Political Ecology: A Critical Introduction / Edition 3

by Paul Robbins

Overview

An accessible, focused exploration of the field of political ecology

The third edition of Political Ecology spans this sprawling field, using grounded examples and careful readings of current literature. While the study of political ecology is sometimes difficult to fathom, owing to its breadth and diversity, this resource simplifies the discussion by reducing the field down into a few core questions and arguments. These points clearly demonstrate how critical theory can make pragmatic contributions to the fields of conservation, development, and environmental management.

The latest edition of this seminal work is also more closely focused, with references to recent work from around the world. Further, Political Ecology raises critical questions about “traditional” approaches to environmental questions and problems. This new edition:

• Includes international work in the field coming out of Europe, Latin America, and Asia
• Explains political ecology and its tendency to disrupt the environmental research and practice by both advancing and undermining associated fields of study
• Contains contributions from a wide range of diverse backgrounds and expertise
• Offers a resource that is written in highly-accessible, straightforward language
• Outlines the frontiers of the field and frames climate change and the end of population growth with the framework of political ecology

An excellent resource for undergraduates and academics, the third edition of Political Ecology offers an updated edition of the guide to this diverse, quickly growing field that is at the heart of how humans shape the world and, in turn, are shaped by it.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781119167440
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	12/16/2019
Series:	Critical Introductions to Geography
Edition description:	3rd ed.
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	6.70(w) x 9.50(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Paul Robbins is the dean of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA, where he guides the institute in serving as a world leader in addressing rapid global environmental change. With writing focused on diverse interdisciplinary audiences and the broader public, he is author of the award-winning book Lawn People: How Grasses, Weeds, and Chemicals Make Us Who We Are (2007), widely recognized as one of the most accessible books on the environmental politics of daily life.

Read an Excerpt

Click to read or download

Table of Contents

Preface vi

Acknowledgments viii

Introduction 1

1 Political versus Apolitical Ecologies 8

2 A Tree with Deep Roots 22

3 The Critical Tools 45

4 Political Ecology Emerges 82

5 Challenges in Ecology 99

6 Challenges in Social Construction 118

7 Challenges in Explanation 137

8 Degradation and Marginalization 149

9 Conservation and Control 168

10 Environmental Conflict 190

11 Environmental Subjects and Identities 206

12 Political Objects and Actors 223

13 Political Ecologies of the Future? 236

Bibliography 245

Index 280

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"What is political ecology and where does it get us? In response to these questions, Robbins's book opens the can of worms for neophytes, provides a handy text for teachers, and traces an untidy field's trajectories for a contentious constituency of scholarly practitioners. This update on the classic first edition is both rigorous and clear, demonstrating why environmental problems are fundamentally socio-natural; demanding critical analysis and political solutions."
—Nancy Lee Peluso, University of California, Berkeley

"Good second editions of seminal works build on strengths, consolidate, update and innovate. Paul Robbins manages all these handsomely. He also keeps the coherence, vitality and reputation of political ecology as a whole firmly in view. Rewarding reading!"
—Piers Blaikie, University of East Anglia

"An outstanding text told in vivid and accessible prose. Robbins examines the questions and practices that animate the body of research known as political ecology. Indispensable reading for students, scholars, and practitioners interested in environment and development issues."
—Judith Carney, University of California, Los Angeles

Editorial Reviews

This book appeals to a wide academic audience: master and PhD students in environmental sciences and human ecology, researchers in ecological politics and related fields as environmental law and sociology. Both the subject and the accessible character of the book make it most useful for a wide group of non-expert professionals operating in environmental consultancy and expertise. It is a book for all of us interested in the need for better environmental politics, explanation, and ethics.” (Int. J. Environment and Pollution, 1 November 2014)

From the Publisher