
Sustainability and the Civil Commons
Rural Communities in the Age of Globalization
Jennifer Sumner(Author)
University of Toronto Press
Published on 8. January 2005
Book
Hardback
180 pages
978-0-8020-7999-2 (ISBN)
Description
Often used but little understood, the word 'sustainability' is potent in its ability to evoke a better world based on economic, social, and environmental justice. The concept of sustainability, however, has been strikingly under-theorized. Sustainability and the Civil Commons provides what has been lacking since the publication of the Brundtland Report - a firm foundation and a clear vision of alternatives. Using rural communities as her reference-point, Jennifer Sumner exposes the unsustainable impacts of corporate globalization, and develops a framework to explain why current definitions of sustainability are profoundly inadequate. From this foundation, she allies sustainability with the concept of the civil commons - including universal healthcare, environmental protocols, workplace safety regulations, and public education - demonstrating how globalizing the civil commons, not corporate-sponsored trade treaties, opens the way for truly 'sustainable globalization'.
Sustainability and the Civil Commons moves beyond rural roots through Antonio Gramsci's model of hegemony, Jurgen Habermas's theory of communicative action, and John McMurtry's life-value ethics to build a comprehensive understanding of sustainability that combines global reach with local focus. It will be an invaluable resource for scholars and practitioners interested in sustainability, globalization, community development, and rural studies.
Sustainability and the Civil Commons moves beyond rural roots through Antonio Gramsci's model of hegemony, Jurgen Habermas's theory of communicative action, and John McMurtry's life-value ethics to build a comprehensive understanding of sustainability that combines global reach with local focus. It will be an invaluable resource for scholars and practitioners interested in sustainability, globalization, community development, and rural studies.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Toronto
Canada
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
With dust jacket
Dimensions
Height: 236 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 19 mm
Weight
440 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8020-7999-2 (9780802079992)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
12/2005
1st Edition
University of Toronto Press
€61.95
Available for download
Person
Jennifer Sumner is an assistant professor in the Adult Education and Community Development Program at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto.