Political Ecology: A Critical Introduction

This fully updated new edition introduces the core concepts, central thinkers, and major works of the burgeoning field of political ecology.

• Explores the key arguments and contemporary explanatory challenges facing the sub-discipline
• Provides the first full history of the development of political ecology over the last century and its theoretical underpinnings
• Considers the major challenges facing the field now and for the future
• Study boxes introduce key figures in the development of the discipline and summarize their most important works
• Fully updated to include recent events, such as the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill, as well as both urban and rural examples, from the developed and underdeveloped world

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.

• Provides the first full history of the development of political ecology over the last century.
  
• Considers the major challenges facing the field now and for the future.
  
• Written to be accessible to students at all levels and from different disciplines.
  
• Uses case examples to explore abstract, theoretical issues in a down-to-earth way.
  
• Features study boxes, introducing key figures in the development of the discipline and summarizing their key works.
  
• Details of the author’s own research experiences to offer a personal glimpse into political ecology research.

Paul Robbins is Associate Professor of Geography at Ohio State University. He is the author of numerous articles exploring the relationships between power, knowledge, and environmental change. He has been a Fulbright Fellow and the recipient of grants and fellowships from the National Science Foundation, the American Institute of Indian Studies, and the Lake Erie Protection Fund.