Title: Sustainable development and the arts

Authors: Paul Shrivastava; Vera Ivanaj; Silvester Ivanaj

Addresses: Management Department, JMSB, Concordia University and ICN Business School, Room 6-327, 1450 Guy Street, Montreal, H2G 1G8, Canada. ' ENSIC, University of Lorraine, CEREFIGE, 1, rue Grandville, BP 20451, Nancy, France. ' Department of SIRH, ICN Business School, CEREFIGE, 13, rue Michel Ney, Nancy, France

Abstract: The sustainability discourse has largely played out in the domains of natural sciences and technology, with recent contributions from the social and political sciences. These contributions have been significant and our understanding of sustainability challenges has improved greatly over the past three decades. However, our individual, organisational and collective actions have lagged behind and the actual problems of sustainability have become worse in the same period. In this paper we argue that we can get better action and behavioural commitments to sustainability by using the arts, art-based methods, and aesthetics to develop passion and emotional connection for sustainable organising and living.

Keywords: arts; art-based methods; culture; sustainable enterprises; natural sciences; social science; political science; individual actions; organisational actions; collective actions; behavioural commitments; aesthetics; passion; emotional connections; sustainable organising; sustainable living; technology management; environment; business; sustainability challenges; sustainable development.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.2012.049104

International Journal of Technology Management, 2012 Vol.60 No.1/2, pp.23 - 43

Published online: 06 Apr 2013 *

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