research
UN Photo: Dag Hammarskjöld Library, United Nations Headquarters, New York
the power of fiction
researching to impact policy & advocacy
Read for Action is not only a global community of readers, it’s also a research initiative. We bring together transdisciplinary scholars and policy researchers to conduct qualitative and quantitive assessments and studies. We’re studying the potential of global contemporary fiction to create communities of readers who are engaging with and responding to complex humanitarian crises in durable ways.
On this page, we’re also collecting resources across our core areas of inquiry and from our guest speakers for you to read, listen to, and explore.
research & resources
A summary of achievements and lessons from the first year of Read for Action.
project analysis: 2023
Explore philosopher Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò’s book tying the ongoing climate crisis to slavery and colonialism.
An article by Matthew Schneider-Mayerson in the academic journal Environmental Humanities explores the power of climate fiction.
An article by Catherine Mobley, et al. in the journal Environment and Behavior .
The Centre at Southern Denmark University has multiple studies on the social dimensions of literature.
Learn about Refugee Tales, a project where writers collaborate with asylum seekers, refugees and people in indefinite detention who share their stories.
Jori Lewis interviews author Anna Badkhen on writing in dire times of need.
Julie Carrick Dalton interviews Omar El Akkad on the power of fiction to change beliefs.
Join host Ruth Mukwana as she interviews authors and humanitarian experts on the power of fiction in responding to humanitarian crises.
A project stimulating discussion with an online community about literature, history, and human rights.
“A groundbreaking book that combines the environmental humanities and social sciences to study the impact of environmental stories”
