Sustainability and the Civil Commons : Rural Communities in the Age of Globalization - Softcover

Sumner, Jennifer

 
9780802095275: Sustainability and the Civil Commons : Rural Communities in the Age of Globalization
Softcover
ISBN 10: 0802095275 ISBN 13: 9780802095275
Publisher: University of Toronto Press, 2007

Synopsis

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, Jürgen 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.

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About the Author

Jennifer Sumner teaches in the Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education and is coordinator of the Adult Education and Community Development Program at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto.

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Publisher
University of Toronto Press
Publication date
2007
Language
English
ISBN 10 
0802095275
ISBN 13 
9780802095275
Binding
Paperback
Number of pages
180

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9780802079992: Sustainability and the Civil Commons: Rural Communities in the Age of Globalization

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  0802079997 ISBN 13:  9780802079992
Publisher: University of Toronto Press, 2005
Hardcover