Environmentalism and Cultural Theory

The last decade has seen a dramatic increase in the attention paid by social scientists to environmental issues, and a gradual acknowledgement, in the wider community, of the role of social science in the public debate on sustainability. At the same time, the concept of `culture', once the property of anthropologists has gained wide currency among social scientist. These trends have taken place against a growing perception, among specialist and public, of the global nature of contemporary issues. This book shows how an understanding of culture can throw light on the way environmental issues are perceived and interpreted, both by local communities and within the contemporary global arena.
Taking an anthropological approach the book examines the relationship between human culture and human ecology, and considers how a cultural approach to the study of environmental issues differs from other established approaches in social science. This book adds significantly to our understanding of environmentalism as a contemporary phenomenon, by demonstrating the distinctive contribution of social and cultural anthropology to the environmental debate. It will be of particular interest to students and researchers in the fields of social science and the environment.

Autorentext
Kay Milton is Lecturer in Social Anthropology at the Queen's University, Belfast.

Zusammenfassung
Taking an anthroplogical approach, this work examines the relationship between human culture and human ecology. It considers how a cultural approach to the study of environmental issues differs from the established approaches to these issues made in social science.

Inhalt
Introduction; Chapter 1 Anthropology, Culture and Environmentalism; Chapter 2 Culture and Ecology; Chapter 3 Environmentalism in Social Science; Chapter 4 Environmentalism and Cultural Diversity; Chapter 5 Globalization, Culture and Discourse; Chapter 6 The Culture of Global Environmentalist Discourse; Chapter 7 Anthropology, Social Science and Environmentalism;