Sociopolitical Ecology Human Systems and Ecological Fields

Sociopolitical Ecology introduces the concept of `ecological field' to replace that of `ecosystem' and extends the boundaries of self-referential systems to a new, more complex level of analysis. Ecological field refers to an overarching system that contains many self-referential (or autopoietic) systems that interact in a common space, with human beings placed squarely in the middle of all natural ecological networks. The focus of this fascinating study is the interlocking pattern of relations among human beings within an ecological field - what the author designates as `sociopolitical ecology'. The book argues that most societies are not self-contained systems, but rather ecological fields, that is complexes of several interacting systems.

1. The Design of a Cognitive System for Generating Structural Models of Social Behavior Systems and Ecological Fields.- 2. Behavior as a Phenomenon.- 3. Structure and Structural Analysis: As a Cognitive Strategy.- 4. Systems and Systems Theory.- 5. Self-Referential Behavior Systems.- 6. Self-Referential Social Systems.- 7. Ecological Fields.- 8. Social Systems in the Context of Ecological Fields.- 9. A Language for Constructing Structural Models of Social Networks within and among Self-Referential Systems.- 10. Individual Actors and Social Systems.- 11. An Overview of Sociopolitical Ecology.- 12. Epilogue.- References.