Michael O'kane

Considering the Irish Greens: an Ethnographic Approach to Identity and Environmentalism Michael O'kane

Recent debates concerning Anthropology¿s engagement with environmentalism contend that an invigorated approach is needed to strengthen the presence of the discipline in this field. This work aims to discuss certain issues raised by these debates. Namely, that an anthropological approach to culture, discourse and ideology offers the study of environmentalism a perspective not readily afforded by other disciplines. It is an ethnographic study of the Irish Green Party based on twelve months of fieldwork conducted between 1996 and 1997 and its focus is the creation and maintenance of identity within the Party during this period. Particular attention is paid to the socio-cultural, historical and political context in which the Irish Green Party has evolved and the way in which these contextual factors affect the Party¿s members perceptions of their role as environmental activists. The work discusses ways in which members of the Party came to be involved in environmental activism and presents them as intellectuals participating in a distinctive intellectual community within the sphere of environmentalism.