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12 - Social Theory in the Anthropocene: Ecological Crisis and Renewal

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 December 2020

By
Robert J. Antonio  and
Brett Clark
Edited by
Peter Kivisto
Peter Kivisto
Affiliation:
Augustana College, Illinois
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Summary

This essay argues that social theory, and social science per se, must be reconstructed to address a rapidly emergent planetary crisis characterized by exceptional ecological degradation and extreme economic inequality. The task requires re-envisioning society as part of the interdependent “web of nature,” acknowledging that humans face ecological constraints like all other living things with which we share the planet, grasping the growth imperative for capital accumulation as the primary driver of the socioecological crisis, and coming to terms with the need to radically transform capitalism as we have known it to escape catastrophe.

Anthropocene, exemptionalism, growth imperative, neoliberalism, planetary boundaries

Robert J. Antonio teaches sociology at the University of Kansas.He specializes in social theory, but also works on globalization, political economy, and the environment.Currently he is working on projects related to capitalism’s crisis tendencies, especially concerning the intersection of increased economic inequality, ecological risk, and democratic and authoritarian responses.

Brett Clark is Professor of Sociology, Environmental Humanities, and Environmental and Sustainability Studies at the University of Utah. His research interests include social theory, political economy, and ecology.

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The Cambridge Handbook of Social Theory , pp. 227 - 248
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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