In a highly differentiated society, the balancing of social, ecological and economic goals and challenges can only be approximately successful if not only the diversity of perspectives on what should be understood as just and thus sustainable development is taken into account, but also the social diversity of interests, expressions of interest, ideas of quality of life, justice, prosperity or democracy is addressed. The challenge increasingly seems to be to give this diversity the appropriate space and time to position itself. In this context, it is also important not to let the talk of diversity lead solely to normative concepts of diversity, but also to negotiate questions of sustainable justice.
The focus of the 2nd CeSSt Young Professionals Conference in cooperation with the Hessian Inter-University Doctoral Centre for Social Work is therefore on such social aspects of sustainable social development. The diversity of social sustainability is reflected in the fact that it not only deals with the satisfaction of basic needs to reduce (global) poverty, but also with the development of human capital through access to education or comprehensive health care. In addition to these challenges directed at material resources, it also addresses ethical aspects, gender and intergenerational justice, socio-spatial disparities and the operationalisation of human rights through processes of participation.
The conference is aimed in particular at young academics from various disciplines whose research focuses on these topics, the necessary negotiation processes and the development of discourse and action structures for the interplay between civil society and politics in dealing with societal challenges and their (sustainable) solutions, as well as connecting to the debate on societal (and political) action requirements and necessities for establishing the idea of sustainability.