Linking Political Ecology with the Theories of Active Minorities and Social Representations: Rethinking the Social Psychology of Environmental Issues

Abstract

While collective change is necessary to prevent and adapt to ecosystem degradation (Dugast & Soyeux, 2019), social psychology has mainly taken an individualized approach to studying environmental issues (Batel et al., 2016). In this article, we seek a broader approach, exploring social change in relation to environmental movements through the lens of the theories of active minorities and social representations in dialogue with the field of political ecology. Taking a political ecology perspective allows us to contextualize environmental issues within the power relations (around class, gender, ethnicity, etc.) inherent in current social arrangements. We present the contributions and limitations of the theories of active minorities and social representations to the study of social change, highlighting the connections between these two theories and political ecology. They share some ontological (agency of subject), epistemological (change), and processual (conflict) affinities, and we argue they can complement each other to provide a comprehensive analytical framework for understanding social change related to the environment. An illustration of how they can be applied is provided through a critical reading of a social psychology article examining how environmental movements exert minority influence.