‘Materials in Civic Futures’ brings together academics working across Humanities and Science and Engineering to discuss interdisciplinary perspectives on the lives of materials and material thinking. It’s an opportunity to connect with others working on issues of production and consumption, over an informal networking lunch.
This Creative Manchester Research Café – in collaboration with Sustainable Futures - is the second of three exploring the significance of non-human presence and agency in theory and practice for imagining ‘Civic Futures.’
PANEL
Chair – Dr Jenna C. Ashton, Research Lead for Creative and Civic Futures, Creative Manchester.
Dr Helen Holmes will discuss her work on people's relationships with objects and materials and how a better understanding of these relationships can help society transition to a more circular and sustainable futures.
Bio: Dr Helen Holmes is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the Sustainable Consumption Institute, University of Manchester. Her work explores consumption and diverse forms of economy, including circular economy. Helen has worked on multiple interdisciplinary projects, including the UKRI funded study ‘One Bin to Rule Them All’, exploring the barriers and challenges to household plastic recycling. Her most recent book ‘The Materiality of Nothing’ (Routledge, 2023) draws together Helen’s research expertise on the social practices of consumption, waste and disposal and their relevance for environmental sustainability. Helen is Deputy Director of the University of Manchester’s Sustainable Futures Platform.
Dr Claudia Henninger will focus on how we treat materials at the end of their life by providing insights into fashion consumption and ultimately discarding behaviour.
Bio: Dr Claudia Henninger is a Reader in Fashion Marketing Management. Her research explores the circular economy and collaborative forms of consumption within the fashion industry. Her work has been published in the European Journal of Marketing, the Journal of Fashion Marketing & Management, and the International Journal of Management Review, and she has edited a variety of books on sustainable fashion, including “Sustainability in Fashion – A Cradle to Upcycle Approach”. Claudia is the Chair of the Academy of Marketing’s SIG Sustainability and Creative Manchester’s Challenge Lead for Creative Industries and Innovation.
Dr Catherine Casson will be talking about a collaborative research project with other historians and with colleagues from the Sustainable Consumption Institute on medieval practices of repair, reuse and recycling and their relevance to the present.
Bio: Dr Catherine Casson is a Senior Lecturer in Enterprise and Medieval History at the Alliance Manchester Business School. Her work explores medieval entrepreneurship including projects on Reputation and Economic Performance: The Competitive Strategies of Medieval English Towns, 1250-1500 and Property Markets in Medieval England: Enterprise and Urban Development. Her most recent book ‘Property, Power and the Growth of Towns: Enterprise and Urban Development 1100-1500’ (Taylor & Francis) explores the role of local enterprise in the growth of medieval towns. Catherine is a member of the Centre for Medieval and Early Modern History and an Associate Member of the Sustainable Consumption Institute.
Register: This event is free and open to anyone. As catering is provided we ask you to ensure you can come before registering. If your plans change and you are no longer able to attend, we ask that you update your registration status. Please register via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/research-cafe-materials-in-civic-futures-tickets-859395815017?aff=oddtdtcreator
