The present book is the fruit of a collaboration between younger researchers from Argentina, Germany, Italy, Kenya, Norway, South Africa (SustaiNet), on questions of sustainability and participation, during 2018–2022. The network SustaiNet was facilitated with the generous support of the Deutsche Forschungs-gemeinschaft (DFG), grant no. 414063758. The aim of the network was to research the specific connection between sustainability and participation, and its legal framework and structures. The book summarizes the findings of the encounters of the members of the network and additional authors, who contributed further insights, in Bayreuth and Trier, in person and – due to the Covid pandemic – digitally.
We owe thanks Roberto Caranta, Elena Fasoli and Matthias Goldmann, who formed part of the advisory board of SustaiNet, for their invaluable comments and contributions at the workshop in Bayreuth. We also wish to thank the two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on the book outline, as well as Beth Derr and everyone at Brill for their patience and continuous advice during the process of the final manuscript.
Birgit Peters and Eva Julia Lohse Trier and Bayreuth, May 2023