INTRODUCTION
Sociology
of the environment is a new field of sociology that has developed in relation
to people’s growing concern about environmental issues. It has a dual focus. On
the one hand it deals with the ways in which people in society relate to the
natural world. On the other hand it deals with ‘environmentalism’ as a social
movement; the development of concern about the environment and the social
context of actions about the environment (Leahy, 2004).
Environmental
sociology involves the study of the reciprocal interactions between the
physical environment, social organization, and social behavior. Within this
approach, environment encompasses all physical and material bases of life in a
scale ranging from the most micro level to the biosphere.
An
important development of this sub-discipline was the shift from "sociology
of environment" to an "environmental sociology." While the
former refers to the study of environmental issues through the lens of
traditional sociology, the latter encompasses the societal-environmental
relations (Dunlap and Catton, 1980; 1978).
Definition of Key Terms
Sociology
is the study of human social life, groups and societies or "Sociology is
the study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences
of human behavior (Godden’s, 2009).
Environment
is the sum total of all surroundings of a living organism, including natural
forces and other living things, which provide conditions for development and
growth as well as of danger and damage.
Environmental sociology
is typically defined as the study of relations between human societies and
their physical environments or, more simply, “societal– environmental
interactions”. Such interactions include the ways in which humans influence the
environment as well as the ways in which environmental conditions (often
modified by human action) influence human affairs, plus the manner in which
such interactions are socially construed and acted upon. The relevance of these
interactions to sociology stems from the fact that human populations depend
upon the biophysical environment for survival, and this in turn necessitates a
closer look at the functions that the environment serves for human beings (Dunlap
and Catton 1979)
Environmental sociology
is defined as the study of interactions among the physical environment, social
behavior and social institution.
Three Functions of the Environment
First,
the environment provide resources that
are necessary for life, ranging from air, water, food and other materials needed for shelter,
transportation, and the vast range of economic goods we produce (Catton 1980).
Second,
the environment serve as a ‘‘sink’’ or ‘‘waste repository’’ for these wastes,
either absorbing or recycling them into useful or at least harmless substances
(as when trees absorb carbon dioxide and return oxygen to the air).
Third,
the environment provides our home-where we live, work, play, travel, and spends
our lives. In the most general case, the planet Earth provides the home for our
species. Thus, the third function of the environment is to provide a ‘‘living
space’’ or habitat for human populations (Cohen 1995).
ORIGIN OF ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIOLOGY
Environmental
sociology emerged mostly in the United State (Mehta and Ouellet, 1995). Environmental sociology emerged as a coherent
subfield of inquiry after the environmental movement of the 1960s and early
1970s. The works of William R. Catton, Jr. and Riley Dunlap, among others,
challenged the constricted anthropocentrism of classical sociology. In the late
1970s, they called for a new holistic, or systems perspective. Since the 1970s,
general sociology has noticeably transformed to include environmental forces in
social explanations. Environmental sociology has now solidified as a respected,
interdisciplinary field of study in academia.
Environmental
sociology is a relatively new area of inquiry that emerged largely in response
to increased societal recognition of the seriousness of environmental problems.
Many areas of sociology have similarly arisen as a result of societal attention
to problematic conditions, including poverty and inequality, racial and gender
discrimination, and crime and delinquency.
Environmental
sociology is unique, however, in that sociological attention to environmental
problems had to overcome strong disciplinary traditions that discouraged giving
attention to nonsocial conditions such as environmental quality. Consequently,
the growth of sociological work on environmental issues has been accompanied by
a critique and reassessment of core sociological assumptions and practices,
with the result that environmental sociology has a somewhat ambivalent stance
toward its parent discipline (http://www.edu.learnsoc.org/ environmental sociology.htm).
APPROACHES OF ENVIRONMENTAL
SOCIOLOGY
There
are two schools of thought when it comes to environmental sociology;
constructivism and realism
The constructionist approach
The
constructivist’s tend to be those individuals who develop ways that will help
to improve the environment; however, they do tend to be on the more extremist
side in their methods.
The realist approach
The
realists are those who want to help find the solutions needed to improve the
environment, however, these individuals also understand that there are some
concessions that need to be made out of necessity for the benefit of humans.
CONCLUSION
Generally,
environmental sociology study has its importance both to the environment and to
the human being, first it help in the preservation of both man and nature, it
gives man opportunity to change the negative action that damage and kept to a
minimal, also it help research that can help when it comes to finding a careful
balance that help mankind, enlightened sense of give and take between human and
environment, as well as environment sociology help to determine the man kind
and nature interact each other.
REFERENCES
Catton, W. R, &
Dunlap, R. E. (1980). A new ecological paradigm for post-exuberant sociology.
American Behavioral Scientist
Publisher
Catton, W. &
Dunlap, R. E. (1978). Theories, paradigms and the primacy of the HEP-NEP
Distinction, New York, The American
Sociologist Publisher.
Catton,
William R. (1980). Overshoot: The Ecological Basis of Revolutionary Change.
Urbana:
University of Illinois Press
Cohen, E. (1985). The tourist guide: The
origins, structure and dynamics of a role. Annals of Tourism Research
Dunlap, Riley E., and William Michelson
(eds.) (2002). Handbook of Environmental Sociology (Greenwood Press, ISBN
0-313-26808-8)
Godden, A. ( 2009). Sociology, Six Edition,
New York, Polity Press
Mehta, Michael, and Eric Ouellet. 1995.
Environmental Sociology: Theory and Practice, Toronto: Captus Press
Leahy, T. (2004), Sociology and Environment, New York, Mc Graw Hill
Retrieved on 01-04-2014 from: http://media.northwestern.edu/sociology/environmentsociety
Written by AUSI CHIWAMBO (2014)-Teofilo Kisanji University
thanks for posting this valuable writting.
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