| 1. |
- Linnell, Mikael, et al.
(författare)
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A speculative conversation on climate change and sociology
- 2023
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Ingår i: Sociologisk Forskning. - 0038-0342. ; 60:3-4, s. 401-410
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article provides a diverse range of insights into the question of how sociology can and should contribute to research on climate change. It takes an unconventional and unique approach to doing so, through a stylized conversation between the authors, which is based on an open-ended focus group discussion. The conversation illuminates different perspectives on if and how to research climate change and the climate crisis from a sociological perspective. We delve into issues of normativity in sociological research, discuss the benefits and pitfalls of several methodological approaches, theorize about how climate change might affect sociology in the decades to come, as well as how sociology needs to further develop in order to stay a relevant discipline for this grand societal challenge. We conclude not with suggestions for future research, but with a call for further reflective conversation on these topics, both within and outside of sociology.
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| 2. |
- Boström, Magnus, 1972-, et al.
(författare)
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Can we rely on ‘climate friendly’ consumption?
- 2019
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Ingår i: Journal of Consumer Culture. - : Sage Publications. - 1469-5405 .- 1741-2900. ; 19:3, s. 359-378
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In policy and research on sustainable consumption in general, and climate-oriented consumption specifically, key questions centre around whether people are motivated and prompted to support such consumption. A common claim in the scholarly debate is that policy makers, in face of fundamental governance challenges, refrain from taking responsibility and instead invest unrealistic hopes in that consumers will solve pressing environmental problems through consumer choice. Although green consumption is challenging, specifically climate-friendly consumption is even more so, due to the particularly encompassing, complex and abstract sets of problems and since climate impact concerns the totality of one’s consumption. Nevertheless, consumers are called to participate in the task to save the planet. This article draws on existing literature on climate-oriented consumption with the aim of contributing to a proper understanding of the relation between consumer action and climate mitigation. It provides a synthesis and presents key constraining mechanisms sorted under five themes: the value-action gap, individualisation of responsibility, knowledge gap, ethical fetishism and the rebound effect. This article concludes with a discussion of perspectives that endorse a socially embedded view of the citizen-consumer. The discussion indicates pathways for how to counteract the constraining mechanisms and open up room for climate-friendly citizen-consumers.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Boström, Magnus, 1972-, et al.
(författare)
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Dilemmas for standardizers of sustainable consumption
- 2014. - 1
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Ingår i: Routledge international handbook of social and environmental change. - Abingdon, Oxon : Routledge. - 9780415782791 - 9781136707995 ; , s. 81-92
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)
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| 5. |
- Boström, Magnus, 1972-, et al.
(författare)
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Mass Consumption and Political Consumerism
- 2019
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Ingår i: The Oxford Handbook of Political Consumerism. - New York : Oxford University Press. - 9780190629038 ; , s. 855-875
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)
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| 6. |
- Boström, Magnus, et al.
(författare)
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Mass Consumption and Political Consumerism
- 2018
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Ingår i: The Oxford Handbook of Political Consumerism. - : Oxford University Press. - 9780190629038 ; , s. 855-875
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This chapter focuses on the relation between mass consumption and political consumerism. Mass consumption concerns the omnipresent role of consumption in contemporary societies with associated problems of excessive resource use in current practices of consumption. The late modern context and forces of mass consumption can both trigger and prevent political consumerism as well as shape its outcome. The chapter offers a literature review that addresses both examples of alternative consumption (e.g., buycotts) and various kinds of anticonsumption, which involve politically motivated ambitions to cut down on consumption. The chapter addresses how mass consumption activates political consumerist potentials, including sentiments towards anticonsumption. It furthermore shows how mass consumption makes people unable to link consumption to political considerations. Finally, the chapter analyses possibilities and difficulties in transforming niche political consumerist initiatives to the mainstream in a society that is dominated by mass consumption.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Boström, Magnus, 1972-, et al.
(författare)
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Social sustainability requires social sustainability procedural prerequisites for reaching substantive goals
- 2015
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Ingår i: Nature and Culture. - : Berghahn Books. - 1558-6073 .- 1558-5468. ; 10:2, s. 131-156
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The synergies and trade-offs between the various dimensions of sustainable development are attracting a rising scholarly attention. Departing from the scholarly debate, this article focuses on internal relationships within social sustainability. Our key claim is that it is diffi cult to strengthen substantive social sustainability goals unless there are key elements of social sustainability contained in the very procedures intended to work toward sustainability. Our analysis, informed by an organizing perspective, is based on a set of case studies on multi-stakeholder transnational sustainability projects (sustainability standards). This article explores six challenges related to the achievement of such procedures that can facilitate substantive social sustainability. Three of these concern the formulation of standards and policies, and three the implementation of standards and policies. To achieve substantive social sustainability procedures must be set in motion with abilities to take hold of people's concerns, frames, resources, as well as existing relevant institutions and infrastructures.
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| 9. |
- Boström, Magnus, 1972-, et al.
(författare)
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State-centered versus nonstate-driven organic food standardization: A comparison of the US and Sweden
- 2006
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Ingår i: Agriculture and Human Values. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0889-048X .- 1572-8366. ; 23:2, s. 163-180
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Organic food standardization is an increasingly important strategy for dealing with consumer concerns about the environment, animal welfare, health, and the economic structure of food production. But the ways in which this consumer-oriented strategy is introduced, organized, and debated vary considerably across countries. In Sweden, a nongovernmental organization [KRAV (Association for Control of Organic Production)] - consisting of social movement organizations, associations for conventional and organic farmers, and the food industry - has been quite successful in promoting organic food labeling as an eco-label. KRAV has developed a complementary position vis-a-vis the state and EU regulatory framework. In the US, the federal government controls standardization. The government frames the label as a "marketing label," thus rejecting the idea that organic food production would have any significant advantages for the environment or, indirectly, for human health. This framing is separate from the ones created by organic constituencies, leading to deeper controversies than in Sweden. The purpose of this paper is to examine why standardization has followed different patterns in the two settings. We analyze context factors (i.e., political culture, pre-regulatory arrangements, and organizational structures) and process factors (i.e., framing and organizing). What are the benefits of a state-centric versus a nonstate-driven approach regarding powerful standardization? The paper shows that both settings provide not only "threats of regulatory occupation" from actors not committed to organic principles but also avenues for substantial standardization in the future, albeit through different channels.
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| 10. |
- Boström, Magnus, 1972-, et al.
(författare)
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The green political consumer of food : a critical analysis of the research and policies
- 2009
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Ingår i: Anthropology of Food. - : International Commission on the Anthropology of Food. - 1609-9168. ; :Sept.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper reviews the current literature on political and ethical consumers, and relates it to the topic of sustainable food consumption. A first aim is to problematise a somewhat simplistic view of the political and ethical consumer found in the literature. The paper sheds light on some of the dilemmas that confront green political consumers. We indicate that most existing studies say very little about consumers’ thoughts, assumptions, and reflections about green consumerism in general, and about green consumerist tools, such as green labels, more specifically. Based on a literature review, we draw a picture of the typical concerned consumer as reflective, uncertain and ambivalent. This is connected to a second aim of the paper: to discuss a gap or mismatch between the production side and consumption side of green (food) labels. We conclude the paper by suggesting that green and ethical information schemes could become much more in line with the reflective nature of green, political consumers. We relate this discussion to concepts such as sub-politics and meta-politics.
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