Current Research

David A. Sonnenfeld, Ph.D.

Dept. of Environmental Studies

State University of New York
College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Research Program

Most broadly, I am interested in understanding dynamics of social and institutional change in the contemporary era, especially relating to globalization, democratization/ popular participation, built and natural environments. The common thread running through my empirical, field-based research is how, when, and where (under what conditions) civic actors have successfully influenced the design and functioning of core industrial technologies and processes in more environmental and equitable directions ("greening" and democratization of science, technology, and industry). Over the last decade and a half, most of this research has been conducted in Southeast Asia (Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore), and has involved two industrial sectors – electronics and pulp and paper, respectively – as well as more general analyses of dynamics of ecological modernization. I am in early stages of developing research on popular influences on environmental transformation in a third sector, food and agriculture, as well. My research is broadly comparative, incorporating historical as well as contemporary perspectives on social change, comparisons between and interrelations among newly industrializing countries in Asia, and insights and contrasts from experiences in North America and Northern Europe. Particular substantive areas of interest include:

Environment and Society
- Institutionalization (and reversal) of environmental reform
- Industrial environmental transformation
- Civil society, social movement, and community influence and participation
Globalization, Development, and Social Change
- South, East, and Southeast Asia
- Democratization, institutionalization of the "rule of law"
- Multiculturalism
Food and Society
- Globalization of food and agriculture
- Environmental transformation of agriculture
- Values, ethics, and social movements

Elaborated Description

Adapted from Switzer Foundation Newsletter, Vol. 1, No. 2, Spring/Summer 2002, p. 5 [article]

Books & Journal Symposia in Preparation

Mol, Arthur P.J., David A. Sonnenfeld, and Gert Spaargaren, eds. (2009, forthcoming) The Ecological Modernisation Reader: Environmental Reform in Theory and Practice. London: Routledge [contents, contributors]
Sonnenfeld, David A. Technology, Development and Social Movements: Ecological Modernization in Southeast Asia and Australia. Asia's Transformations series, ed. Mark Selden. London: Routledge. Under contract.

Research Initiatives

Ecological Modernization in Thailand's Electronics Industry [project outline]
Ecological Modernization in East & Southeast Asian High Performance Economies (with Arthur P.J. Mol, et al.) [proposal]
Thailand's Institutional Reforms in Global Perspective [précis]
Environmental Research Network Asia (ERNAsia), co-founder & advisory board member

Research and Training Project

AGITS/ INREF Project: "Agro-Industrial Transformations Towards Sustainability: Southeast and East Asia in Global Perspective" Project, North-South Interdisciplinary Research and Education Fund, Wageningen University, the Netherlands, 2000-2006 (cooperating faculty)

Conferences

Thematic session on "Globalization and Environmental Governance," American Sociological Association, New York City, August 2007 (organizer and chair)
International workshop on "The Globalization of the Pulp and Paper Industry," Center for Paper Industry and Business Studies, a Sloan Industry Center, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, May 2007
International conference on "The Greening of Agro-Industries and Networks in Asia: Challenges and Opportunities," Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand, October 2006 (co-chair) [CFP]
Session on "Communities, Natural Resources and the Environment," Research Committee on Society and Environment (RC-24), International Sociological Association (ISA), XVIth World Congress of Sociology, Durban, South Africa, July 2006 (co-organizer)
Symposium on "Sustainable Agriculture, Communities, and Environments in the Pacific Northwest," Washington State University Tri-Cities, May 2006 (chair)
Workshop on "Environmental Reform in Asia: Comparative Perspectives," Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, November 2004 (co-organizer)
International conference on "Environmental Governance in Asia: Regional Perspectives on Industrial and Environmental Transformation," Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, November 2004 (co-organizer)
International conference on "Environmental Governance in Asia: New State-Society Relations," Chiang Mai, Thailand, October 2003 (co-organizer)
International conference on "Governing Environmental Flows: Reinventing the State in Global Modernity," ISA Research Committee on Society and Environment (RC-24), Wageningen, Netherlands, June 2003 (session co-organizer)
International conference on "Global Strategies for a Sustainable High-Tech Industry," San Jose, California, November 2002 (co-organizer)
International conference on "Managing the Environment in Developmental States: Asian Perspectives," Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, September 2002
"International Conference on Industry and Environment," Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, April 2001