Classificatory disputes and scientific controversies: society, nature, and culture in the Anthropocene

Authors

  • Felipe Barbosa Bertuluci Master in Sociology, PhD Student, Núcleo de Estudos e Pesquisas Ambientais, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6147-546X
  • Leila da Costa Leila da Costa PhD in Social Sciences, Professor, Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4138-9860
  • Roberto Donato Silva Júnior PhD in Environment and Society, Professor, Faculdade de Ciências Aplicadas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Limeira, SP, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9101-7048

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18472/SustDeb.v12n2.2021.34395

Keywords:

Anthropocene. Sustainability. Social Theory. Climate Change.

Abstract

In general, the idea of Anthropocene refers to the set of socio-historical, ecological, economic, and technological transformations responsible for configuring a new stage of regulation and evolution of the planetary geological system. From its original proposition in the 2000s, this notion gained increasing repercussion, mobilizing different positions in multiple fields of scientific knowledge. This article aims to develop a critical analysis of some of the main concepts found in such debates, from the mobilization of three fundamental analytical categories: the concepts of Society, Nature, and Culture. In methodological terms, this is a literature review article based on qualitative and non-systematic bibliographic research. The analysis undertaken here indicates how the different approaches mobilized by the driving idea of Anthropocene result in theoretical movements that redefine the relationships between agency, structure, and social change in the historical context of modern industrial societies.

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Author Biographies

Felipe Barbosa Bertuluci, Master in Sociology, PhD Student, Núcleo de Estudos e Pesquisas Ambientais, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil

Graduated in Social Sciences (Bachelor and Licentiate) at the Institute of Philosophy and Human Sciences (IFCH) at the State University of Campinas (Unicamp) and Master in Sociology (Graduate Program in Sociology – IFCH – Unicamp). Currently he is a regular student of the PhD course in Environment and Society at Center for Environmental Studies and Research (Nepam – Unicamp) and researcher at LABGEC (Laboratory of Social Dimensions of the Global Environmental Changes in the Global South). He develops research and works on the following themes: environmental sociology, sustainability, social practices, sustainable consumption and global climate change.

Leila da Costa Leila da Costa, PhD in Social Sciences, Professor, Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil

Professor of Sociology at the Institute of Philosophy and Human Sciences at UNICAMP. Senior researcher at Center for Environmental Studies and Research (NEPAM-UNICAMP). Currently is Associate Coordinator of Nepam. CNPq Researcher. Representative of UNICAMP WUN Global Challenges- Adapting to climate change. She is a member of the International Sociological Association (ISA). Associate Faculty member of the Earth System Governance Project (Future Earth). She was Visiting Professor at the University of Texas/ UT in the USA in 1998 and Visiting Professor at Jiao Tong University in Shanghai, China in 2009. She did post-doctoral studies at the University of York in England in 2005 and post-doctoral studies at the University of Texas/ UT in 1995/1996. She has lectured in more than 20 countries on environmental issues. She is the author of more than 10 books on environmental issues.

Roberto Donato Silva Júnior, PhD in Environment and Society, Professor, Faculdade de Ciências Aplicadas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Limeira, SP, Brazil

Professor of the Common General Core, of the Interdisciplinary Master's Degree in Applied Human and Social Sciences (ICHSA) of the Faculty of Applied Sciences (FCA) and of the PhD in Environment and Society of the Institute of Philosophy and Human Sciences (IFCH), all at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP). He has Bachelor's degree in Social Sciences (Bachelor and Licentiate) and Master's in Sociology from the Faculty of Sciences and Languages, Araraquara Campus (FCLAr) of the São Paulo State University “Júlio de Mesquita Filho” (UNESP) and PhD in Environment and Society from the Postgraduate Program in Environment and Society of the Center for Environmental Studies and Research (NEPAM/IFCH/UNICAMP). Currently, he is a member of the sub-committee of the PhD in Environment and Society, of the sub-committee of the Interdisciplinary Masters in Applied Social and Human Sciences and Associate Editor of the Journal “Environment and Society”. He is also a member of the boards of the National Association of Interdisciplinary Research and Post-Graduation in Social Sciences and Humanities (Aninter-SH) and the National Association of Post-Graduation and Research in Environment and Society (ANPPAS). Having as a starting point sociology and social studies of science, he develops research about the scientific production on environmental issues and its propositional, normative and political potentialities, both from an ethnographic point of view and from the analysis of the discursive dynamics of scientific artifacts. He works mainly on the following themes: sociology, anthropology, ecology and economics related to environmental and social issues; sustainability, agroecology, interdisciplinarity and education.

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Published

2021-08-30 — Updated on 2021-09-08

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How to Cite

Bertuluci, F. B., Leila da Costa, L. da C., & Silva Júnior, R. D. . (2021). Classificatory disputes and scientific controversies: society, nature, and culture in the Anthropocene. Sustainability in Debate, 12(2), 159–184. https://doi.org/10.18472/SustDeb.v12n2.2021.34395 (Original work published August 30, 2021)

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Vol. 12 No. 2 (2021): Sustainability in Debate / Sustentabilidade em Debate

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Articles - Varia

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