Ideology and representation in environmental politics : political views of conservation activists

This study of the environmental movement in Tasmania employed a questionnaire and interview survey and analysis of some published texts to outline the political positions, ideologies and social theoretical assumptions of environmental activists at a time of political conflict (during the Franklin River campaign). A positional and reputational method was used to identify 31 leading activists who were asked questions on class backgrounds and careers, present and past organizational memberships. Political self-identification and views on social problems and futures, political institutions and change, economic growth and environmental strategies were sought. Generally, political views, class backgrounds and careers showed a broad mixture - not readily characterizable as either new-class or petit-bourgeois. Tertiary educations and previous. involvement in non-conservative politics, were common. Ideologically this leadership group was an assortment of New Left radicals and social democrats, with few espousing typical liberal or populist views. The heterogenous nature of environmental leadership shows characterizations such as "single-issue" and "middle-class" to be misleading