Material Engagement Theory and Sustainability: The materiality of social change

Abstract

Material Engagement Theory (MET) is a recent theoretical development in the field of cognitive archaeology. It represents an important new tool for sustainability theorists. MET overcomes the Cartesian conceptual separation of mind and matter, providing important insights into the cognitive nature of human-environment relations. If we recognize that we think with and through material tools and environments and not just about them, what does that mean for sustainability policy and social change theory? The example of a naturalized garden in a Canadian suburban community is used to illustrate what MET can do for sustainable development theory.