Title

Ecological Disaster As Contextual Transformation: Environmental Values In A Renewable Resource Community

Keywords

Contextual transformation; Ecological disaster; Environmental values; Oil spill

Abstract

The biophysical context and contextual change have significant economic, cultural, social, and psychological consequences for individuals and communities. Although acknowledging the importance of the biophysical context for theoretical and conceptual issues, social science research typically is conducted as if context does not matter. The authors discuss the relevance of context and outline research that examines the effects of context through assumed contextual variation, subjective contextual variables, objective contextual variables, and temporal contextual variation. The authors hypothesize that an ecological disaster occurring in a community where people are connected to the biophysical environment and ecological processes will result in the adoption of a more ecological worldview. This hypothesis is tested by analyzing data collected in the renewable resource communities of Cordova and Petersburg, Alaska, in the aftermath of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. The authors find support for this hypothesis and provide suggestions for future research. © 2005 Sage Publications.

Publication Date

9-1-2005

Publication Title

Environment and Behavior

Volume

37

Issue

5

Number of Pages

706-728

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916505275310

Socpus ID

25444469616 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/25444469616

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