Dr. Peter Doran in conversation with Philip Clayton
Dr. Peter Doran is a lecturer in law at the School of Law at Queens University in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and a senior editor/writer with the International Institute for Sustainable Development’s reporting services at the United Nations. He is a former journalist and continues to blog occasionally as well as produce academic publications, the most recent of which is his book, A Political Economy of Attention, Mindfulness and Consumerism: Reclaiming the Commons (Routledge, 2017). The book explores, among other things, the prospect that the Anthropocene will herald a new Axial age that will witness a re-integration of spirituality and politics. Peter is also a founder member of the Green Party in Northern Ireland and long-time activist on the circular economy, ethical investment and environmental protection. He combines a deep interest in spirituality, notably Zen Buddhism, with his critical work on political economy, well being, and the Anthropocene. One of his formative experiences was a three-year voluntary period of work with the world-renowned Taize Ecumenical Community in France, working alongside its founder, Brother Roger Schutz.
The interview with EcoCiv explores the wide variety of ecological work that Dr. Doran has been involved in. The necessity of an encompassing framework emerges as an orienting feature of his thought and publications. This interview grows out of conversations between Dr. Doran and Philip Clayton at a recent conference at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) in Potsdam, Germany.
