A Crossroads for Environmental Sociology: Biophilia and Ecological-Evolutionary Theory as Mid-Range Theories

• In Event: 254 - Section on Environment and Technology Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 10. Theory

Abstract

Environmental sociology, in the years since its inception, has filled a much needed gap in sociology, addressing the interactions between and intertwinement of the natural and social worlds. This aim, however, has been hindered by the pervasive difficulty in developing theory that is not only sound on the most grandiose of scales, but also holds value in highly contextualized situations and may be translated and applied across time and space. This paper explores two mid-range theory candidates – The Biophilia Hypothesis and Ecological-Evolutionary Theory – evaluating their usefulness in environmental sociology. This exploration is two-fold: first, an in-depth analysis of each theory will be provided, discussing its merits and shortcomings, and second, each theory will be applied to the same case study (sustainable urban space design in London, UK and East Lansing, MI) to understand the theory’s potential for contextual application. Upon completion of this text, it is our hope that environmental sociology will find itself in a position to better apply these theories for the production of knowledge moving forward.

Authors

• Kevin Michael Adams, Michigan State University

• Sandra T. Marquart-Pyatt, Michigan State University