Organization & Environment recent issues

Strengthening Sociological Perspectives on Organizations and the Environment

Shwom, R. — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:53:24 PDT

Environmental and organizational sociologists have engaged with the growing interdisciplinary study of formal organizations and their natural environment to varying extents, but to date there has been little interaction between the two sociological subdisciplines. Environmental sociology has developed strong understandings of human—environment interactions, how to study them, and political economic systems of environmental destruction and improvement. Meanwhile, organizational sociology provides insights on internal and external drivers of governmental agency, business, and social movement organizational decision making. In an effort to strengthen our sociological understandings of organizational and interorganizational processes that contribute to environmental harm and improvement, this article identifies five synthetic propositions that emerge from these bodies of knowledge: (a) no organization is an island—socially or ecologically, (b) environmental claims require environmental evidence, (c) corporate environmental actions vary and are context dependent, (d) organizational cooperation and cooptation are two sides of the same coin, and (e) cumulative environmental impacts of organizational change are constrained by system tendencies.

Ecologically Unequal Exchange and Deforestation: A Cross-National Analysis of Forestry Export Flows

Shandra, J. M., Leckband, C., London, B. — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:53:25 PDT

The theory of ecologically unequal exchange suggests that rich nations are able to externalize their resource demands and environmental degradation onto the poor nations of the world through the vertical flow of exports. However, there has been no cross-national research that examines if forestry export flows from poor to rich nations is associated with higher rates of deforestation in poor nations. As such, we seek to address this gap in the literature by constructing cross-national regression models of forest loss from 1990 to 2005 for a sample of 60 poor nations. In doing so, we find substantial support for ecologically unequal exchange theory that poor nations with higher levels of forestry export flows to rich nations tend to have higher rates of deforestation.We also find that a number of other factors are related to deforestation. These include international nongovernmental organizations, democracy, total forestry production, total population growth, rural population growth, and tropical climate. We conclude with a discussion of the findings, theoretical implications, methodological implications, policy suggestions, and possible directions for future research.

Ecological Habitus:Toward a Better Understanding of Socioecological Relations

Kasper, D. V. S. — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:53:25 PDT

There is a clear need to better understand the interdependent relationships between people and the biophysical world. Social science research is essential for such efforts but is not yet widely viewed as relevant to ecological research. Impeding its advancement in this direction are the characteristics of a modern Western worldview exhibited by, and problematic for, much of social scientific research, especially emphases on mechanism, dualism, and prediction. I offer environmental behavior research as an area in which these are apparent. I discuss the need to better account for the relations and processes that characterize human social life and suggest an alternative approach for doing so. Drawing on complementary works in sociological theory, I develop the notion of ecological habitus and propose it as a practical tool for more adequately thinking about and studying socioecological phenomena. I conclude with brief speculation about the possible empirical uses of the ecological habitus concept.

Review of Chris Jordan's Photographic and Computer Image Exhibition, Running the Numbers, Curated by Chris Bruce, Director of the Washington State University Museum of Art

Rosa, E. A. — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:53:25 PDT

Many contemporary artists are integrating ecological themes into their work. Few, however, can rival the centrality of the ecological themes in the work of photographer and computer artist Chris Jordan. Recognizing the vast dispersion of consumption and waste practices, and their consequential invisibility, of the hundreds of millions of individuals that make up America’s consumers, Jordan uses his camera and computer to collect their consumables or detritus in one place. The result is an evocative collection of images that confronts us with our culture of consumption --and of our waste. This collection now forms a traveling exhibition curated and first shown at Washington State University and now on its way over the next two years to three other art museums (Haverford College, Austin Museum of Art and Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art) and two science centers (Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History and Pacific Science Center). This review examines the artistic features of the Jordon exhibition only lightly in favor of developing the larger context of the works presented and presenting a critique of the overemphasis on the liberal ideology underlying its intended message.

Darwin's Worms and the Skin of the Earth: An Introduction to Charles Darwin's The Formation of Vegetable Mould,Through the Action of Worms, With Observations on Their Habits (Selections)

Clark, B., York, R., Bellamy Foster, J. — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:53:25 PDT

Charles Darwin’s discovery of the theory of evolution by natural selection is unquestionably one of the most profound scientific achievements in history. Darwin was heavily influenced by the great geologist Charles Lyell, who developed uniformitarianism, the methodological and substantive doctrine that sought to explain all geological formations as the result of the accumulation of small events happening continually over long periods of time. In The Formation of Vegetable Mould, Through the Action of Worms, with Observations on Their Habits, Darwin—inspired by Lyell’s grand conception—focused on how worms transform the surface of the earth through their constant, everyday activities.They contribute to the formation of soil, turning it over and over, which enhances the circulation of nutrients within ecosystems. All studies of nature are indebted to Darwin for his devotion to illustrating the power of the materialist approach and for illuminating how the world works through its natural processes, including the invisible labor of worms.

Selections from The Formation of Vegetable Mould,Through the Action o f Worms, With Observations on Their Habits

Darwin, C. — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:53:25 PDT

Book Review: I. G. Simmons Global Environmental History Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2008

Allen, B. — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:53:25 PDT

Book Review: John R. Ehrenfeld Sustainability by Design: A Subversive Strategy for Trans forming Our Consumer Culture New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2008

Walck, C. — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:53:25 PDT

Book Review: Mark J. Smith and Piya Pangsapa Environment and Citizenship: Integrating Justice, Responsibility and Civic Engagement London: Zed Books, 2008

Gabrielson, T. — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:53:25 PDT

Book Review: Ronald Sandler and Phaedra C. Pezzullo (Eds.) Environmental Justice and Environmentalism:The Social Justice Challenge to the Environmental Movement Cambridge: M IT Press, 2007

Barry, J. — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:53:25 PDT

Book Review: Steve Vanderheiden (Ed.) Political Theory and Climate Change Boston: MIT Press, 2008

Page, E. A. — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:53:25 PDT

Book Review: Pradyumna P. Karan and Unryu Suganuma (Eds.) Local Environmental Movements: A Comparative Study of the United States and Japan Lexington: University of Kentucky, 2008

Morrison, T. — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:53:25 PDT

Book Review: Thomas Heyd Encountering Nature:Toward an Environmental Culture Burlington,VT: Ashgate, 2007

Stephens, P. H. G. — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:53:25 PDT

Foreign Direct Investment and the Environment, the Mitigating Influence of Institutional and Civil Society Factors, and Relationships Between Industrial Pollution and Human Health: A Panel Study of Less-Developed Countries

Jorgenson, A. K — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 02:55:05 PDT

The author engages multiple theoretical orientations to examine the effects of foreign direct investment (FDI) on industrial organic water pollution intensity in less-developed countries as well as the potential mitigating impacts of institutional and civil society factors. Results of panel regression analyses indicate that within less-developed countries, industrial water pollution is positively associated with FDI in the manufacturing sector. However, a stronger presence of environmental international nongovernmental organizations and the existence of environmental ministries both attenuate the environmental harms of secondary sector foreign investment, whereas state strength appears to have no such mitigating influence. These findings lend support to investment dependence theory and world society theory, and illustrate the potential environmental benefits of particular institutional factors. Further analyses suggest that industrial water pollution contributes to child and infant mortality in less-developed countries, which highlights the importance of investigating the structural determinants of industrial-based pollutants.

Slaughterhouses and Increased Crime Rates: An Empirical Analysis of the Spillover From "The Jungle" Into the Surrounding Community

Fitzgerald, A. J., Kalof, L., Dietz, T. — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 02:55:05 PDT

More than 100 years after Upton Sinclair denounced the massive slaughterhouse complex in Chicago as a "jungle," qualitative case study research has documented numerous negative effects of slaughterhouses on workers and communities. Of the social problems observed in these communities, the increases in crime have been particularly dramatic. These increases have been theorized as being linked to the demographic characteristics of the workers, social disorganization in the communities, and increased unemployment rates. But these explanations have not been empirically tested, and no research has addressed the possibility of a link between the increased crime rates and the violent work that takes place in the meatpacking industry. This study uses panel analysis of 1994-2002 data on nonmetropolitan counties in states with "rightto-work" laws (a total of 581 counties) to analyze the effect of slaughterhouses on the surrounding communities using both ordinary least squares and negative binomial regression. The findings indicate that slaughterhouse employment increases total arrest rates, arrests for violent crimes, arrests for rape, and arrests for other sex offenses in comparison with other industries. This suggests the existence of a "Sinclair effect" unique to the violent workplace of the slaughterhouse, a factor that has not previously been examined in the sociology of violence.

The Ecological Restoration Movement: Diverse Cultures of Practice and Place

Tomblin, D. C. — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 02:55:05 PDT

The purpose of this essay is to introduce and take a critical look at the emerging Ecological Restoration (ER) movement. The typical characterization of the ER movement is that it focuses on restoring ecosystems to pre-European settlement conditions, even in urban environments; thus neglecting social justice issues and alienating the disadvantaged people living in these environments. The restoration movement is often accused of redefining these spaces from a culturally and ideologically privileged standpoint—a standpoint with historical links to the exclusionary preservationist discourse of the mainstream environmental movement. On the contrary, I argue that the ER movement has closer ties to the Environmental Justice (EJ) movement than previously recognized. Toward that end, I present an ecocultural map of the actual and potential relationships between the EJ and ER movements. The map reveals boundary objects (instruments, ideas, techniques, landscapes, and actions that each culture has in common) that can serve as avenues of communication between these movements. This analysis also identifies two newly emerging cultures within the ER movement, which incorporate both restoration and social justice among their goals: the Indigenous Peoples' Restoration (IPR) movement and the Environmental Justice Restoration (EJR) movement. The IPR and EJR cultures represent examples of how the broader EJ and ER cultures can find common ground while redefining ecocultural spaces and restoring degraded ecosystems within urban and rural environments.

State Environmental Protection Efforts, Women's Status, and World Polity: A Cross-National Analysis

Nugent, C., Shandra, J. M. — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 02:55:05 PDT

There is a large focus at the organizational level on the importance of a link between women and the environment, yet little empirical research explores this. We examine how women's status in economic, political, educational, and health spheres affect state environmental protection efforts in the form of protected land area. Hypotheses derived from ecofeminism and empirical literature of gendered differences in individual-level attitudes and behaviors are tested using multiple regression models with a cross-national sample. We find no support for broader ecofeminist claims that the overall oppression of women and environmental degradation are linked by a common source. However, we find strong support for the idea that increasing women's political status in particular through representation in national government has a positive effect on state environmental protection efforts. We also find no evidence that connection to a world polity has a significant effect on nation-state designation of protected land area.

Saving Nature and Seeking Justice: Environmental Activists in the Pacific Northwest

Salazar, D. J. — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 02:55:06 PDT

Critics of the environmental movement point to its narrowness, conventionality, and sectoralism. Analysis of environmentalist discourses offers a means to assess these criticisms. Furthermore, examination of these discourses offers insight into the political ideas that link environmentalists with other progressives and those that divide these sectors. Drawing on a sample of 42 environmental activists in the United States Pacific Northwest, Q methodology is used to reconstruct 4 discourses: civic republican, liberal ecocentric, green justice, and global ecocentric. Analysis of these discourses reveals several key findings. First, issues related to racial and economic justice are the most divisive for environmentalists in the region. Second, the strongest areas of agreement across the discourses relate to the balance of nature and the importance of active, democratic citizenship. Third, the green justice discourse reflects the perspectives of activists from all sectors of the region's environmental movement, suggesting an absence of sectoralism and the existence of intramovement learning.

Book Review: Istvan Meszaros. The Challenge and Burden of Historical Time: Socialism in the Twenty-First Century. New York: Monthly Review Press, 2008

Benton, T. — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 02:55:06 PDT

Book Review: Jennifer Howard-Grenville. Corporate Culture and Environmental Practice: Making Change at a High-Technology Manufacturer. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, 2007

de Bakker, F. G. A. — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 02:55:06 PDT

Book Review: Anthony Weis. The Global Food Economy: The Battle for the Future of Farming. Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada: Fernwood, 2007

Brem-Wilson, J. — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 02:55:06 PDT

Book Review: Peter F. Cannavo. The Working Landscape: Founding, Preservation and the Politics of Place. Cambridge: MIT Press, 2007

Hailwood, S. — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 02:55:06 PDT

Book Review: C. A. Cranston & Robert Zeller (Eds.). The Littoral Zone: Australian Contexts and Their Writers. Amsterdam: Rodopi Press, 2007

Wilson, T. M. — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 02:55:06 PDT

Science, Democracy, and the Environment: The Contributions of Barry Commoner

Brulle, R. J. — Mon, 11 May 2009 11:37:24 PDT

Why Barry Commoner Matters

Egan, M. — Mon, 11 May 2009 11:37:24 PDT

The biologist Barry Commoner has been instrumental in shaping American environmentalism over the past fifty years. The breadth of Commoner's activism—against nuclear fallout and the synthetic productions of the petrochemical industry—marked a new direction for American environmental activism that sought to raise awareness about the kinds of technological decisions that were giving rise to an environmental crisis. Similarly, his concerns over air pollution, energy production, and waste management demonstrate that Commoner considered not just individual problems but also the larger systems that spawned them. Just as significantly, however, Commoner's activism introduced a new praxis that stressed the importance of an informed citizenry and a new relationship between experts and the public. Commoner invented the science information movement, a method of disseminating accessible scientific facts to the public so that they could participate in decision making. This essay seeks to situate his historical significance within the broader context of American environmental history. I outline Commoner's contributions in three related avenues: science, democracy, and environment. Commoner saw these three pillars of his activity not as independent aspects of his political sensibilities but as part of a single, intrinsic whole. That science, democracy, and environment should be so related is indicative of Commoner's deep-seated conviction that human societies, their politics and economies, and their physical environments functioned in larger, holistic systems. The intersections between science, society, and the environment that serve as the cornerstone of Commoner's career and work are not simply historical points of interest but remain vitally relevant to contemporary debates and struggles to address toxic contaminants, energy productions crises, and global climate change.

Molecular Genetics: An Example of Faulty Communication Between Science and the Public

Commoner, B. — Mon, 11 May 2009 11:37:24 PDT

This essay examines the current state of knowledge of molecular biology, and how well this science has been conveyed into the public understanding. The article starts by providing a primer on the key concepts of molecular genetics. What this shows is that DNA is not the sole governing component of biological inheritance and cellular reproduction. Rather, the nature of life is the outcome of a complex interaction among DNA, RNA, and proteins. The limitations of genetic theory are evident from the findings of the National Institutes of Health's Encyclopedia of DNA Elements Project (ENCODE). Summarizing a large number of scientific reports created by this project, it is argued that the ENCODE study has replaced the original pattern of colinear transfer of genetic information from simple genes to specific proteins and their engendered inherited traits with a vastly more complex network of overlapping and interlaced relationships. Thus, the ENCODE project has undermined the notion of genetics that underlies much the practices of genetic engineering of crop plants or genetic screening for diseases. Yet there virtually been no press coverage of this fundamental challenge to the core genetic theory and the public remains uninformed about this issue. This unacknowledged issue in molecular genetics creates a crisis in biology. Because the responsible scientific community has not sought to inform the public, there is a serious problem of public information regarding the status of genetic theory and the nature of the risks engendered in genomic research.

From "Politico-Scientists" to Democratizing Science Movements: The Changing Climate of Citizens and Science

McCormick, S. — Mon, 11 May 2009 11:37:24 PDT

The Committee for Nuclear Information (CNI) was one of the first movements to translate expert knowledge to the public. It was led by "politico-scientists" who meant to advance an ethics of science by contributing to public understanding. Since then, citizens have taken research into their own hands, using it to frame issues, challenge corporate practices, and change policy. Movement methods that respond to consistent activist concerns about science are reflected in "democratizing science movements" (DSMs) that have grown, expanded, and changed in the past 50 years. This article compares the CNI to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a group of organizations that have critiqued the hazardous ingredients in personal care products. The aim is to update our understanding of how movements use science to protect health and improve the environment since the CNI. Like CNI, Campaign activists have used science to educate the public about hazardous exposures; however, the Campaign reflects that over time, lay people have become more central to scientific production as well as more able to use it without the assistance of experts. It is argued that in Commoner's time scientists focused on translating results and meanings for lay audiences whereas today, movements use science to heighten the political nature of the issue through reframing.

The Challenge of Climate Change and Energy Policies for Building a Sustainable Society in Japan

Kondoh, K. — Mon, 11 May 2009 11:37:24 PDT

This article assesses Japan's climate change policy to provide insight into the debate on sustainable societies within environmental sociology, which is contested on one side by Ecological Modernization (EM) theory and on the other mainly by political economy perspectives. Overall, this study finds that Japan's commitment to the Kyoto Protocol is unlikely to lead to a greening of the economy and lifestyles. Consistent with the claim made by EM critics, Japan's climate change policy has negative environmental and social ramifications. Japan's attempt to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by switching its primary energy source from fossil fuels to nuclear power is likely to increase the uneven distribution of nuclear risks between rural and urban areas. The promotion of nuclear power to secure increasing energy demand instead of reducing energy consumption has also contributed to a worsening of the urban environmental problem known as urban heat island.

The Role of Championship in the Mainstreaming of Sustainable Investment (SI): What Can We Learn From SI Pioneers in the United Kingdom?

Juravle, C., Lewis, A. — Mon, 11 May 2009 11:37:24 PDT

The present study identifies the strategies that individuals committed to the cause of Sustainable Investment (SI) use when attempting to persuade institutional investors (e.g., pension funds) to invest in socially and environmentally responsible ways. This article is based on interviews with 15 pioneers of the SI movement in the United Kingdom. Building on the literature on issue-selling, green championship, and corporate social responsibility, this study identifies four tactics that pioneers have employed to "sell" SI in investment institutions: making the business case for SI; forming internal coalitions with mainstream investment professionals; industry networking; gaining credible expertise. The results also suggest that market short-termism and internal organizational contexts dominated by a lack of moral engagement and disempowerment of SI teams are factors that impede champions' efforts. The article opens new avenues for research and recommends ways in which organizational and institutional impediments to SI may be overcome.

Childhood Development and Access to Nature: A New Direction for Environmental Inequality Research

Strife, S., Downey, L. — Mon, 11 May 2009 11:37:24 PDT

Although environmental inequality researchers have increased our understanding of race- and class-based environmental inequality in many important ways, few environmental inequality studies ask whether children are disproportionately burdened by environmental pollution or whether poor and minority youth are less likely than their White and wealthier counterparts to spend time in green spaces and the natural world. This gap in the literature undermines the ability of researchers to fully understand and explain environmental inequality. To demonstrate the importance of filling this gap, the authors (a) highlight current research findings from the environmental health, environmental education, and environmental psychology literatures regarding the cognitive, emotional, and physical importance of childhood exposure to nature and (b) summarize the few existing studies that have examined class- and race-based inequalities in children's exposure to the natural world and industrial environmental hazards. The authors then suggest several avenues of research that would, if undertaken, significantly increase our understanding of youth-based environmental inequality. By synthesizing findings across multiple disciplines, the authors hope to convince environmental inequality researchers of the importance of investigating children's differential exposure to nature, green spaces, and industrial environmental hazards.

Book Review: Michael Egan. Barry Commoner and the Science of Survival: The Remaking of American Environmentalism. Cambridge: MIT Press, 2007

Biro, A. — Mon, 11 May 2009 11:37:24 PDT

Book Review: Max S. Power. America's Nuclear Wastelands: Politics, Accountability, and Cleanup. Pullman: Washington State University Press, 2008

Wills, J. — Mon, 11 May 2009 11:37:24 PDT

Book Review: Kimberly K. Smith. African American Environmental Thought: Foundations. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2007

Lawson, B. E. — Mon, 11 May 2009 11:37:24 PDT

Book Review: Dale Jamieson. Ethics and the Environment: An Introduction. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2008

Griffiths, I. — Mon, 11 May 2009 11:37:24 PDT

Ecological Citizenship and the Corporation: Politicizing the New Corporate Environmentalism

Crane, A., Matten, D., Moon, J. — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 08:53:52 PDT

This article introduces the concept of ecological citizenship to management theory and in particular to ways of understanding the roles and responsibilities of the corporation. It begins by establishing the case for incorporating citizenship thinking into the literature on organizations and the environment and specifically for developing a greater political orientation to new corporate environmentalism. It goes on to identify the nature of the ecological citizenship concept and the three different understandings that are prevalent in the literature. Applying these perspectives to corporations, it then establishes how ecological citizenship can help us to examine corporate responsibilities for exporting liberal citizenship, rethink the stakeholder set, and reconfigure the community of the corporation.

Overcoming the Social and Psychological Barriers to Green Building

Hoffman, A. J., Henn, R. — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 08:53:52 PDT

The green building movement has overcome formidable, technical, and economic hurdles in recent years, yet adoption of green building practices within the design and construction field remains low. Major corporations now offer products and services at a scale that is bringing costs down to competitive levels, but environmental sustainability in building design and delivery remains at the early stages of the adoption s-curve. This article argues that environmental progress in the building design and construction industry will continue to stall if the significant social and psychological barriers that remain are not addressed. After surveying the three levels of barriers—individual, organizational, and institutional—the article concludes with strategies for overcoming them. Seven specific strategies are elaborated, namely, issue framing, targeting the right demographic, education, structural and incentive change, indemnifying risk, green building standard improvements, and tax reform.

Environmental Organizations and Communication Praxis: A Study of Communication Strategies Among a National Sample of Environmental Organizations

Dreiling, M., Lougee, N., Jonna, R., Nakamura, T. — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 08:53:52 PDT

Environmental organizations (EOs) in the United States display a diverse range of environmental identities and vary in terms of organizational resources, influencing not only the environmental issues that they address but also the methods that they use to address them. Our study investigates the strategies and practices EOs use to communicate with their membership, recruit new participants, and develop alliances with other EOs. This article explores the relationships between various EOs' communication strategies, resource capacities, and environmental identities using data obtained from a survey of nonprofit EOs and secondary data sources. Using ordinary least squares regression, we develop two models—interactivity of communication and costliness of communication—to test various concepts derived from social movement theory. We find that EOs are influenced in significant and predictable ways by their social and technological context.

Introduction to the Symposium on Catton and Dunlap's Foundational Work Establishing an Ecological Paradigm

York, R. — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 08:53:52 PDT

Thirty Years of Scholarship and Science on Environment-- Society Relationships

Freudenburg, W. R. — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 08:53:52 PDT

By 2008, "environmental sociology" had become a well-established and well-recognized field of sociology, but exactly 30 years earlier, in 1978, it was essentially nonexistent. That was the year that saw the publication of the first two articles that, along with later work by Riley Dunlap and William Catton, began to make possible the subsequent development of the field. At the time, many of the leading figures in sociology—specifically including those who called themselves "human ecologists"—were actively hostile to the idea that sociological work would include attention to environmental variables. The hostility was particularly acute for work that focused on what an important book of the time called Limits to Growth. Fortunately, these pioneers moved forward, and in doing so, they helped to change the entire field of sociology. If the earlier degree of hostility toward work on environmental problems and variables is difficult to imagine today, a significant fraction of the credit needs to go to Drs. Catton and Dunlap.

Exploring Deep Subjectivity in Sociology and Organizational Studies: The Contributions of William Catton and Riley Dunlap on Paradigm Change

Jermier, J. M. — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 08:53:52 PDT

When William Catton and Riley Dunlap began publishing their groundbreaking work on paradigms in the late 1970s, sociologists had been grappling with fundamental questions about the discipline for at least two decades. According to Catton and Dunlap, however, significant blind spots still remained, the most important falling in the shadow cast by strong anthropocentrism and a worldview that was decidedly nonecological. This anthropocentric bias also dominated the field of organizational studies until the mid-1990s. Both sociology and organizational studies benefited from scholarly analyses conducted by Catton and Dunlap (and others) that uncovered underlying paradigmatic assumptions and that proposed ecologically grounded alternatives. But both fields still tend to be limited by anthropocentrism and need more research aimed at developing theories and models centered on ecological processes and radical organizing. Revisiting Catton and Dunlap's paradigms framework is suggested as a valuable step for both sociologists and organizational studies scholars interested in addressing major gaps in their fields.

A Retrospective View of My Development as an Environmental Sociologist

Catton, W. R. — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 08:53:52 PDT

Initially hoping just to contribute increments of useful knowledge by genuinely scientific social research, this formerly "mainstream" sociologist was alerted to environmental concerns by encounters with urban growth, burgeoning university enrollment, and impacts of overuse in wildland recreation areas. Enlightening research collaboration with foresters, exposure to ecological themes in interpretive exhibits at National Parks in New Zealand and North America, and encounters with significant literature in biological sciences contradicted conventional notions that human societies are somehow exempt from influences by non-social aspects of the ecosystems of which they are part. It became apparent that biogeochemical processes and other extra-societal variables must be taken into account to understand humanity's inescapable adjustments to carrying capacity deficit after an era of thriving on a carrying capacity surplus.

Promoting a Paradigm Change: Reflections on Early Contributions to Environmental Sociology

Dunlap, R. E. — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 08:53:52 PDT

The author discusses his collaboration with William Catton that led to several early articles aimed at providing an intellectual foundation for a field of environmental sociology. The differing backgrounds and interests they each brought to their collaboration and the context in which it developed are outlined, along with the author's assessment of the major goals of their key publications. The growth of environmental sociology and increased disciplinary attention to ecological problems, spurred by the growing societal salience of such problems, suggests that sociology has begun to shed the human exemptionalist paradigm that dominated the discipline when the field of environmental sociology was launched.

Book Review: Fox, W. (2006). A Theory of General Ethics: Human Relationships, Nature, and the Built Environment. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press

Stephens, P. H. G. — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 08:53:52 PDT

Book Review: Barry, J. (2007). Environment and Social Theory (2nd ed.). London and New York: Routledge. Spaargaren, G., Mol, A. P. J., & Buttel, F. H. (Eds.). (2006). Governing Environmental Flows: Global Challenges to Social Theory. Cambridge, MA and London: MIT Press

Mancus, P. — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 08:53:52 PDT

Book Review: Szasz. A. (2007). Shopping Our Way to Safety: How We Changed From Protecting the Environment to Protecting Ourselves. Minneapolis: Minnesota University Press

Wehr, K. — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 08:53:52 PDT

Book Review: Kirk, A. G. (2007). Counterculture Green: The Whole Earth Catalog and American Environmentalism. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas

Herring, H. — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 08:53:52 PDT

Book Review: Thomas, E. M. (2006). The Old Way: A Story of the First People. New York: Sarah Crichton Books

Babchuk, W. A. — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 08:53:52 PDT

Book Review: Hannigan, J. (2006). Environmental Sociology: A Social Constructionist Perspective (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge

Chenyang Xiao, — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 08:53:52 PDT