Editorial

Dear members,

It has not been easy to find the right words for this editorial.
Holding the role of editor while also serving as a trustee and member of the management committee has, at times, felt like walking a fine line. These roles carry different responsibilities, different expectations, and — especially in the current climate — different emotional weights. Balancing them has not always been straightforward. There are moments when things are clear and moments when they’re not.

As editor of Contexts, I try to be as aware as I can of the responsibility to create a platform that is open, fair, and trustworthy for all members. This means making space not only for voices that align with one another, but also for those that disagree — sometimes profoundly so. In a time when our society has been affected by broader geopolitical tensions, and when divisions have become more visible within our own community, this responsibility feels especially important.

I want to be clear about one thing: in this role, I am not speaking as a trustee. I am here to listen. I am here to hold space. My intention is that every member, regardless of where they stand, can feel that their voice is welcome in these pages.

This is not something I do alone. Having Nicholas Jones as co-editor alongside me has been essential, both as support and to safeguard the integrity of this space. It allows for reflection, dialogue, and accountability in ways that feel necessary.

What has become increasingly clear to me is how deeply I care for this society, for its people, its continuity, and its potential to remain a place of connection even in difficult times. I find myself wishing for Contexts to be more than just a publication. I hope it can become a kind of meeting place. Not a space for quick exchanges or immediate reactions, but for something slower. A place where thoughts can be shared with care, and where others can take the time to read, reflect, and respond with equal care.

Perhaps it can also become a place of repair. A place where those who feel far apart might begin, gently, to come back into some form of connection. Where we can encounter each other’s experiences without rushing to correct, defend, or debate. Where it is possible to hold what is difficult, together, without immediately trying to resolve it.

Responses to any material published in Contexts are welcome, as well as responses to events within the GASi community, and the wider worlds, as a form of slow dialogue, whether to agree or disagree, elaborate or expand, diverge or deviate.

Warmly,
Mia Wanvik Stenersen
Editor, Contexts