Political Ecology: A Critical Introduction (Critical Introductions to Geography) (Paperback)

~ Paul Robbins (Author)
Key Phrases: apolitical ecology, apolitical ecologies, green materialism, United States, New England, World Bank (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“There is nothing like it, an excellent and accessible volume that will take over as ‘the’ textbook on political ecology.” Susanna Hecht, University of California, Los Angeles

“Above all a teaching text, but with an argument and written with great style and verve.” Tony Bebbington, University of Manchester

"This is an excellent, refreshing text ... it should be seen as a set text on all ecology courses and deserves the widest readership." Paul Ganderton, Teaching Ecology Group

"Although I am somewhat skeptical of textbooks, particularly as a way of teaching theory, this book is rich enough to make me want to design a class around it." Enviroment and Planning

"This book is written in a clear, accessible language to scholars. [T]he features of the book coalesce to form a text that is entertaining and which provides a rigorous synthesis of the achievements and shortcomings of political ecology to date. In my view this book is essential reading for any person professing to be an academic geographer of any sort." South African Geographical Journal

Product Description

This text presents a critical survey of the burgeoning field of political ecology, an interdisciplinary area of research which connects politics and economy to problems of environmental control and ecological change. Written to be accessible to students at all levels and from different disciplines, it provides an entertaining and rigorous synthesis of the achievements and shortcomings of the field to date.

The book is divided into four sections: the history and emergence of political ecology over the last century; the conceptual and methodological challenges facing political ecologists; the major questions that political ecology has addressed and, to varying degrees, answered; and the major challenges that face the field now and for the future. Throughout, the author uses case examples to explore abstract, theoretical issues in a down-to-earth way. He also draws on real life details from his own experience, in order to offer a personal glimpse into political ecology research.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell (August 6, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1405102667
• ISBN-13: 978-1405102667
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #242,347 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The "A" standard, August 25, 2004

By	Eric P. Perramond "Don Perrito" (Colorado Springs, CO) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Robbins has provided the new standard for political ecology texts, at least in geography, although this book is far different from a mundane "textbook." He summarizes both the thrust of what political ecology, what political ecologists do, and the shifting ground beneath our feet as we all struggle to understand and explain human-environment relationships in a political and economically complex world. Some readers and reviewers have fairly pointed out that the volume is too accommodating to perspectives that traditionally clash, or don't mesh very well, to the point of neglecting important differences in how political ecologists conduct research and how they frame it in a particular body of ideas.
I am not sure how some of the authors of past works in cultural, human and political ecology (or anthropology) would view Robbins' interpretation of their work, either in the time-line diagrams of how the sub-discipline has evolved or in the sense of being lumped with other practitioners with whom they shared little in common.
So, while the book is exceptional, the volume can be critiqued for being a bit too inclusive: Robbins has tried to build a tent large enough to house all of the bickering schools, personalities and research approaches...that rarely agree to enter the same tent.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Read on Robbins, January 3, 2007

By	Tristan Ragsdale - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Not a bad text for advanced environmental studies students. The layperson outside of the classroom may have some difficulty identifying the underlying structure, and deeper meaning of political ecology, which I find to be a radical de-constructionist perspective.