Uneasy waters

a provisory balance on the environmental Sociology in Brazil

Abstract

The article first propose the reconstitution and analysis of the history of international envi­ronmental sociology placed in the context of the contemporary sociology, discussing both the methodological-theoretical aspects and the institutional ones, in order to understand the obs­tacles to its legitimacy and to the consolidation of a problematic that until recently had not been approached by the social sciences. Secondly, it analyzes the Brazilian case. The environ­mental matter studied by the social sciences is found now very much influenced by the em­pirical North American sociology, that is the forerunner in the institutionalization process. A detailed analysis helps understanding the relationship among scientific field, environmental policies, and social movements.