In this essay, a specific timeline, beginning from the 1970s to the present day, that traces the emergence and development of various theories, themes and concepts in the strand of Nature and Society will be discussed. While the timeline may appear to present a linear, chain-like trajectory to the study of nature and society relations in human geography, it is crucial to note that there is no singular definition that can account for all works associated with one theory, say, actor-network theory; and no singular theory that dominates the academic debates entirely at any time. Instead, what are present are gradual emergences of theories that maintain dialectical relations with pre-existing theories, often critiquing, shaping and influencing one another. For example, cultural ecology, which pre-dates political ecology and actor-network theory, is seen to share some resemblance with the latter (Braun, 2007: 151), and continues to be an approach used by some contemporary human geographers.
Table of Contents
1. t = 0 Introduction to the Timeline
2. 1970s – 1980s
2.1 The Emergence of Political Ecology
2.2 Elements of Political Ecology in the 1970s and 80s
3. 1990s
3.1 Shifting Political Ecology and “Cultural Studies of the Environment”
3.2 Postmodern and Poststructural 1990s
3.3 Global Narratives
4. Late 1990s – Present
4.1 The Rise of Hybrid Geographies
4.2 Actor-Network Theory in the Late 1990s and the 21st Century
5. t = ∞ Conclusion
Research Objectives and Key Themes
This essay explores the evolution of nature-society relations within human geography from the 1970s to the present day, emphasizing that theoretical development is characterized by dialectical emergence rather than linear progression. It examines how various schools of thought, from political ecology to actor-network theory, have conceptualized agency, power, and environmental change.
- The emergence and institutionalization of political ecology in the 1970s and 1980s.
- The impact of the "cultural turn" and poststructuralist critiques during the 1990s.
- The shift from macro-political to micro-political scales of analysis.
- The transition toward ontological approaches through Actor-Network Theory (ANT).
- The hybridization of global and local scales in understanding environmental issues.
Excerpt from the Book
The Emergence of Political Ecology
In the 1970s and 80s, political ecology began to emerge as a field as geographers started to view developing world environmental issues in an explicitly political context (Stott and Sullivan, 2000: 4) rather than as technical issues needing technical solutions. An early use of the term “political ecology” can be traced to an article titled “Ownership and political ecology” by Wolf (1972). Examples of early works include Watts (1983), who studied and rejected the image of Africa, as having “nature too strong for a rather weak culture and technology” (Kearns, 2007: 201). Instead, he posits an alternative reading of the food shortage problem as “refracted through political and institutional prisms” (ibid).
Similarly, Blaikie (1985) presented his work titled “The political economy of soil erosion” which claimed socio-political and economic origins for soil erosion, effectively linking the issue to the capitalist imperative, i.e. “the capitalist agrarian production” (Bryant, 2001: 153). Natural resources and landscapes were subject to commodification under such a regime. Stott and Sullivan (2000) identified this mechanism as arising from “political circumstances that forced people into activities which caused environmental degradation in the absence of alternative possibilities”.
The emergence of political ecology was fuelled by reaction to the fields of neo-Malthusian theory and cultural ecology. Political ecologists did not agree with the way the former reduced resource depletion and environmental degradation to ‘simple’ problems caused by overpopulation and base/irrational users of resources such as land. Political ecology was also influenced by the earlier Sauerian-influenced cultural ecology (largely popular from the 1940s – 1970s) drawing from elements such as the culture-environment relationship but critiquing its overemphasis on culture per se, and bringing in ‘larger’ structures of the market and state.
Summary of Chapters
t = 0 Introduction to the Timeline: Defines the scope of the essay and outlines the non-linear, dialectical evolution of theories concerning nature-society relations.
1970s – 1980s: Discusses the rise of political ecology as a response to neo-Malthusianism, focusing on how political and economic structures drive environmental change.
1990s: Analyzes the "cultural turn" and the emergence of post-Marxist political ecology, which prioritized micropolitics and discourse analysis.
Late 1990s – Present: Explores the shift toward Actor-Network Theory (ANT), which challenges human-centric agency and emphasizes relational, hybrid geographies.
t = ∞ Conclusion: Synthesizes the transition from asymmetrical agency models to the ontological framework provided by ANT.
Keywords
Political Ecology, Cultural Ecology, Nature-Society, Actor-Network Theory, Cultural Turn, Poststructuralism, Environmental Degradation, Governmentality, Micropolitics, Social Construction, Sustainability, Hybrid Geographies, Relationality, Agency, Scale.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this essay?
The essay tracks the development of theoretical frameworks in the field of human geography regarding the relationship between nature and society from the 1970s to the current era.
Which specific theoretical schools are covered?
The text covers Cultural Ecology, neo-Marxist Political Ecology, post-Marxist/poststructuralist Political Ecology, and Actor-Network Theory (ANT).
What is the primary objective of this research?
The objective is to demonstrate that these theories did not replace each other in a linear fashion, but rather evolved through continuous dialectical influence and critique.
Which scientific method is applied here?
The author employs a historical-theoretical analysis, reviewing foundational academic literature to construct a timeline of conceptual shifts in geography.
What does the main body address?
The main body breaks down the evolution into chronological phases: the 1970s-80s, the 1990s, and the late 1990s to the present, evaluating the shifting focus from macro-politics to micropolitics and finally to hybrid ontologies.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include Political Ecology, Actor-Network Theory, Social Construction, Agency, and the Cultural Turn.
How did the perception of environmental issues change from the 1970s to the 1990s?
The focus shifted from viewing environmental issues as technical or purely economic problems (neo-Marxist) to analyzing them through the lenses of culture, discourse, and power dynamics (post-Marxist).
What role does the Actor-Network Theory (ANT) play in this timeline?
ANT represents a paradigm shift toward an ontological approach that treats both humans and non-humans symmetrically, deconstructing traditional categories like 'social' and 'nature'.
How does the author define the concept of 'scale' within the context of ANT?
In ANT, scale is not a fixed hierarchy of boxes, but rather a "contested process of acting at a distance" shaped by network lengthening and relational performances.
- Quote paper
- Anonym (Author), 2008, Understanding Nature and Society, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/129168
