Cultures of Environmentalism

STEVEN YEARLEY is Professor and Head of Sociology at the University of York and Senior Research Fellow of the Stockholm Environment Institute. In recent years he has also taught environmental sociology at Cornell University and the University of Melbourne. Recent books include Sociology, Environmentalism, Globalization and Making Sense of Science.

'In combining insights from contemporary science studies and environmental sociology, Steve Yearley masterfully picks out the organizational structures most relevant to fostering different types and outcomes of environmentalist ideas in today's cultures of environmental campaigning and activism...The book's lack of sociological jargon and focus on concrete case studies makes it a great read for upper undergraduate and graduate courses in all the social sciences dealing with environmental topics.' - Matthias Gross, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, UFZ, Leipzig, Germany 'Yearley's book is wonderfully written, thoroughly documented and exhibits a remarkable conceptual elegance. Therefore, the book would likely appeal to both an academic and non-academic audience. Students and scholars interested in environmental sociology, social movements or sustainable development would benefit greatly from reading these very well crafted empirical studies. At the same time, the book could help individuals from NGOs or the mass media enrich their hands-on experience with a broader socio-cultural understanding of the nature-society nexus.' - Filip Alexandrescu, University of Toronto, Canada; Candadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology 'The greatest value of the book lies in the specific empirical studies it contains. These can be used in the classroom and also to illustrate general arguments about the relationship between scientific studies of environment and their social context.' - Arjun Agrawal, American Journal of Sociology '...the absence of abstruse terminology and the fact that the interpretations remain close to the data make these case studies exceptionally well-suited for use as supplementary reading assignments for undergraduate or graduate courses in environmental sociology.' - Bill Markham, University of North Carolina-Greensboro, USA

• Introduction: Studying Environmental Issues Sociologically PART I: CULTURES OF MOVEMENT: THE SOCIOLOGY OF ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENTS AND PROBLEMS Social Movement Theory and the Character of Environmental Social Movements Shell, a Sure Target for Global Environmental Campaigning? [with John Forrester] How Environmental Problems Come to be 'Global': Sociological Perspectives on the Globalisation of the Environment PART II: STUDIES OF THE ENVIRONMENT, LAW AND PUBLIC POLICY Bog Standards: Contesting Conservation Value at a Public Inquiry Independence and Impartiality in Legal Defences of the Environment Modelling the Environment: Participation, Trust and Legitimacy in Urban Air-Quality Models PART III: CULTURES OF KNOWING AND PROVING: SCIENCE, EVIDENCE AND THE ENVIRONMENT Green Ambivalence about Science Mad about the Buoy: Trust and Method in the Brent Spar Controversy Genetically Modified Organisms and the Unbearable Irresolution of Testing The Value of Environmental Sociology: Towards a Sociology of the Sustainable Society Bibliographic References