Plastics, Social Metabolism, and the Society-Nature Problematic

• In Event: 50620 - Section on Environmental Sociology Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 18: Metabolic Rifts and Shifts

Abstract

In this article, we contribute to an ongoing discussion in environmental social science around the society-nature problematic, which considers the distinction, or lack thereof, between society and nature. Drawing on the social metabolism approach in environmental sociology, we develop a concise historical discussion of the production and application of plastics. Analysis of plastics development offers valuable insights into how social and ecological systems, while ultimately united in the larger Earth system, must often be analytically differentiated. The case of plastics in the world provides essential nuance and validation for recognizing the distinct conditions created by historically specific social relations of production and how these can transgress against the universal metabolism of nature. Doing so allows for a critical understanding of the social drivers of environmental change, thus identifying potential mechanisms for alternative forms of the systems of production and consumption.

Authors

• John Hedlund, North Carolina State University

• Stefano B. Longo

• Tim P Clark, Catawba College