In the past few years, the International Sociological Association's Research Committee on Environmental Sociology has emerged as one of the world's liveliest and most important for the exchange of ideas about the relationships between environment and society. This volume on sociological theory and the environment grows out of a particularly important international workshop on the same topic that was sponsored by that Research Committee, and it summarizes some of the most important thinking that has recently been done in the area. As such, it offers a valuable compilation of some of the most thoughtful work now available on this increasingly significant topic.

William R. Freudenburg, University of Wisconsin

Anyone with an interest in sociology and how this discipline has met the challenge of addressing the human/environment interaction will find this book rewarding. It provides a rich but critical overview of the contributions of classical sociologists such as Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber; the more recent Niklas Luhman, Theodor Adorno, and Jurgen Habermas; and contemporary writing on modernity and culture by Anthony Giddens and Ulrich Beck.

Environment

A unique book giving clear evidence of the relevance of all major traditional and contemporary social theories for understanding how modern society deals with the contemporary environmental crisis. Remarkably comprehensive and accessible, the book is essential reading for scholars and students in sociology and environmental studies.

Arthur P. J. Mol, Wageningen University, the Netherlands, and Renmin University, China