1st Edition

Explaining Environmentalism In Search of a New Social Movement

By Philip W. Sutton Copyright 2000
    248 Pages
    by Routledge

    248 Pages
    by Routledge

    This title was first published in 2000:  The author examines those current theories which purport to explain the emergence and character of 'new' social movements in the 'advanced' industrial societies since the 1960s. In particular, it sets out to test the efficacy of these explanations in relation to the history of the environmental movement in Britain. The book breaks new ground in bringing together both short-term and the more historically orientated long-term explanations into a single volume, thus providing an invaluable resource for students of social movements. Its critical exposition of major theories also points to the need for a more developmental approach which seeks to connect old and new movement forms, thus allowing for a more balanced evaluation of the potential of the environmental movement to bring about significant social change.

    1. Environmentalism and Radical Ecology.  2. Theories of Old and New Social Movements.  3. The Rise of Environmentalism and Radical Ecology.  4. The Origins of Organised Environmentalism.  5. Twentieth Century Environmentalism.  6. Industrialisation and Nature Politics.  7. Towards a Socio-Historical Explanation of British Environmentalism.
    ’Explaining Environmentalism will become one of the key texts for understanding the historical development of one of the major social movements of the new century. This book is unique in its critical coverage of a wide range of sociological theories of environmentalism, combined with the analysis of the diverse historical strands of the movement in the UK.’ Paul Bagguley, Vanderbilt University, USA