IV ISA Forum of Sociology (February 23-28, 2021)

15

Climate Change and Collective Action Towards Societal Transition

Abstract Submissions Closed

Language: English and Spanish

Session Type: Oral

Invited Session

The landscape of climate politics is shifting rapidly, from social movement activity such as the
‘Water is Life’ Movement, involving a coalition of over 350 Native American tribes and
countless non-indigenous supporters seeking to oppose a new oil pipeline through the central
U.S. and the ongoing protests of Fridays for Future, to rapid technological developments aiding
in the increased viability of renewable energy at multiple scales, to the mass movement of
people forced to migrate at least in part to the impacts of climate change on local livelihoods,
and recent efforts of big companies like Volkswagen to reframe themselves as climate-aware.
While until recently climate change has been relegated to the fringes of politics as an
‘environmental issue,’ today climate change is undeniably at the heart of growing concern over
the ability to pursue global democracy, equality, economic development, health and food
security.
Sociologists have not only produced crucial knowledge about climate change and societal
transition; we have also engaged in a significant amount of disciplinary reflexivity, as the global
challenges we face today force a reckoning with many elements of our epistemology, from our
reliance on nation-states as a unit of analysis, the interwoven dynamics of human and nonhuman
elements as well as organizations and movements in coordinating collective action, the
problematic focus on formal organizations as central actors in driving transitions, and increasing
recognition of the intersectional determinants of inequity. There nonetheless remains a
pressing need for further sociological attention, in particular to the mechanisms of coordinating
collective action in supporting or hindering social change. Far too many policy prescriptions to
date, however well-intended, have fallen short of expectations, in large part due to overly
simplistic understandings of human and social practice. Devoting time at the Forum to dialogue
with sociologists deeply engaged in understanding the mechanisms of collective action in the
context of climate change and societal transition can not only provide an opportunity for
sharing knowledge and ideas, it can also inspire conceptual innovation. We therefore aim to
initiate discussions between scholars engaged in the sociology of the environment and
researchers focussing on organizations and movements as two important types of mobilizing
collective action. The panel will follow the Koppel method, in which each panelist will provide a
short presentation, after which a facilitator will ask each panelist a set of questions, followed by
open Q&A discussion with attendees.

Common session endorsed by RC17 Sociology of Organization, RC24 Environment and Society, and RC48 Social Movements, Collective Action and SocialChange