Political Sociology of Environmental
Crises
- Week 1 -
The environment houses the institutions in which humans live, it is the macro-
level of this course. Some equally important definitions:
Political sociology: explores the politics that happens in different social
settings as well as the ways in which social relations and attributes shape
political participation, political organizations and distribution of political power.
Environmental sociology: a subdiscipline of sociology that examines the
relationship between humans and the entities and processes of the environment
(the natural world).
Politics: the set of activities associated with government.
Policies: system of measures set for change by a government.
Polity: a form of government, institutions.
Power: the probability that one actor within a social relationship will be able to
carry out their own will despite resistance from others. Opposing interests,
unequal distribution of means and being unable to exit relationships constitutes
power.
Social closure: ways in which social relations and networks contribute to the
organization of power. Think family relations, adherence to norms and social
identities. It promotes the trust and cohesion within groups necessary to exercise
power over or oppose power of other groups.
Social problems need to be described, explained and its associated solutions
made applicable before they can be solved. Three different questions attempt to
solve each step:
1) Descriptive questions ask for facts (what).
2) Theoretical questions ask for reasons (how).
3) Application questions ask for solutions (how).
, Inductive reasoning (Proposition, condition & observation): forming
generalizations from example or sample phenomena. The strength of the
argument depends on the representativeness of observations, the number of
observations and the quality of observations. This type of reasoning is used in
scientific discoveries and in real life.
Explanations reason starting from an observation. Predictions start from a
proposition and condition to form a hypothesis.
Coleman’s diagram is commonly used as a blueprint to help you build
sociological theories. It is used to ensure that certain crucial elements are
included in a theory. Sociology studies the relation between macro-conditions
and macro-outcomes. Coleman’s diagram can be utilized to go beyond common-
sense claims, ones that simply look at the direct relation between macro-
condition and macro-outcome. The diagram also considers individual behavior
and how behavioral reactions of many may lead back to a macro-outcome.
If you systematically follow Coleman’s diagram when forming your theory, you
ensure that arguments on bridge assumptions, transformation rules and
individual level theory are made explicit. You do not try to simply explain the
macro effect on its own. A Coleman’s diagram can follow up another Coleman’s
diagram, collective effects create another social condition after all. A Coleman
Fleet may be used to make a feedback loop explicit and thus to expand on the
Coleman diagram when it fails to cover a theory fully.
PTOB-model:
Problems: starts from social and environmental problems.
Theories: uses sociological theories for explanations.
Research: discusses insights from empirical research.
Policies: assesses environmental policies.
Radical right wing parties align environmental stances with their nationalist
ideologies. These parties view nature as symbolic of cultural heritage and
national sovereignty. Transnational solutions to environmental issues threaten
nationalist ideals and are thus not accepted. Environmental positions are
ideologically driven rather than opportunistic.
Aesthetics: visual and emotional appreciation of natural landscape as a symbol
of national beauty and harmony. There is a Romantic ideal of unspoiled nature.
Crises
- Week 1 -
The environment houses the institutions in which humans live, it is the macro-
level of this course. Some equally important definitions:
Political sociology: explores the politics that happens in different social
settings as well as the ways in which social relations and attributes shape
political participation, political organizations and distribution of political power.
Environmental sociology: a subdiscipline of sociology that examines the
relationship between humans and the entities and processes of the environment
(the natural world).
Politics: the set of activities associated with government.
Policies: system of measures set for change by a government.
Polity: a form of government, institutions.
Power: the probability that one actor within a social relationship will be able to
carry out their own will despite resistance from others. Opposing interests,
unequal distribution of means and being unable to exit relationships constitutes
power.
Social closure: ways in which social relations and networks contribute to the
organization of power. Think family relations, adherence to norms and social
identities. It promotes the trust and cohesion within groups necessary to exercise
power over or oppose power of other groups.
Social problems need to be described, explained and its associated solutions
made applicable before they can be solved. Three different questions attempt to
solve each step:
1) Descriptive questions ask for facts (what).
2) Theoretical questions ask for reasons (how).
3) Application questions ask for solutions (how).
, Inductive reasoning (Proposition, condition & observation): forming
generalizations from example or sample phenomena. The strength of the
argument depends on the representativeness of observations, the number of
observations and the quality of observations. This type of reasoning is used in
scientific discoveries and in real life.
Explanations reason starting from an observation. Predictions start from a
proposition and condition to form a hypothesis.
Coleman’s diagram is commonly used as a blueprint to help you build
sociological theories. It is used to ensure that certain crucial elements are
included in a theory. Sociology studies the relation between macro-conditions
and macro-outcomes. Coleman’s diagram can be utilized to go beyond common-
sense claims, ones that simply look at the direct relation between macro-
condition and macro-outcome. The diagram also considers individual behavior
and how behavioral reactions of many may lead back to a macro-outcome.
If you systematically follow Coleman’s diagram when forming your theory, you
ensure that arguments on bridge assumptions, transformation rules and
individual level theory are made explicit. You do not try to simply explain the
macro effect on its own. A Coleman’s diagram can follow up another Coleman’s
diagram, collective effects create another social condition after all. A Coleman
Fleet may be used to make a feedback loop explicit and thus to expand on the
Coleman diagram when it fails to cover a theory fully.
PTOB-model:
Problems: starts from social and environmental problems.
Theories: uses sociological theories for explanations.
Research: discusses insights from empirical research.
Policies: assesses environmental policies.
Radical right wing parties align environmental stances with their nationalist
ideologies. These parties view nature as symbolic of cultural heritage and
national sovereignty. Transnational solutions to environmental issues threaten
nationalist ideals and are thus not accepted. Environmental positions are
ideologically driven rather than opportunistic.
Aesthetics: visual and emotional appreciation of natural landscape as a symbol
of national beauty and harmony. There is a Romantic ideal of unspoiled nature.
