Grantee Research Project Results
Collective Environmental Action from an Anthropological Perspective: A Study of Environmental Movements in the United States
EPA Grant Number: U915615Title: Collective Environmental Action from an Anthropological Perspective: A Study of Environmental Movements in the United States
Investigators: Daro, Vinci E.
Institution: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
EPA Project Officer: Lee, Sonja
Project Period: September 1, 1999 through September 1, 2002
Project Amount: $101,602
RFA: STAR Graduate Fellowships (1999) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Fellowship - Social Sciences , Academic Fellowships , Environmental Justice
Objective:
The objective of this research project is to bring anthropological knowledge to bear on the social and cultural aspects of environmental degradation. The investigator would like to help develop, and participate in, avenues for new forms of collaboration between social scientists, ecologists, and policy-makers in developing strategies for responding to environmental concerns that are culturally relevant to local communities in the United States and around the world.
Approach:
Using research tools and theoretical approaches developed by anthropologists, this work draws ethnographic material from local environmental struggles, and broader contextual material from political debates taking place nationally. Participant observation, open-ended personal life-history interviews, and reviews of media coverage of environmental issues are the primary research tools. The project's theoretical approach includes "social practice theory," which focuses on the way identities and commitments develop in social practice, and "political ecology," which focuses on conflicting cultural values that shape-and are shaped by-environmental struggles.
Expected Results:
The research will provide an account of cultural models taking shape among concerned sectors of the public that can be used by decision makers to evaluate environmental issues and potential solutions.
Supplemental Keywords:
anthropology, activism, environmental movements., RFA, Scientific Discipline, Economic, Social, & Behavioral Science Research Program, Economics & Decision Making, Anthropology, decision-making, Social Science, Sociology, Ecology and Ecosystems, advocacy coalition framework, political ecology, deliberative policy, policy analysis, policy making, behavior change, coalition formation, environmental decision making, activism, collective choice process, culture and social practicesProgress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.