Environmental Sociology and Social Transformation : Key Issues - Magnus Boström

Environmental Sociology and Social Transformation

Key Issues

By: Magnus Boström, Rolf Lidskog

Paperback | 7 June 2024

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Environmental Sociology and Social Transformation demonstrates how sociological theory and research are critical for understanding the social drivers of global environmental destruction and the conditions for transformative change.

Written by two professors of sociology who are deeply involved in the international community of environmental sociology, Magnus Bostroem and Rolf Lidskog argue that we need to better understand society as well as the fundamentally social nature of environmental problems and how they can be addressed. The authors provide answers to why so many unsustainable practices are maintained and supported by institutions and actors despite widespread knowledge of their negative consequences. Employing a pluralistic sociological approach to the study of social transformations, the book is divided into five key themes: Causes, Distributions, Understandings, Barriers, and Transformation. Overall, the book offers an integrative and comprehensive understanding of the social dimension of (un)sustainability, societal inertia, and conditions for transformative change. It provides the reader with references from classic and contemporary sociology and uses pedagogical features including text boxes and questions for discussion to help embed learning.

Arguing that a broad and deep social transformation is needed to avoid a global civilization crisis, Environmental Sociology and Social Transformation will be a great resource for students and scholars who are exploring current environmental challenges and the societal conditions for meeting them.

Industry Reviews

"This book, written by two of the most important scholars in the environmental social sciences today, could not be more timely. Breaking down the social mechanisms that shape processes of change in our socio-ecological relations, and written in an accessible manner, this book has something for students, seasoned researchers, and concerned publics alike. Rather than hand waving about the monstrous environmental and climate crises we face, Environmental Sociology and Social Transformation invites readers to roll up their sleeves and get to work."

Debra Davidson, University of Alberta, Canada

"This imaginative and important book brings sociological critique and transformative change together. Bostroem and Lidskog explain how environmental problems are societal problems - with social causes and social solutions. A useful text for students, activists and policy makers seeking to understand and solve our most pressing global issues."

Jo Lindsay, Monash University, Australia

"This book is a remarkable addition to environmental sociology debates, stressing the need to understand society's role in contemporary ecological challenges. By superbly presenting the 'five facets of the social' it unravels the complexities of our civilizational crisis and provides a compass for just social transformation. This contribution is pertinent to audiences worldwide."

Llewellyn Leonard, University of South Africa

"In this volume, Bostroem and Lidskog offer a wide-ranging and accessible overview of the diverse perspectives and key concepts that show why a sociological lens is so vital for understanding environmental issues, impacts and solutions. By consistently making the connections between everyday practices and more global phenomena and issues, this is an ideal book to help students navigate the complex ways in which "global" environmental problems are intertwined with our everyday lives."

Mark C.J. Stoddart, Memorial University, Canada

"As the environmental crisis becomes increasingly worrisome and encompassing, this book offers an invaluable compass for navigating its many facets, making sense of its social causes and possible solutions."

Luigi Pellizzoni, University of Pisa, Italy

"Without understanding society, we cannot properly address the environmental crisis we are facing today. That is where sociological theory comes in, and also this well-written book. It will be a very enlightening work for scholars and students seeking to learn about the environmental crisis and what we can do about it."

Saburo Horikawa, Hosei University, Japan, and President, the Japanese Association for Environmental Sociology

"In response to escalating planetary crisis, Bostroem and Lidskog urgently explore the imperative for profound social transformation, employing sociological theory to dissect environmental challenges. This eloquently written book is a tour de force that will shape the academic and policy discourse for years to come."

Audrone Telesiene, Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania

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