Publisher Description

This book introduces green ideas to students of the social sciences, showing how society affects and is affected by nature and assessing the future of the green movement.

Back Cover

Ecology and Society is an introduction to 'green ideas' for students in the social sciences. It goes beyond traditional sociological boundaries to show how society interacts with nature but suggests that there are flaws in the philosophy and politics of the green movement. The book analyses ecological limits on, and effects of, industrialism and economic growth. Martell assesses forms of society and politics appropriate to sustainability. He evaluates proposals for frugality and argues for global and interventionist solutions over the decentralized and capitalist proposals of greens and economic liberals. The volume analyses the philosophy of environmentalism and assesses explanations for the development of the green movement in recent years. Martell shows how ecology both revolutionizes and relies on traditions in political thought such as conservatism, liberalism, socialism and feminism. In an assessment of ways of rethinking relations between society and nature he proposes a realistic perspective over approaches popular in sociology and the green movement. The book concludes with an assessment of the future of the green movement, arguing for a focus on politics and alliances, rather than social agents or lifestyle politics, in green politics.

Flap

Ecology and Society is an introduction to 'green ideas' for students in the social sciences. It goes beyond traditional sociological boundaries to show how society interacts with nature but suggests that there are flaws in the philosophy and politics of the green movement. The book analyses ecological limits on, and effects of, industrialism and economic growth. Martell assesses forms of society and politics appropriate to sustainability. He evaluates proposals for frugality and argues for global and interventionist solutions over the decentralized and capitalist proposals of greens and economic liberals. The volume analyses the philosophy of environmentalism and assesses explanations for the development of the green movement in recent years. Martell shows how ecology both revolutionizes and relies on traditions in political thought such as conservatism, liberalism, socialism and feminism. In an assessment of ways of rethinking relations between society and nature he proposes a realistic perspective over approaches popular in sociology and the green movement. The book concludes with an assessment of the future of the green movement, arguing for a focus on politics and alliances, rather than social agents or lifestyle politics, in green politics.

Author Biography

Luke Martell is a Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Sussex. He has written on socialism and neo-liberalism in the journal Economy and Society and is the author of a forthcoming book on socialism and associational democracy.

Table of Contents

Introduction. 1. Ecology and Industrialism. 2. The Sustainable Society. 3. Green Philosophy. 4. The Green Movement. 5. Ecology and Political Theory. 6. Rethinking Relations Between Society and Nature. 7. The Future of Environmentalism. Notes. References. Index.

Review

'Its unusual perspective makes this an interesting text. It does more than just catalogue ideas and events, it tries to analyse these so that key strands can be extracted.' TEG News 'Martell has pulled off a difficult trick: he has written a book that will both inform students and engage professional scholars, and he has secured himself a place in future discussions regarding the relationship between environment and society.' The Sociological review 'In aiming to provide a theoretically informed undergraduate text on contemporary green issues, the book goes some way to filling a gap where the level of support material is widely regarded as insufficient.' Antipode "Ecology and Society makes an important contribution to this emerging literature by providing an introduction to green ideas for students of social science. This book will appeal to both students and researchers. It is written in an accessible style, provides useful summaries of key literature and suggests further reading at the end of each chapter ... a useful contribution to the literature on environment-society relations and a valuable addition to student reading lists.' Local Environment

Long Description

Ecology and Society is an introduction to 'green ideas' for students in the social sciences. It goes beyond traditional sociological boundaries to show how society interacts with nature but suggests that there are flaws in the philosophy and politics of the green movement. The book analyses ecological limits on, and effects of, industrialism and economic growth. Martell assesses forms of society and politics appropriate to sustainability. He evaluates proposals for frugality and argues for global and interventionist solutions over the decentralized and capitalist proposals of greens and economic liberals. The volume analyses the philosophy of environmentalism and assesses explanations for the development of the green movement in recent years. Martell shows how ecology both revolutionizes and relies on traditions in political thought such as conservatism, liberalism, socialism and feminism. In an assessment of ways of rethinking relations between society and nature he proposes a realistic perspective over approaches popular in sociology and the green movement. The book concludes with an assessment of the future of the green movement, arguing for a focus on politics and alliances, rather than social agents or lifestyle politics, in green politics.

Review Text

'Its unusual perspective makes this an interesting text. It does more than just catalogue ideas and events, it tries to analyse these so that key strands can be extracted.' TEG News 'Martell has pulled off a difficult trick: he has written a book that will both inform students and engage professional scholars, and he has secured himself a place in future discussions regarding the relationship between environment and society.' The Sociological review 'In aiming to provide a theoretically informed undergraduate text on contemporary green issues, the book goes some way to filling a gap where the level of support material is widely regarded as insufficient.' Antipode "Ecology and Society makes an important contribution to this emerging literature by providing an introduction to green ideas for students of social science. This book will appeal to both students and researchers. It is written in an accessible style, provides useful summaries of key literature and suggests further reading at the end of each chapter ... a useful contribution to the literature on environment-society relations and a valuable addition to student reading lists.' Local Environment

Review Quote

'Its unusual perspective makes this an interesting text. It does more than just catalogue ideas and events, it tries to analyse these so that key strands can be extracted.' TEG News 'Martell has pulled off a difficult trick: he has written a book that will both inform students and engage professional scholars, and he has secured himself a place in future discussions regarding the relationship between environment and society.' The Sociological review 'In aiming to provide a theoretically informed undergraduate text on contemporary green issues, the book goes some way to filling a gap where the level of support material is widely regarded as insufficient.' Antipode "Ecology and Society makes an important contribution to this emerging literature by providing an introduction to green ideas for students of social science. This book will appeal to both students and researchers. It is written in an accessible style, provides useful summaries of key literature and suggests further reading at the end of each chapter ... a useful contribution to the literature on environment-society relations and a valuable addition to student reading lists.' Local Environment

Feature

* This book introduces environmental ideas to a sociology audience. It is designed for a growing field in the sociology of environmental issues, and will be of great use to sociologists wanting to fill a gap in teaching.
* The book will also be distinctive in environmental circles as it takes a critical approach to green ideas about how to solve environmental problems.
* It is a comprehensive introduction with a promising textbook market.

Details