Social constructionism and the environment: through the quagmire

Abstract Despite some excellent academic writings on the subject, confusion around the definition, application and value of social constructionism with respect to the environment is rife. The purpose of this short piece is to clarify some misunderstandings by referring to literature that engages with ontology (what exists, or the nature of nature) and epistemology (what we can know or the status of knowledge of reality). I argue that some areas of social constructionism are perfectly capable of dealing with environmental change and can lead to highly fruitful analyses. Following this, I address a point made by Blaikie (Global Environmental Change 6 (1996) 83) that “there remains a political and practical vacuum because few of this genre have suggested how diverse accounts of the world can be negotiated or reconciled to provide feasible paths for action”. I argue that this does not necessarily need to be the case and present a philosophical perspective from which negotiation and reconciliation are feasible within the social constructionist paradigm.