Mitchell, Ross E.

Dr. Ross E. Mitchell is a senior environmental scientist with Stantec Consulting Ltd. in Edmonton, Canada. He holds a Ph.D. in Rural Sociology and a B.Sc. in Forestry from the University of Alberta, as well as a M.Sc. in Rural Planning and Development from the University of Guelph. His professional background includes social assessments, public consultation, natural resource management, environmental governance, sustainable development, and research. Dr. Mitchell has published widely on environmental sociology, political ecology, and community development.

Thorstein Veblen's Contribution to Environmental Sociology

2007 0-7734-5415-2
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.