Thorstein Veblen's Contribution to Environmental Sociology: Essays in the Political Ecology of Wasteful Industrialism

This collection of essays focuses on the life, thought and writings of Thorstein Bunde Veblen (1857-1929), the American political economist and sociologist. This volume will be of interest not only to economists, sociologists, political scientists, ecologists and environmentalists, but to those who are engaged in and interested in crossing disciplinary borders. Thorstein Bunde Veblen (1857-1929), the American political economist and sociologist was renowned for his heretical views and satirical wit on societal mores and coining catchy terms such as "the leisure class," "conspicuous consumption" and "pecuniary emulation." Renewed enthusiasm on Veblen's profound and incisive thought has led to new writings on his contributions to diverse topics such as fashion and design, marketing and consumer theory, and sustainable development. Until now, however, his potential theoretical contributions to environmental theory have been largely ignored. This edited collection examines Veblen's potential contributions to the subfield of political ecology from several diverse yet complementary angles, including his take on wasteful industrialism, absentee ownership, relations of power and influence, and growing consumerism. It is hoped that this work will encourage further study into Veblen's influence on environmental theory from critical societal perspectives.