User:Mark J Smith

The account of this former contributor was not re-activated after the server upgrade of March 2022.

My previous research has focused on the environmental sustainability, political sociology, philosophy and methodology of the social sciences, cultural theory and social and political thought. My current empirical research is focused on three areas.

  1. Urban environmental change: community and urban sociology, the promotion of green and urban woodlands, civic engagement and social justice, 'just sustainability' in urban environments.
  2. Political sociology: political participation and its transformation, new techniques of dissent, culture as a vehicle for political action, social movements and resource mobilization, local environmental mobilisations, transnational activist networks.
  3. Environmental and social responsibility: environmental/ecological citizenship, transnational corporations, global labor standards, corporate responsibility/citizenship, civic engagement and the role of ethics in transnational politics and the environment. 

Recently my work has been concerned with transnational activist networks and advocacy, exploring civic engagement initiatives on the environment and labor standards in Southeast Asia, North America and Europe. The nicest things to happen this year include presenting a keynote for UN World Environment Day and addressing a policy vision conference for the Woodlands Trust http://www.woodland-trust.org.uk/wcc/ http://www.woodland-trust.org.uk/wcc/speakers.htm . My writing on research methods and knowledge construction will continue with a new book on 'liquid knowledge' exploring transdisciplinary social research (based on my lectures as Visiting Professor in Philosophy and Methodology of the Social Sciences, University of Oslo) and another on the role of ethical judgements and cultural values in research practice. Forthcoming publications in 2008 include a four volume collection on environmental ethics and a co-authored book on 'Gender and Environment'. I have been involved in audio and TV broadcasts on environmental issues, the European Union, disability activism and new forms of political dissent. As a writer, campaigner and academic, I seek to explore how ideas and activism can make a difference in politics, global society and the environment.

Previous projects My published research work has been focused on three areas that emphasize the interconnections of theory and practice in research as well as developing a transdisciplinary approach to social research methodology.

  1. Environmental governance and citizenship: governance and environmental policy, sustainable communities, contemporary ecological thought, ethics in environmental policy making, social movements and resource mobilization.
  2. Political sociology of activism and global responsibility: transnational activist networks (linking campaigns for environmental sustainability with those on labor standards and human rights), corporate social responsibility and citizenship.
  3. Sociology of knowledge: sociological theory and academic governance, the politics of knowledge production and consumption, philosophy and methodology of the social sciences, phenomenology and ethnography, qualitative methods, intellectual migration, critical exegetics, postdisciplinary and transdisciplinary social science, normality and pathology in social scientific practice, discourse analysis and cultural theory. 

---

Tasks: start a new article • add basic, wanted or requested articles • add definitions • add metadata • edit new pages

Welcome to the Citizendium! We hope you will contribute boldly and well. Here are pointers for a quick start, and see Getting Started for other helpful "startup" links, our help system and CZ:Home for the top menu of community pages. You can test out editing in the sandbox if you'd like. If you need help to get going, the forum is one option. That's also where we discuss policy and proposals. You can ask any user or the editors for help, too. Just put a note on their "talk" page. Again, welcome and have fun!

Sarah Tuttle 16:06, 12 December 2006 (CST)