Social relations to nature

The term social relationships to nature denotes a specific form of conceptualization and analysis of the relationship between societies and their natural environment. Social relations to nature form the subject of social ecology .

Conceptually, they represent the dynamic relationship patterns between the realm of ' society ' and that of ' nature '. Social relations to nature are materially regulated (e.g. by supply systems for water , food and energy ) and symbolized culturally (e.g. by theories , images of nature or myths ). Using individual and concrete phenomena, it is possible to examine how different social and natural elements are selectively and dynamically linked with one another. At the level of concrete phenomena, a distinction can and must be made between a large number of individual social relationships to nature. Basic social relationships to nature develop in processes of need satisfaction . Examples are nutrition , reproduction and sexuality , spatial mobility .

The concept of social relations to nature can be applied to both historical and (post) modern societies. Any attempt to understand the social relationships to nature (e.g. in their crisis-prone nature ) requires making the relationship between society and nature an issue. But this is only possible by examining the problematic practices used in a society to differentiate between society and nature.

The term 'social relations to nature' plays a prominent role in most approaches in social-ecological research , in environmental sociology and in human ecology . Often one speaks of the social relationship to nature (in the singular), which is to be represented as a dialectical 'mediation context' between society and nature. The terms society and nature make a constitutive reference to one another: 'nature' cannot be properly thought of without a term of 'society', and every term of 'society' refers to 'nature'.

literature

Egon Becker , Thomas Jahn (Ed.): Social Ecology. Basic features of a science of the social relations of nature . Campus, Frankfurt a. M. 2006, ISBN 3-593-37993-7 .
Christoph Görg : Social conditions of nature (entrances; Vol. 7). Westphalian steam boat, Münster 1999, ISBN 3-89691-693-9 .
Markus Wissen : Social relations to nature in the internationalization of the state. Conflicts about the spatial nature of state politics and the control of natural resources (spatial productions; vol. 10). Westphalian steam boat, Münster 2011, ISBN 978-3-89691-878-9 (plus habilitation thesis, University of Vienna 2010).

Individual evidence

↑ For alternative concepts, see e.g. B. Scholz, RW (2011): Environmental literacy in science and society. From knowledge to decisions. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. For other uses of the term "relationship to nature" see e.g. B. Schäfer, L. 1987: "Self-determination and the relationship to nature of humans", in: Schwemmer, O. (Ed.): About nature. Philosophical contributions to the understanding of nature. Frankfurt / M .: 15–35 as well as the "Section III: Nature conditions" in Kirchhoff, T./Karafyllis NC / Evers, D. et al. (2017) (Ed.): "Naturphilosophie. A textbook and study book. Tübingen, UTB / Mohr Siebeck", in which physical, aesthetic, theoretical, experimental, household, understanding, religious and gender relationships in nature are differentiated and characterized.
↑ Becker, Egon / Thomas Jahn (eds.) (2006): Social Ecology. Basic features of a science of the social relations of nature. Frankfurt / M., Campus: 489.

[1] For alternative concepts, see e.g. B. Scholz, RW (2011): Environmental literacy in science and society. From knowledge to decisions. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. For other uses of the term "relationship to nature" see e.g. B. Schäfer, L. 1987: "Self-determination and the relationship to nature of humans", in: Schwemmer, O. (Ed.): About nature. Philosophical contributions to the understanding of nature. Frankfurt / M .: 15–35 as well as the "Section III: Nature conditions" in Kirchhoff, T./Karafyllis NC / Evers, D. et al. (2017) (Ed.): "Naturphilosophie. A textbook and study book. Tübingen, UTB / Mohr Siebeck", in which physical, aesthetic, theoretical, experimental, household, understanding, religious and gender relationships in nature are differentiated and characterized.

[2] Becker, Egon / Thomas Jahn (eds.) (2006): Social Ecology. Basic features of a science of the social relations of nature. Frankfurt / M., Campus: 489.