Environmental Justice and Environmentalism: The Social Justice Challenge to the Environmental Movement (Urban and Industrial Environments) [Paperback]

Ronald Sandler (Editor), Phaedra C. Pezzullo (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Urban and Industrial Environments | Publication Date: January 12, 2007

Although the environmental movement and the environmental justice movement would seem to be natural allies, their relationship over the years has often been characterized by conflict and division. The environmental justice movement has charged the mainstream environmental movement with racism and elitism and has criticized its activist agenda on the grounds that it values wilderness over people. Environmental justice advocates have called upon environmental organizations to act on environmental injustice and address racism and classism in their own hiring and organizational practices, lobbying agenda, and political platforms. This book examines the current relationship between the two movements in both conceptual and practical terms and explores the possibilities for future collaboration.In ten original essays, contributors from a variety of disciplines consider such topics as the relationship between the two movements' ethical commitments and activist goals, instances of successful cooperation in U.S. contexts, and the challenges posed to both movements by globalization and climate change. They examine the possibility and desirability of one unified movement as opposed to two complementary ones by means of analyses and case studies; these include a story of asbestos hazards that begins in a Montana mine and ends with the release of asbestos insulation into the air of Manhattan after the collapse of the World Trade Center. This book, part of a necessary rethinking of the relationship between the two movements, shows that effective, mutually beneficial alliances can advance the missions of both.Contributors:Kim Allen, J. Robert Cox, Vinci Daro, Kevin DeLuca, Giovanna Di Chiro, Daniel Faber, Dorothy Holland, Dale Jamieson, M. Nils Peterson, Markus John Peterson, Tarla Rai Peterson, Phaedra C. Pezzullo, J. Timmons Roberts, Ronald Sandler, Steve Schwarze, Peter Wenz

Editorial Reviews

Review

"If the goals of both the environmental justice movement and the environmental movement are urgent and worth advancing, why aren't we campaigning on them together? Sandler and Pezzullo's timely exploration, with its well chosen chapters, pulls no punches in advocating for better ways to work together, while recognizing the crucial need to also work apart." Julian Agyeman, Associate Professor, Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning, Tufts University

"I found this book to be provocative, well thought out, and very much worth the read. As an academic study it should spark a good deal of debate." Penny Newman , Executive Director, Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice, Riverside, California

"I found this book to be provocative, well thought out, and very much worth the read. As an academic study it should spark a good deal of debate."--Penny Newman, Executive Director, Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice, Riverside, California

"If the goals of both the environmental justice movement and the environmental movement are urgent and worth advancing, why aren't we campaigning on them together? Sandler and Pezullo's timely exploration, with its well chosen chapters, pulls no punches in advocating for better ways to work together, while recognizing the crucial need to also work apart."--Julian Agyeman, Associate Professor, Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning, Tufts University

About the Author

Ronald Sandler is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Northeastern University.

Phaedra C. Pezzullo is Assistant Professor of Rhetoric and Public Culture at Indiana University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 366 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press (January 12, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262693402
• ISBN-13: 978-0262693400
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #587,528 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

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4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty Good, August 19, 2011

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This review is from: Environmental Justice and Environmentalism: The Social Justice Challenge to the Environmental Movement (Urban and Industrial Environments) (Paperback)

I purchased this book for a college course on environmental justice and, for the most part, enjoyed it. The case studies are helpful in illustrating the typical environmental justice issues that arise. The authors also present some very insightful and effective ways that environmental justice and environmentalist groups can work together to achieve greater means.