Strategic Localism for an Uncertain World: A Postdevelopment Approach to Climate Change Adaptation

Philip Ireland
Katharine McKinnon

Phil Ireland and I collaborated on this paper during his PhD studies while I was at Macquarie University. We sought to bring together his work on Climate Change Adaptation with my thinking on post-development. We argue that when it comes to efforts to support Climate Change Adaptation in the majority world, it is important to challenge technocratic approaches that dismiss the value of local innovations. Instead we draw inspiration from the work of J.K. Gibson-Graham and their injunction to refuse to know too much.

Suggested citation

Ireland, P. and McKinnon, K. 2013. "Strategic localism for an uncertain world: A postdevelopment approach to climate change adaptation." Geoforum 47: 158-166.