MACMILLAN Beyond the Knowledge Crisis: A Synthesis Framework for Socio-Environmental Studies and Guide to Social Change (Palgrave Studies on Norbert Elias)

In the face of complex, interwoven, planet-scale problems, many cite the need for more integrated knowledge―especially across the natural and social sciences. Excessive specialization, they argue, gets in the way of knowing what we know, much less being able to use it to address urgent socio-environmental crises. These concerns, it turns out, go back centuries. This book picks up where most leave off, exploring the history of how we got here and proposing a way forward. Along the way, readers find that the synthesis long called for depends on theoretical advancements in social science. Fortunately, the author argues, we have everything we need to achieve those advancements, thanks largely to the contributions of Norbert Elias. Integrating his insights with history, science, sociological theory, and more, this book neatly packages the upgraded paradigm we need to be able to meaningfully address complex socio-environmental problems and more intentionally shape humanity’s collective future. Review “Although not about Norbert Elias, Beyond the Knowledge Crisis is very much in Eliasian spirit. Broad in sweep, Kasper’s book examines the ecological crisis― the practical issue of politics and policy now and in the near future. The author’s stress throughout is on the word synthesis, recognizing that a theoretical and empirical intellectual synthesis of history and the social and natural sciences is necessary to tackle the global problems of the age. This very synthesis is that which Elias himself was seeking to achieve, especially in his late writings.” ―Stephen Mennell, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, University College Dublin, Ireland “Debbie Kasper’s Beyond the Knowledge Crisis is a vital work that arrives at a critical time. Scholars of Norbert Elias should be delighted with Kasper’s explorations of his work and influence, but perhaps more importantly, all practitioners of integrative problem solving will find great insight and guidance here. Kasper provides a much-needed tonic during a time of enormous practical and existential challenges, when teachers and students alike need clear guidance to undertake integrative problem solving, especially in environmental studies. As an iconoclastic interdisciplinarian with a 30-year career learning and teaching, I can attest that it is rare to encounter a book that so skillfully and accurately depicts the world of professional practice that I have both inhabited and researched for so long. Kasper’s work will help us navigate the complexities of setting and achieving truly interdisciplinary goals in the face of the great complexity that now demands them.” ―Richard L. Wallace, Professor of Environmental Studies and Marine Science, Chair of the Environmental Studies Department, Director of the Food Studies Program, and Co-Director of the Whittaker Environmental Research Station, Ursinus College, USA From the Back Cover “Although not about Norbert Elias, Beyond the Knowledge Crisis is very much in Eliasian spirit. Broad in sweep, Kasper’s book examines the ecological crisis―the practical issue of politics and policy now and in the near future. The author’s stress throughout is on the word synthesis, recognizing that a theoretical and empirical intellectual synthesis of history and the social and natural sciences is necessary to tackle the global problems of the age. This very synthesis is that which Elias himself was seeking to achieve, especially in his late writings.” ―Stephen Mennell, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, University College Dublin, Ireland In the face of complex, interwoven, planet-scale problems, many cite the need for more integrated knowledge―especially across the natural and social sciences. Excessive specialization, they argue, gets in the way of knowing what we know, much less being able to use it to address urgent socio-environmental crises. These concerns, it turns out, go back centuries. This book picks up where