Environmental Melancholia by Renee Lertzman

Environmental Melancholia by Renee Lertzman

In this groundbreaking book, Renee Lertzman applies psychoanalytic theory and psychosocial research to the issue of public engagement and public apathy in response to chronic ecological threats. By highlighting unconscious and affective dimensions of contemporary ecological issues, Lertzman deconstructs the idea that there is a gap between what people care about and what is actually carried out in policy and personal practice. In doing so, she presents an innovative way to think about and design engagement practices and policy interventions. Based on key qualitative fieldwork and in-depth interviews conducted in Green Bay, Wisconsin, each chapter provides a psychosocial, psychoanalytic perspective on subjectivity, affect and identity, and considers what this means for understanding behaviour in relation to environmental crises and climate change. The book argues for a theory of environmental melancholia that accounts for the ways in which people experience profound loss and disruption caused by environmental issues, and yet may have trouble expressing or making sense of such experiences. Environmental Melancholia offers a fresh perspective to the field of environmental psychology that until now has been largely dominated by research in cognitive, behavioural and social psychology. It will appeal to academics, researchers and postgraduate students in the fields of psychoanalysis, psychosocial studies and sustainability, as well as policy makers and educators internationally.

'Although this is a densely written text, I found it novel and very thought provokingIt will be of interest to those wishing to apply therapeutic frameworks to wider social issues.'- Anne Gilbert, Gestalt psychotherapist, Therapy Today

Renee Lertzman teaches Psychology of Environmental Education and Communication in the MA programme at Royal Roads University, British Columbia, Canada, and is a Psychosocial Researcher. She has a PhD in Psychosocial Studies from Cardiff University, UK, and actively speaks and teaches internationally. She currently works with environmental organizations in the public, private and governmental sectors, as a strategic communications and engagement consultant and as an applied researcher.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780415727990
ISBN 10	0415727995
Title	Environmental Melancholia
Author	Renee Lertzman
Series	Psychoanalytic Explorations
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Routledge
Year published	2015-06-24
Number of pages	222
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.