What motivates us
We envision a world of resilient communities that are able to celebrate, sustain, mend and regenerate their local environments, livelihoods and community wellbeing. We are inspired by anthropologists, folklorists, sociologists, political scientists, historians and other scholars across the social sciences and the humanities, whose work has been a contribution to people’s struggles for social justice. We are committed to the values of dignity, inclusiveness and diversity and share the belief that ecologies of local knowledge are indispensable for good science and good public policy and crucial for a sustainable, democratic and convivial future.
Our Aims
We aim at documenting and organising research projects and actions, which are meaningful for local communities and crucial for their empowerment and for building ecological and cultural resilience.
Our work focuses on:
The creation of an e-collection of the local literature relevant to the local environment, culture and society, the island’s economy and history.
The digitalisation of archival material and its use/dissemination according to ethical principles of social research, local values and the will of the donors.
The creation of educational, research and action projects that promote human dignity, diversity and inclusiveness, empower local communities and enable them to participate in processes of knowledge production and decision-making, especially those relevant to development plans. Not to participate in such decision-making processes has been shown to lead to the loss of community control over ecosystems, the loss of intergenerational knowledge and the loss of livelihoods, the erosion of local cultures and the undermining of environmental, food and health security.
The development of a ‘Community Protocol on the island’s ecological commons, upon which local livelihoods depend. By thus doing, we aim at contributing to the wider work-in-progress on the acknowledgement of common-use resources, which are often usurped in the name of national interest, green transition and economic development.
The dissemination of the findings of our projects and the translation of knowledge across sectors and communities with the use of films, videos, music, blogs, news items etc. The production of educational and informational material, research reports, peer-reviewed scholarly articles and other publications, issue briefings, essays on policy issues and policy recommendations.
Documentation Research & Action Centre of Ikaria
ΚΕΝΤΡΟ ΤΕΚΜΗΡΙΩΣΗΣ ΕΡΕΥΝΑΣ & ΔΡΑΣΗΣ ΙΚΑΡΙΑΣ
Mailing Address: Katafygi Ikaria, 83300 Greece
E-mail Address: office@dracoi.org