The 'Western' green movement has grown rapidly in the last three decades: green ministers are in government in several European countries, Greenpeace has millions of paying supporters, and green direct action against roads, GM crops, the WTO and neo-liberalism, have become ubiquitous.
The author argues that 'greens' share a common ideological framework but are divided over strategy. Using social movement theory and drawing on research from many countries, he shows how the green movement became more differentiated over time, as groups had to face the task of deciding what kind of action was appropriate.
In the breadth of its coverage and its novel focus on the relationship between green ideas and action, this book makes an important contribution to the understanding of green politics.
Biography
Brian Doherty is a Lecturer in Politics at Keele University, and also a member of the UK Green Party. He has published widely on green ideas, parties and movements. Previous publications include Democracy and Green Political Thought (co-edited with Marius de Geus) and Direct Action in British Environmentalism (co-edited with Ben Seel and Matthew Patterson)
'This book has some significant strengths: a broad political imagination, a refreshing ability to draw together comparisons between different forms of green political activity, and a useful sense of the different trajectories of green movements. It also presents some engaging case-study material.' - Environment and Planning A, David Featherstone, University of Liverpool
