Project description
Analysing contemporary material and environmental legacies
As life expectancy increases, legacies take on unprecedented importance in a world characterised by inequality and environmental degradation. The ERC-funded LEGACIES project recognises that legacies extend beyond the posthumous concerns of older individuals and their heirs. Instead, they encompass dynamic intergenerational processes that include both material and immaterial dimensions, such as environmental legacies. The project aims to analyse the intertwined material and environmental legacies among co-existing generations. This involves understanding the factors that drive the legacy-making practices of older generations, defining the interconnectedness between environmental and material legacies, and shedding light on how generational interaction influences environmental legacies. The findings will shed light on the dynamics of inequality and contribute to the development of effective strategies to combat environmental degradation.
Objective
Human legacies are more important and influential than ever before because the window of opportunity for generational interaction has been greatly extended due to longer life expectancies, and because legacies assume unprecedented importance in a world marked by inequality and environmental degradation. The LEGACIES project arises from my original proposition that legacies are not only posthumous and concern older people and their heirs, but they are dynamic intergenerational processes comprising material and immaterial dimensions. Material legacies (wealth, assets) that are transferred from one generation to the next are growing, greater in volume than ever, and highly influential in shaping life courses. In addition to material inheritance we also leave immaterial legacies (values manifest in actions), the most pressing of these being our environmental legacies. The LEGACIES project will break new ground in understanding the intertwined material and environmental legacies that pass between co-existing generations. My approach is inherently high-risk due to its novelty in straddling multiple generations and the societal and environmental spheres in diverse contexts. The potential scientific gains from this research connect to wide-reaching implications. Shedding light on what drives older generations’ legacy-making practices will allow a better understanding of the dynamics of inequality. Understanding the interconnectedness of environmental and material legacies will elucidate choices such as deciding against having children and their ramifications on inheritance practices. Illuminating how environmental legacies are shaped through generational interaction will better equip us to formulate effective agendas for combating environmental degradation. The LEGACIES project will yield concepts and theory essential for explicating how strategies and practices at the micro level reflect and shape the greatest challenges that humans and the natural environment face.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
- Legacy
- generation
- family
- inequality
- ageing
- intergenerational solidarity
- environmental degradation
- climate
- change
- inheritance
- theory building
- qualitative methods
- environmental legacies
- legacies and megatrends
- material and immaterial legacies
- legacy making
- young adults
- older adults
- parents
- grandparents
- grandchildren
- generational legacies
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2022-ADG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
00014 HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO
Finland
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.