The idea of this page is to give a summary of the work I do on environmentalism, participation, organisations, democracy and direct action. I am studying this at PhD level, I have also undertaken teaching and consultancy work. Click on one of the areas below to find out more:
| My PhD Thesis | My Publications |
| My Teaching | My Consultancy Work |
Contact me: Andrew Whitworth |
Click here to return to the Home Page.
Sections to be written here:
- different environmentalisms
- Jurgen Habermas
- Organising political action
- case studies
Forthcoming: "Maximum and Minimum Environmentalist Utopias" in Blaug, R. and Pearce, J. (eds.): Minimum Utopia: Towards a Radical Politics, Macmillan.
ABSTRACT: (to follow)
Under consideration: "Environmental Advocacy: Towards an Ecologically-Relevant Discourse Ethics".
ABSTRACT: This article is a longer version of the review article mentioned below. In it I explore the position of environmental interests - defined as nonhuman nature, future generations, and peripheral human populations - in the theories of Habermas. Habermas proposes a discourse ethics as a possible rational grounding for political activity, but because of difficulties incorporating nonhuman nature, he has not successfully applied the analytical tools of his ethics to environmental activity. The principle of advocacy may help us overcome this particular contradiction in Habermas's theories and allow us to better conceive of environmentalism theoretically.
Under consideration: "Nonhuman Nature and Habermasian Politics".
ABSTRACT: This short (3,000 word) review article summarises the position of nonhuman nature in the discourse and communication theories of Jurgen Habermas, and the development of this position and its critiques. Nonhuman nature was recognised as an important counterbalance to the domination of instrumental reason in early Critical Theory, but this damaged that theory's potential as it removed the revolutionary subject. Habermas's reformation of Critical Theory, on the other hand, resolves this one problem at the expense of allocating nonhuman nature any innate value due to its inability to communicate. Various theorists have grappled with this problem: this article reviews their arguments and also briefly presents the idea of advocacy as a possible resolution of the dilemma.
1998: "What Have You Got To Say To Us?: Balancing Theory and Practice" in Pickerill, J. and Duckett, M. (eds.): Radical British Environmentalism: Theory into Practice, collected papers, Department of Geography, University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne.
ABSTRACT: Direct activists and academics often find it difficult to talk to one another, the former believing the latter to be isolated in ivory towers and out of touch with the real world. But political theorists, particularly Antonio Gramsci, recognised that there should be little distinction between theorist and activist, that both were sides of the same coin. Theory informs and enlightens practice at the same time as activism can test and create theory. In the environmentalist direct action movement, both theorists and activists have an important role to play and should recognise the possibility for mutual strengthening of each other's positions.
1998: "Citizenship, Democracy and Environmentalism".
Teaching module prepared for AECD's Thinking About Democracy course. See teaching for details.
Click here to return to the top.
Advanced Data Handling (forthcoming) This module will form one option in Leeds University's Computing for All (ACOM) programme. This programme is taught using a variety of methods: lectures, hands-on demonstration sessions, web-based learning and self-help booklets. The Advanced Data Handling module will follow on from the simple data handling and investigate further uses of MS Excel:
The first delivery of this course will be March-May 2000. |
Citizenship, Democracy and Environmentalism This module formed one component of the Adult Education for Citizenship and Democracy programme. For more details on this programme, including the web-based text of the environmentalism module I wrote, follow this link. The CDE module covered the following topics:
The module is also being offered as a Level 1 undergraduate module by Leeds University, to be taught in semester two, 1999-2000 academic year. |
Freedom, Power and Democracy This Level 1 module is a core module for the BA in Politics. It allows students to receive a basic knowledge of the issues, both theoretical and practical, that have formed our concept of democracy. Topics covered include:
This is my first year of teaching this module. |
Contemporary Development Issues This Level 1 module is a core module for the BA in Development Studies and is a popular elective. In it, students acquire a basic grounding in the important issues surrounding the development of the South or 'Third World'. These include:
I have just started my third year of acting as a teaching assistant on this module. |
Rural Development This Level 3 module is a core module for the BA in Development Studies and is also taught to MA students. It provides a more comprehensive guide to the theory and practice of the rural sector in Southern societies, the impact of development upon traditional agriculture, and the successes and failures of particular development theories and strategies:
This is my second year of acting as a teaching assistant for this module. |
Click here to return to the top.
My research work has also allowed me to act as a consultant in the field of environmentalism. My activities cover the following fields:
I am particularly interested in the connections between these various areas. How does an orientation to environmentalism affect organisation? How can this activity be made more effective?
| As at October 1999 I have acted as an external consultant three times for Friends of the Earth UK (FOE). (Click on the logo to go to their webpages.) The projects have been as follows: | |
1996: Alternative Indicators for Environmental and Social Well-being.
As part of FOE's project to suggest alternative indicators of well-being (to try and compensate for some of the gross inaccuracies in Gross National Product or GNP, the commonest proxy indicator of welfare), I was commissioned to investigate and review the literature around alternative indicators for environmental and social well-being. I produced a 50-page report on this field. (For copies of this or other reports mentioned on this page, e-mail me using the links at the top or bottom of the page.)
To see the pages FOE produced on this subject, click here.
1998: Vision 2000.
Vision 2000 was FOE's name for a five-year review of their local groups network. I was engaged as the prime researcher for this major internal review of the network, which comprises around 240 groups with over 10,000 members. The work incorporated a survey of all local groups via questionnaire, interviews with members of staff and other external parties (i.e., members of other organisations, other local group co-ordinators, direct activists and so on). Data collected from this stage of the project was then analysed and use to produce a 30-page report for FOE's consultation process, which went through three stages: an initial steering committee, then two feedback sessions with local group members. From all this a final document was produced for submission to the FOE Board. Recommendations from the report were implemented by FOE in 1999 and the process is still ongoing.
If you would like any more information about my work on this report please e-mail Donald Ritchie of FOE's Local Campaigns Department.
1999: North-East Review.
In common with several other national campaigning organisations, FOE have historically struggled to achieve much local representation in the North-East: the counties of Northumberland and Durham and the cities of Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesbrough. FOE's Northern office (based in Leeds) was interested in looking into why this was, and also into the work they had achieved there in conjunction with community campaigning groups - those groups that form around local issues and are not directly affiliated to national organisations such as FOE. I was engaged to analyse FOE's activity in the region over the last few years, doing so through interview and archival study. The report produced served as a review of campaigning activity throughout the whole region.
I am always interested in taking on other private, public or charitable consultation work in these fields, particularly around the area of organising for greater internal democracy and effectiveness. This could be done on either a paid or voluntary basis. If you are interested in talking to me about this, with no obligation, please contact me:
Contact me: Andrew Whitworth |
Click here to return to the top.