Description
Transcending flat ontologies: Obligatory liminal passages in institutional energy transitionsAbstract
Cases of system transition unfolding in a sequential manner omit institutional complexity. Departing from the current muscular portrayal of the institutional entrepreneur breaking down encrusted instituted systems with large-scale transformation or, the root-and-branch reform variety, we argue that institutional system transition require change from individuals within systems. Drawing upon a theoretical synthesis of systems thinking and transitions, our theorising considers the how obligatory liminal passages are an occasion for institutional transcendence from within ‘pockets’ of flat ontologies. The findings show that the transition between one energy system (fossil fuel) and another (renewable technologies) produces induced role spanning and emerging social practice that transcend traditional flat ontologies. Our findings reveal that institutional actors employ a strong epistemic comfort from flat ontologies in order to navigate obligatory liminal passages and transcend epistemic roles, professional identities and pathways. This article offers three key contributions: highlights the subjectivity of liminality within institutional system transitions; shows how engaged system actors leverage the liminality to challenge the status quo and bring about broader systems change when attached to higher orders of worthiness, and illustrates how the liminal passage positively shapes and accentuates the ways in which meaningful connections are made for system transitions.
| Period | 2022 |
|---|---|
| Event type | Workshop |