approaches in order to challenge dominant paradigms and contribute to the co-creation of regenerative knowledge systems. By opening space for critical reflection, situated practices and collaborative imagination, this Special Issue advances SHiFT’s core ambition: to reposition the Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts not at the margins, but at the heart of sustainability transformations.
SHiFT COST Action CA21166 – Social Sciences and Humanities for Transformation and Climate Resilience – explores innovative concepts and theoretical frames that mobilize Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences generated knowledge for integrated and hybrid societal transformations in climate change strategies. This mission requires an inclusive and dynamic approach to transdisciplinary exchange, an approach that repositions the relationship between theory and practice, science and society, politics and culture. Visit: https://shift-cost.eu/
This Special Issue invites readers to traverse intellectual boundaries, challenge established narratives and embrace the generative intersections of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. In doing so, it positions interculturality not as an abstract ideal, but as an active practice of mutual recognition, cooperation and resilience. Let this be not only an academic exercise, but a collective call to rethink our shared responsibilities, to reframe sustainability through cultural lenses and to co-create knowledge that is as inclusive as it is actionable.