Lexington Books
Pages: 200
Trim: 6⅜ x 9
978-0-7391-9853-7 • Hardback • April 2015 • $114.00 • (£88.00)
978-0-7391-9854-4 • eBook • April 2015 • $108.00 • (£83.00)
Emily Polk is lecturer in the Program in Writing and Rhetoric at Stanford University.
Chapter 1: Introduction to the Transition Movement: Why is it important to study it?
Chapter 2: Background of study
Chapter 3: Sustainability, development communication, and social movements
Chapter 4: Framing the communicative relationship(s) mediated within the movement
Chapter 5: Methodology
Chapter 6: The appeal of the glocal narrative(s)
Chapter 7: Measuring and communicating impacts
Chapter 8: The multiscalar role of ideology and culture in Transition
Chapter 9: Are Transition Towns sustainable?
Chapter 10: The value of diversity: the role of race, class, and age
Chapter 11: Digital communication, technology, and Transition
Chapter 12: Conclusion and recommendations
Polk’s Transition Movement analysis covers a broad range of topics, from culture and diversity in environmental justice to the functions of technology in building resilient and sustainable communities. Her methods provide an intimate insider view on the realities of implementing a unique environmental and social initiative such as that found in the Transition Movement. This is an essential work for anyone seeking to understand the complexities of fostering local sustainability within our vast global and digital communities.
— Mary Stroud, Stanford University
The information in this book is useful as a good overview of the Transition movement, and also as a priceless history and reminder of our very own group, the invigorating as well as the more challenging times. Reading it would be valuable to any group who wants to contribute to a stronger community, learning from our successes, and get help avoiding our pitfalls.
— Gabor Lukacs, Transition Amherst
Polk weaves an intriguing and important story of people who are concerned about sustainable practices of working together to better their own community and the planet, but she doesn't stop there. She gets at the interpersonal dynamics of the community group while painting a complex picture of the group processes of local and global decision making in a macro level movement dedicated to social change. The book is a smart analysis of how the formation of networks of communication about sustainability and community both include and exclude participation, even when promoting a vision of inclusiveness and agency for all.
— Leda Cooks, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
This book blends personal stories with scholarship on sustainability, culture, and ecological models to offer a timely and empowering account of local efforts to address global challenges. Emily Polk documents how the Transition Movement uses positive framing in online and face-to-face forms to encourage environmental sustainability, resilience, and community. Overall, this is a thoughtful treatment about how good intentions require particular infrastructures and leadership to fulfill visions.
— Patrice Buzzanell, Purdue University