• “Environmental sociology” is not a well defined field;

• Sociology, as a discipline, has developed through different paths in Latin America and the United States;

• The “environment”, with which society is supposed to have a relationship, is not the same regardless of our standing point;

From: Ecological Metaphors and Environmental Rhetoric: an Analysis of The Ecologist and Our Common Future. Environment and History 3(2): 177-195, 1997

Environmental studies journals

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990

Years

Num

ber

of ne

w jou

rnal

s

Graduate Programs in Ecology and Environment

0

1

2

3

4

5

619

75

1976

1977

1978

1979

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

Years

Num

ber

of new

pro

gram

s

M.Sc.

Ph.D.

•Resources for S&T available

•military regime

•development programs

•higher education reform

•Stockholm 72

•Follows “Limits to Growth” (1972)

•Crisis in higher education and research funding

•democracy (1985)

•NGO’s

•Rio 92

•Follows “Our Common Future” (1987)

Ecology and Environment Programs

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

76-79 80-83 84-87 88-91 92-95

Years

Num

ber

of new

pro

gra

ms

Group 1PioneerDisciplinaryStrong

Group 2DisciplinaryWeak

Group 3Trans-disciplinary, stillbiologicalOrganizationallyinnovative

Group 4Trans and Multi-disciplinary

0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1

Ecologia e Recursos Naturais - UFSC

Ecologia - UNICAMP

Ecologia, Cons.e Manejo da Vida Silvestre - UFMG

Ecologia - UFRGS

Biologia de Água Doce e Pesca Interior - INPA/FUAM

Ecologia - INPA/UFAM

Ecologia - UnB

Engenharia Ambiental - UFSC

00.10.20.30.40.50.60.70.80.9

1

0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1PhD

s ab

road

/PhD

s fr

om lo

cal i

nstit

utio

ns

International production rate

00.10.20.30.40.50.60.70.80.9

1

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3

General production rate

PhD

s ab

road

/PhD

s fr

om lo

cal

inst

itutio

ns

Graduate Programs in Ecology and Environment

0

1

2

3

4

5

619

75

1976

1977

1978

1979

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

Years

Num

ber

of new

pro

gram

s

M.Sc.

Ph.D.

•Resources for S&T available

•military regime

•development programs

•higher education reform

•Stockholm 72

•Follows “Limits to Growth” (1972)

•Crisis in higher education and research funding

•democracy (1985)

•NGO’s

•Rio 92

•Follows “Our Common Future” (1987)

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

Agronom

y

Bioch

emis

try

Mic

robio

logy

Ecolo

gy

Genet

ics

Animal

husb

andry

Food Sc.

& T

echn.

Botany

Veter

inar

y m

edic

ine

Imm

unology

Zoolo

gy

Physio

logy

Pharm

acolo

gy

Morp

hology

Biophys

ics

Forest

ry

Paras

itolo

gy

Agronom

ic e

nginee

ring

Gener

al B

iolo

gy

Fishin

g reso

urces

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

75

80

Phys

iology

Mor

pholog

y

Bioch

emistry

Genetics

Phar

mac

olog

y

Bioph

ysics

Immun

olog

y

Botan

y

Zoolog

y

Ecolog

y

Micro

biolog

y

Fore

stry

Veterin

ary Med

.

Zootec

hnics

Para

sitology

Agro

nomic Eng

.

Agro

nomy

Gener

al biology

Food

Sci. &

Tec

hnol.

Fish

ing re

sour

ces

Number of research groups

1995 1999

Ecology 249 112

Environmental Issues 732 1545

Social sciencesCollective Health 197

Economy 179

Sociology 149

Anthropology 99

Architecture and Urban Studies 55

Geography 41

Demography 28

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

74 79 84 89 94

year

num

ber of

par

ticip

ants

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

1900 1920 1940 1960 1980

Years

Num

ber of

new

aut

hors

Research lineswithin “Ecology”

Number ofresearch lines

Percentage of“ecology” lines

TOTAL Ecology 448

Amazonia 104 23

Urban 88 20

Cerrado 65 15

Research lineswithin“Environment andSociety”

Number ofresearch lines

Percentage of“environment and

society” lines

TOTAL Environmentand Society

703

Urban 592 84

Amazonia 231 33

Health 144 20

The Northeast 111 16

Rural 80 11

Research lineswithin “Tropicalmedicine”

Number ofresearch lines

Percentage of“Tropical

medicine” lines

TOTAL Tropicalmedicine

1570

Vectors 1277 81

Vectors and Ecology 1273 81