Social Construction of Nature: A Sociology of Ecological Enlightenment

Demonstrating that our ideas of nature are culturally determined, The Social Construction of Nature critically examines the connection between nature and culture. Author Klaus Eder focuses on the relationship between modern, industrial societies and discusses how they have become increasingly violent and destructive. He questions the view of nature as an object while carefully analyzing symbolism, ritual, and taboo. Showing how nature is socially constructed, the work presents a critique of Marx and Durkheim while offering a radical reinterpretation of the intersection among society, culture, and nature. This original work concludes with an examination of the symbolic order of society and the role of religion in modern culture. Using a culturalist interpretation, Eder explains how environmentalism, and the social construction of nature, are a key indexes of social order and structure. The Social Construction of Nature is a unique agenda-setting interpretation of nature and ecology that will become the essential reference in any debate on environmental politics and sociology.