Environmental Discourse and Practice

This text provides an introduction to the broad relationship between people and environments, the emergence of environmental thought and practice and the importance of environmental ideas in wider social and political discourses. The authors introduce the concept of environmental discourses - explanations of the world - around us, to help readers understand why human-environmental relationships take on the forms that they do. The book provides an historical grounding in environmental thought, an appreciation of current concerns and an understanding of why environmental issues are linked with some of the most important contemporary social movements. The authors demonstrate that the environment is as much a social construct as it is a physical presence. They highlight the social production of space, place and the environment and argue that the environment is partly a product of social institutions and plays an active role in cultural representation, political discourse and national identity. This text provides students with an introduction to environmental studies, history and ethics from a critical social science perspective.