Umeå Studies in Science, Technology and Environment
USSTE is an interdisciplinary and interdepartmental research group at Umeå University, formally designated as a strong field of research within the Faculty of Arts. Our work can broadly be termed as a combination of Environmental Humanities - which includes disciplines like ethnology, philosophy, history, history of science and ideas, literature, environmental archaeology, geography, environmental history, culture and media studies, museology, religious studies, and theology - and Science and Technology Studies (STS) and research on sustainable development. USSTE strongly promotes collaboration with other faculties and other strong fields of research. For example, USSTE is part of the field of research “Sustainable development of forests”, conducted jointly by Umeå University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Umeå and Uppsala. USSTE also runs a seminar series with broad international and interdisciplinary participation.
The core group of USSTE is hosted within the Department of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies. USSTE is directed by Christer Nordlund, Professor of History of Science and Ideas. The following are some examples of ongoing research and research projects within USSTE that are led by the Department of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies:
- Ethical aspects of sustainable development
- The fuel of the future? An illumination of the historical and cultural aspects of biofuel
- Nature through the lens: Studies of Stig Wesslén’s depictions of nature and Sami features
- Forest, forestry and forest science: Ideas, values and interests
- Strategic environmental archaeology data base
- The history of beverage container recycling systems in Norway, Sweden, and the United States
- Norwegian leisure cabins: A history of technology and environment
- The history of capitalism in Europe, Latin America, and the United States, from the long sixteenth century to the neoliberal era
