What are the origin of Environmental Sociology?

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

 Retrieved on 01-04-2014 from: http://www.socialresearchmethods.net

Written By AUSI CHIWAMBO (2014)-Teofilo Kisanji University