Focusing the Meaning(s) of Resilience Resilience as a Descriptive Concept and a Boundary Object

This article reviews the variety of definitions proposed for “resilience” within sustainability science and suggests a typology according to the specific degree of normativity. There is a tension between the original descriptive concept of resilience first defined in ecological science and a more re...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecology and society Vol. 12; no. 1; p. 23
Main Authors: Brand, Fridolin Simon, Jax, Kurt
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Resilience Alliance 01.06.2007
Subjects:
boundary object
Boundary objects
Coastal ecology
definition
descriptive concept
Ecological disturbance
Ecological economics
ecological resilience
Ecological sustainability
Ecology
Ecosystems
Human ecology
Marine ecology
Material resilience
resilience
sustainability
Synthesis
typology
ISSN:1708-3087, 1708-3087
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:This article reviews the variety of definitions proposed for “resilience” within sustainability science and suggests a typology according to the specific degree of normativity. There is a tension between the original descriptive concept of resilience first defined in ecological science and a more recent, vague, and malleable notion of resilience used as an approach or boundary object by different scientific disciplines. Even though increased conceptual vagueness can be valuable to foster communication across disciplines and between science and practice, both conceptual clarity and practical relevance of the concept of resilience are critically in danger. The fundamental question is what conceptual structure we want resilience to have. This article argues that a clearly specified, descriptive concept of resilience is critical in providing a counterbalance to the use of resilience as a vague boundary object. A clear descriptive concept provides the basis for operationalization and application of resilience within ecological science.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-2
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content type line 23
ISSN:1708-3087
1708-3087
DOI:10.5751/es-02029-120123