The handbook seeks to illuminate the key concepts in the study of development-environment through showcasing some of the Majoritarian (formerly "Developing") world’s scholars in order to explore theoretical connections through critical/radical theory, “small” theory, various conceptual frameworks, and non-Western and subaltern viewpoints.
The volume examines the themes around the study of the relationship between economic and social development and the environment. Part 1 covers theoretical and conceptual approaches to the study of development and environment by examining the diverse ways in which people perceive, understand, and act upon the world around them. Cross-scalar topics such as neo-liberalism and globalization, human rights, climate change, sustainability, and technology are covered in Part 2. The book shifts to examinations of resources and production in Part 3, where authors with a focus on one or more environmental resources or types of economic production are presented. Topics range from water, agriculture, and food, to energy, bioeconomy, and mining. The fourth section presents chapters where people are at the center of the development-environment nexus through topics such as gender relations, children, health, and cities. Finally, policy and governance of development and environment are explored in Part 5. The section includes both academics and practitioners who have worked with policy makers and are policy makers themselves.
The book is primarily intended for scholars and graduate students in geography, environmental studies, and development studies for whom it will provide an invaluable and up-to-date guide to current thinking across the range of disciplines, which converge in the study of development and environment.
Brent McCusker is Professor of Geography and Department Chairperson in the Department of Geology and Geography at West Virginia University, USA. He has published extensively on land use and livelihoods systems in sub-Saharan Africa. He also works with USAID on livelihood vulnerability analysis and mapping across a range of countries in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia.
Waquar Ahmed, a graduate of Clark University (Ph.D.) and Jawaharlal Nehru University (M. Phil.), is an associate professor of geography at the University of North Texas. He is the editor of the radical journal Human Geography. His research interests are in Capitalism, development-underdevelopment, state theory, foreign direct investments and social movements. His research has been published in the Annals of the Association of American Geographers, Antipode, Human Geography, ACME and several other journals and edited books.
Maano Ramutsindela is Professor in the Department of Environmental and Geographical Science at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. He has conducted research in Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, South Africa, and Tanzania focusing on transfrontier conservation, land, and regions.
Patricia Solís is Associate Research Professor in the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning at Arizona State University, USA. She is the executive director of the Knowledge Exchange for Resilience at Arizona State University, an interdisciplinary effort to link multi-sector community needs with research innovations around resilience.
