Overview

As concerns about humankind’s relationship with the environment move inexorably up the agenda, this volume tells the story of the history of the concept of ecology itself and adds much to the historical and philosophical debate over this multifaceted discipline. The text provides readers with an overview of the theoretical, institutional and historical formation of ecological knowledge. The varied local conditions of early ecology are considered in detail, while epistemological problems that lie on the borders of ecology, such as disunity and complexity, are discussed. The book traces the various phases of the history of the concept of ecology itself, from its 19th century origins and antecedents, through the emergence of the environmental movement in the later 20th century, to the future, and how ecology might be located in the environmental science framework of the 21st century. The study of ‘ecological’ phenomena has never been confined solely to the work of researchers who consider themselves ecologists. It is rather a field of knowledge in which a plurality of practices, concepts and theories are developed. Thus, there exist numerous disciplinary subdivisions and research programmes within the field, the boundaries of which remain blurred. As a consequence, the deliberation to adequately identify the ecological field of knowledge, its epistemic and institutional setting, is still going on. This will be of central importance not only in locating ecology in the frame of 21st century environmental sciences but also for a better understanding of how nature and culture are intertwined in debates about pressing problems, such as climate change, the protection of species diversity, or the management of renewable resources.

Full Product Details

Author:   Astrid Schwarz ,  Kurt Jax
Publisher:   Springer
Imprint:   Springer
Edition:   2011 ed.
Dimensions:   Width: 15.50cm , Height: 2.40cm , Length: 23.50cm
Weight:   0.706kg
ISBN:  

9789400797383

ISBN 10:   9400797389
Pages:   444
Publication Date:   06 November 2014
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

Part I: Design of the Handbook of Ecological Concepts   1. Why Write a Handbook of Ecological Concepts?      A. Schwarz, K. Jax    2. Structure of the Handbook      K. Jax, A. Schwarz    3. History of Concepts for Ecology      A. Schwarz   Part II: The Foundations of Ecology: Philosophical and Historical Perspectives    4. Multifaceted Ecology Between Organicism, Emergentism and Reductionism      D. Bergandi    5. The Classical Holism-Reductionism Debate in Ecology      L. Trepl, A. Voigt   Part III: About the Inner Structure of Ecology – Some Theses   6. Conceptualizing the Heterogeneity, Embeddedness, and Ongoing Restructuring That Make Ecological Complexity               ‘Unruly’.        P. Taylor   7. A Few Theses Regarding the Inner Structure of Ecology.     G. Wiegleb   8. Dynamics in the Formation of Ecological Knowledge.     A. Schwarz   Part IV: Main Phases of the History of the Concept “Ecology”   9. Etymology and Original Sources of the Term “Ecology”     A. Schwarz, K. Jax   10. The Early Period of Word and Concept Formation       K. Jax, A. Schwarz   11. Competing Terms       K. Jax, A. Schwarz   12. Stabilizing a Concept       K. Jax   13. Formation of Scientific Societies       K. Jax   14. The Fundamental Subdivisions of Ecology       K. Jax, A. Schwarz   Part V: “Ecology”, Society and the Systems View in the Twentieth and Twenty-first Century   15. The Rise of Systems Theory in Ecology       A. Voigt   16. Ecology and the Environmental Movement       A. Jamison   17. Ecology and Biodiversity at the Beginning of the Twenty-first Century: Towards a New Paradigm?       P. Blandin   18. An Ecosystem View into the Twenty-first Century       W. Haber   Part VI: Local Conditions of Early Ecology   19. Early Ecology in the German-Speaking World Through WWII.       A. Schwarz, K. Jax   20. The History of Early British and US-American Ecology to 1950       R. McIntosh   21. The French Tradition in Ecology: 1820–1950       P. Matagne   22. Early History of Ecology in Spain, 1868–1936       S. Casado   23. Plant Community, Plantesamfund       P. Anker   24. Looking at Russian Ecology through the Biosphere Theory       G.S. Levit   Part VII: Border Zones of Scientific Ecology and Other Fields   25. Geography as Ecology       G. Hard   26. Border Zones of Ecology and the Applied Sciences       Y. Haila   27. Border Zones of Ecology and Systems Theory       E. Becker, B. Breckling   28. Economy, Ecology and Sustainability       J.M. Gowdy   Picture Credits Glossary Author Biography Author Index Subject Index

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