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This book introduces a new approach to environmental sociology, by integrating complexity-informed social science, Marxian ecological theory, and resilience-based human ecology. It argues that sociologists have largely ignored developments in ecology which move beyond functionalist approaches to systems analysis, and as a result, environmental sociology has failed to capitalise not only on the analytical promise of resilience ecology, but on complementary developments in complexity theory. By tracing the origins and discussing current developments in each of these areas, it offers several paths to interdisciplinary dialogue. Eoin Flaherty argues that complexity theory and Marxian ecology can enhance our understanding of the social aspect of social-ecological systems, whilst a resilience approach can sharpen the analytical power of environmental sociology.
List of contents
Foreword; David Byrne.-Introduction.- Chapter 1. A Brief History of Systemic Thought in the Social and Natural Sciences.- Chapter 2. Complexity Theory: Societies as Complex Systems.- Chapter 3. Social-Ecological Resilience: Human Ecology as Theory of the Middle Range.- Chapter 4. Contextualising Complex Systems: Modes of Production and Social-Ecological Metabolism.- Chapter 5. Conclusion: A Complexity-Informed Approach to the Study of Social-Ecological Systems.
About the author
Eoin Flaherty is Assistant Professor of Sociology at University College Dublin, Ireland. He studies patterns of inequality over time, and how they are formed, and maintained.
Summary
This book introduces a new approach to environmental sociology, by integrating complexity-informed social science, Marxian ecological theory, and resilience-based human ecology. It argues that sociologists have largely ignored developments in ecology which move beyond functionalist approaches to systems analysis, and as a result, environmental sociology has failed to capitalise not only on the analytical promise of resilience ecology, but on complementary developments in complexity theory. By tracing the origins and discussing current developments in each of these areas, it offers several paths to interdisciplinary dialogue. Eoin Flaherty argues that complexity theory and Marxian ecology can enhance our understanding of the social aspect of social-ecological systems, whilst a resilience approach can sharpen the analytical power of environmental sociology.
