Cindy Isenhour
Biographic Data
| ID | 596056 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Cindy Isenhour |
| GIVEN NAMES | Cindy |
| FAMILY NAME | Isenhour |
| SIGNATURE | ISENHOUR C |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Maine |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-8413-1558 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 27 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 110 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 24 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 3 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2010 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Gentrification in secondhand economies
As climate change intensifies, the global scientific community has increasingly called for changes to dominant systems of production–consumption–disposal, arguing that there is a need to shift to more circular economic systems – systems that prioritise source reduction and reuse over disposal and incineration. As used goods are increasingly seen as the new resource frontier, reuse practices have become mainstream. However, we question if this mai…
Under the Banner of Circularity: Trash, Toxicity, and the Technopolitics of Transforming Municipal Waste to Energy in the United States
Under the banner of circularity, eco-modernists celebrate the transformation of trash into renewable energy through incineration, methane capture, anaerobic digestion, gasification, and recycling processes that turn plastics into fuel. Promoted as win-win solutions that reduce waste and produce energy, these technologies raise important questions about the definition of “renewable” and the true costs of converting municipal waste streams to energ…
Rethinking replacement, rebound and environmental impact in reuse practice
Despite the current emphasis on reuse as a primary strategy for realising more circular economic systems, researchers have questioned the assumed environmental benefits of the practice – arguing that reuse can result in unintended rebound effects that diminish or outweigh environmental gains. This article reviews studies focused on potential rebound effects in reuse practices – not as a means to re-adjudicate the environmental virtues of reuse – …
Beyond productivism: On the social and ecological value of distributive labour: a commentary on ‘Postgrowth welfare systems: a view from the Nordic context’ by Riya Raphael et al
Justice, equity, and the circular economy: Introduction to the special double issue
In the last decade, the Circular Economy (CE) has emerged as an important framing for business and policy action in support of sustainable development. In that time, there has been an explosion of academic publications, policy developments, and business activities related to the CE. Given that CE has been widely praised and adopted by policy think tanks, policy makers, and business, as a way to frame sustainable development, we think it is about …
Just by design: Exploring justice as a multidimensional concept in US circular economy discourse
Circular economies are often framed as addressing a trio of problems: environmental degradation, economic stagnation, and social ills, broadly defined. Our paper centers on this last claim – that circular economies promise social benefits. There is a dearth of literature focused on the social dimensions of circular economies (Geissdoerfer, Martin, Paulo Savaget, Nancy M. P. Bocken, and Erik Jan Hultink. 2017. “The Circular Economy – A New Sustain…
After the Perfect Storm
Recent disruptions in waste management, including the COVID-19 pandemic and China’s decision to limit waste imports from the United States, have shocked materials management systems across the United States. In Maine, these disruptions have been exacerbated by significant disturbances in the state’s waste management infrastructure. These shocks, emerging on multiple scales, combine to strongly impact Maine’s communities. Drawing on interviews wit…
Toxicants, entanglement, and mitigation in New England’s emerging circular economy for food waste
Drawing on research with food waste recycling facilities in New England, this paper explores a fundamental tension between the eco-modernist logics of the circular economy and the reality of contemporary waste streams. Composting and digestion are promoted as key solutions to food waste, due to their ability to return nutrients to agricultural soils. However, our work suggests that food waste processors increasingly find themselves responsible fo…
Consumption, Status, and Sustainability: Ecological and Anthropological Perspectives
Climate Change: Expanding Anthropological Possibilities
Climate anthropology has broadened over the past decade from predominately locally focused studies on climate impacts to encompass new approaches to climate science, mitigation, sustainability transformations, risks, and resilience. We examine how theoretical positionings, including from actor-network theory, new materialisms, ontologies, and cosmopolitics, have helped expand anthropological climate research, particularly in three key interrelate…
Still good life: On the value of reuse and distributive labor in "depleted" rural Maine
This article explores the production of wealth through distributive labor in Maine's secondhand economy. While reuse is often associated with economic disadvantage, our research complicates that perspective. The labor required to reclaim, repair, redistribute, and reuse secondhand goods provides much more than a means of living in places left behind by international capitalism, but the value generated by this work is persistently discounted by do…
Power and Politics in Sustainable Consumption Research and Practice
With growing awareness of environmental deterioration, atmospheric pollution and resource depletion, the last several decades have brought increased attention and scrutiny to global consumption levels. However, there are significant and well documented limitations associated with current efforts to encourage more sustainable consumption patterns, ranging from informational and time constraints to the highly individualizing effect of market-based …
Rummaging through the Attic of New England
The concept of the circular economy has taken off, gaining momentum along with concerns about resource depletion, waste, and the impending ‘end of cheap nature’ (Moore 2014). Environmentalists and industrialists alike have promoted the benefits of reuse as a means toward improved efficiency and reduced resource pressure. Some have called for a new ‘culture of reuse’ (Botsman and Rogers 2010; Stokes et al. 2014). It is in this context that we expl…
On Materiality and Meaning: Ethnographic Engagements with Reuse, Repair & Care
The reimagination and revaluation of discarded goods, through repair and reuse is, for many, a quotidian and mundane element of everyday life. These practices are the historical precedent and continue to be the stuff of common sense for a significant portion of human society. And yet, reuse, repair and other elements of a ‘circular economy’ have recently emerged as a significant focus in environmental and economic policy. Proponents claim that re…
Linking Rural and Urban Circular Economies through Reuse and Repair
Increasing resource scarcity and what has been called "the end of cheap nature" are prompting policymakers and scholars to foster more circular economies to reduce waste and lengthen the lifespan of material goods. Our essay critically examines the political and economic relationships between urban and rural geographies in the context of secondhand economies. Practices of bartering, swapping, selling, and repairing used goods have long been impor…
Taking responsibility for climate change
The goal to encourage more sustainable consumption patterns and reduce associated emissions is certainly important, but more substantial movement will require policies that can move the majority, not just the committed fringe, toward less environmentally destructive practices. This chapter traces the development of the contemporary emphasis on consumer responsibility and explores its transformative potential relative to the urgency of adaptation …
Introduction to Special Theme Section “Accounting for Climate Change: Measurement, Management, Morality, and Myth”
Energy and economy: Recognizing high‐energy modernity as a historical period
This introduction to Economic Anthropology's special issue on “Energy and Economy” argues that we might find inspiration for a much more engaged and public anthropology in an unlikely place—19th century evolutionist thought. In addition to studying the particularities of energy transitions, which anthropology does so well, a more engaged anthropology might also broaden its temporal horizons to consider the nature of the future “stage” into which …
Unearthing human progress? Ecomodernism and contrasting definitions of technological progress in the Anthropocene
With increased awareness of the current and projected consequences of climate change, many have argued that rapid technological progress presents the sole means by which to avoid dangerous climate change and ensure human welfare. Proponents of this "ecomodernist" perspective argue that, with technological innovation, climate mitigation doesn't have to come at the expense of the economy. Instead, economic growth can be decoupled from ecological ha…
Model-based reasoning to foster environmental and socio-scientific literacy in higher education
Sustainability in the Global City: Myth and Practice
Trading Fat for Forests: On Palm Oil, Tropical Forest Conservation, and Rational Consumption
The longstanding butter vs margarine debate has recently become more complex as the links between margarine, industrial palm oil plantations, and tropical deforestation are made increasingly clear. Yet despite calls for consumers to get informed and take responsibility for tropical deforestation by boycotting margarine or purchasing buttery spreads made with sustainably-sourced palm oil, research in multiple contexts demonstrates that even the mo…
Introduction: Moving Beyond the ′Rational Actor′ in Environmental Governance and Conservation
In this brief introduction, we examine the themes and issues that link the three papers in this special section. In each case, neoliberal conservation practices appear to be predicated on a certain kind of individual subject with certain kinds of motives and behaviours-the rational actor. Taken together, these three papers challenge three assumptions of rational actor models, including that individuals are self-interested and attempt to maximise …
Can Consumer Demand Deliver Sustainable Food? Recent Research in Sustainable Consumption Policy and Practice
From Slow Food and farmers' markets to ecolabels and fair trade an unprecedented number of consumer-based alternative food movements have risen in response to concerns about the environmental and social effects of industrialized agriculture. Some research suggests that these movements are successful in their efforts to reconnect communities, demystify global food chains, and produce sustainable foods, which are healthier for the planet and human …
How the Grass Became Greener in the City: On Urban Imaginings and Practices of Sustainable Living in Sweden
Far removed from a direct connection to the land and environmental feedback, most urban inhabitants have little choice but to rely on external sources of information as they formulate their understanding of sustainability. This reliance on analytical, scientifically produced, and highly technical sources of information-such as life-cycle analyses, carbon footprints and climate change projections-solidifies definitions of sustainable living center…
On Materiality and Meaning: Ethnographic Engagements with Reuse, Repair & Care
The reimagination and revaluation of discarded goods, through repair and reuse is, for many, a quotidian and mundane element of everyday life. These practices are the historical precedent and continue to be the stuff of common sense for a significant portion of human society. And yet, reuse, repair and other elements of a ‘circular economy’ have recently emerged as a significant focus in environmental and economic policy. Proponents claim that re…
Climate Change: Expanding Anthropological Possibilities
Climate anthropology has broadened over the past decade from predominately locally focused studies on climate impacts to encompass new approaches to climate science, mitigation, sustainability transformations, risks, and resilience. We examine how theoretical positionings, including from actor-network theory, new materialisms, ontologies, and cosmopolitics, have helped expand anthropological climate research, particularly in three key interrelate…
Unearthing human progress? Ecomodernism and contrasting definitions of technological progress in the Anthropocene
With increased awareness of the current and projected consequences of climate change, many have argued that rapid technological progress presents the sole means by which to avoid dangerous climate change and ensure human welfare. Proponents of this "ecomodernist" perspective argue that, with technological innovation, climate mitigation doesn't have to come at the expense of the economy. Instead, economic growth can be decoupled from ecological ha…
Building sustainable societies: A Swedish case study on the limits of reflexive modernization
Environmental problems have inspired a wide range of responses from citizens and states alike. My research focuses on Swedish individuals' attempts to minimize perceived environmental risks via consumption practice. The growth of "sustainable consumerism" is often explained by generalized theories of reflexive modernization, but the Swedish case illustrates that many citizen-consumers acting in the interest of sustainability are misunderstood by …
How the Grass Became Greener in the City: On Urban Imaginings and Practices of Sustainable Living in Sweden
Far removed from a direct connection to the land and environmental feedback, most urban inhabitants have little choice but to rely on external sources of information as they formulate their understanding of sustainability. This reliance on analytical, scientifically produced, and highly technical sources of information-such as life-cycle analyses, carbon footprints and climate change projections-solidifies definitions of sustainable living center…
Energy and economy: Recognizing high‐energy modernity as a historical period
This introduction to Economic Anthropology's special issue on “Energy and Economy” argues that we might find inspiration for a much more engaged and public anthropology in an unlikely place—19th century evolutionist thought. In addition to studying the particularities of energy transitions, which anthropology does so well, a more engaged anthropology might also broaden its temporal horizons to consider the nature of the future “stage” into which …
Still good life: On the value of reuse and distributive labor in "depleted" rural Maine
This article explores the production of wealth through distributive labor in Maine's secondhand economy. While reuse is often associated with economic disadvantage, our research complicates that perspective. The labor required to reclaim, repair, redistribute, and reuse secondhand goods provides much more than a means of living in places left behind by international capitalism, but the value generated by this work is persistently discounted by do…
Introduction: Sustainability in the City: Ethnographic Approaches
Rummaging through the Attic of New England
The concept of the circular economy has taken off, gaining momentum along with concerns about resource depletion, waste, and the impending ‘end of cheap nature’ (Moore 2014). Environmentalists and industrialists alike have promoted the benefits of reuse as a means toward improved efficiency and reduced resource pressure. Some have called for a new ‘culture of reuse’ (Botsman and Rogers 2010; Stokes et al. 2014). It is in this context that we expl…
Linking Rural and Urban Circular Economies through Reuse and Repair
Increasing resource scarcity and what has been called "the end of cheap nature" are prompting policymakers and scholars to foster more circular economies to reduce waste and lengthen the lifespan of material goods. Our essay critically examines the political and economic relationships between urban and rural geographies in the context of secondhand economies. Practices of bartering, swapping, selling, and repairing used goods have long been impor…
Toxicants, entanglement, and mitigation in New England’s emerging circular economy for food waste
Drawing on research with food waste recycling facilities in New England, this paper explores a fundamental tension between the eco-modernist logics of the circular economy and the reality of contemporary waste streams. Composting and digestion are promoted as key solutions to food waste, due to their ability to return nutrients to agricultural soils. However, our work suggests that food waste processors increasingly find themselves responsible fo…
Model-based reasoning to foster environmental and socio-scientific literacy in higher education
Building sustainable societies: A Swedish case study on the limits of reflexive modernization
Environmental problems have inspired a wide range of responses from citizens and states alike. My research focuses on Swedish individuals' attempts to minimize perceived environmental risks via consumption practice. The growth of "sustainable consumerism" is often explained by generalized theories of reflexive modernization, but the Swedish case illustrates that many citizen-consumers acting in the interest of sustainability are misunderstood by …
Can Consumer Demand Deliver Sustainable Food? Recent Research in Sustainable Consumption Policy and Practice
From Slow Food and farmers' markets to ecolabels and fair trade an unprecedented number of consumer-based alternative food movements have risen in response to concerns about the environmental and social effects of industrialized agriculture. Some research suggests that these movements are successful in their efforts to reconnect communities, demystify global food chains, and produce sustainable foods, which are healthier for the planet and human …
How the Grass Became Greener in the City: On Urban Imaginings and Practices of Sustainable Living in Sweden
Far removed from a direct connection to the land and environmental feedback, most urban inhabitants have little choice but to rely on external sources of information as they formulate their understanding of sustainability. This reliance on analytical, scientifically produced, and highly technical sources of information-such as life-cycle analyses, carbon footprints and climate change projections-solidifies definitions of sustainable living center…
Introduction: Sustainability in the City: Ethnographic Approaches
Sustainability in the Global City: Myth and Practice
Trading Fat for Forests: On Palm Oil, Tropical Forest Conservation, and Rational Consumption
The longstanding butter vs margarine debate has recently become more complex as the links between margarine, industrial palm oil plantations, and tropical deforestation are made increasingly clear. Yet despite calls for consumers to get informed and take responsibility for tropical deforestation by boycotting margarine or purchasing buttery spreads made with sustainably-sourced palm oil, research in multiple contexts demonstrates that even the mo…
Introduction: Moving Beyond the ′Rational Actor′ in Environmental Governance and Conservation
In this brief introduction, we examine the themes and issues that link the three papers in this special section. In each case, neoliberal conservation practices appear to be predicated on a certain kind of individual subject with certain kinds of motives and behaviours-the rational actor. Taken together, these three papers challenge three assumptions of rational actor models, including that individuals are self-interested and attempt to maximise …
Model-based reasoning to foster environmental and socio-scientific literacy in higher education
Taking responsibility for climate change
The goal to encourage more sustainable consumption patterns and reduce associated emissions is certainly important, but more substantial movement will require policies that can move the majority, not just the committed fringe, toward less environmentally destructive practices. This chapter traces the development of the contemporary emphasis on consumer responsibility and explores its transformative potential relative to the urgency of adaptation …
Introduction to Special Theme Section “Accounting for Climate Change: Measurement, Management, Morality, and Myth”
Energy and economy: Recognizing high‐energy modernity as a historical period
This introduction to Economic Anthropology's special issue on “Energy and Economy” argues that we might find inspiration for a much more engaged and public anthropology in an unlikely place—19th century evolutionist thought. In addition to studying the particularities of energy transitions, which anthropology does so well, a more engaged anthropology might also broaden its temporal horizons to consider the nature of the future “stage” into which …
Unearthing human progress? Ecomodernism and contrasting definitions of technological progress in the Anthropocene
With increased awareness of the current and projected consequences of climate change, many have argued that rapid technological progress presents the sole means by which to avoid dangerous climate change and ensure human welfare. Proponents of this "ecomodernist" perspective argue that, with technological innovation, climate mitigation doesn't have to come at the expense of the economy. Instead, economic growth can be decoupled from ecological ha…
Power and Politics in Sustainable Consumption Research and Practice
With growing awareness of environmental deterioration, atmospheric pollution and resource depletion, the last several decades have brought increased attention and scrutiny to global consumption levels. However, there are significant and well documented limitations associated with current efforts to encourage more sustainable consumption patterns, ranging from informational and time constraints to the highly individualizing effect of market-based …
Rummaging through the Attic of New England
The concept of the circular economy has taken off, gaining momentum along with concerns about resource depletion, waste, and the impending ‘end of cheap nature’ (Moore 2014). Environmentalists and industrialists alike have promoted the benefits of reuse as a means toward improved efficiency and reduced resource pressure. Some have called for a new ‘culture of reuse’ (Botsman and Rogers 2010; Stokes et al. 2014). It is in this context that we expl…
On Materiality and Meaning: Ethnographic Engagements with Reuse, Repair & Care
The reimagination and revaluation of discarded goods, through repair and reuse is, for many, a quotidian and mundane element of everyday life. These practices are the historical precedent and continue to be the stuff of common sense for a significant portion of human society. And yet, reuse, repair and other elements of a ‘circular economy’ have recently emerged as a significant focus in environmental and economic policy. Proponents claim that re…
Linking Rural and Urban Circular Economies through Reuse and Repair
Increasing resource scarcity and what has been called "the end of cheap nature" are prompting policymakers and scholars to foster more circular economies to reduce waste and lengthen the lifespan of material goods. Our essay critically examines the political and economic relationships between urban and rural geographies in the context of secondhand economies. Practices of bartering, swapping, selling, and repairing used goods have long been impor…
Climate Change: Expanding Anthropological Possibilities
Climate anthropology has broadened over the past decade from predominately locally focused studies on climate impacts to encompass new approaches to climate science, mitigation, sustainability transformations, risks, and resilience. We examine how theoretical positionings, including from actor-network theory, new materialisms, ontologies, and cosmopolitics, have helped expand anthropological climate research, particularly in three key interrelate…
Still good life: On the value of reuse and distributive labor in "depleted" rural Maine
This article explores the production of wealth through distributive labor in Maine's secondhand economy. While reuse is often associated with economic disadvantage, our research complicates that perspective. The labor required to reclaim, repair, redistribute, and reuse secondhand goods provides much more than a means of living in places left behind by international capitalism, but the value generated by this work is persistently discounted by do…
Consumption, Status, and Sustainability: Ecological and Anthropological Perspectives
Justice, equity, and the circular economy: Introduction to the special double issue
In the last decade, the Circular Economy (CE) has emerged as an important framing for business and policy action in support of sustainable development. In that time, there has been an explosion of academic publications, policy developments, and business activities related to the CE. Given that CE has been widely praised and adopted by policy think tanks, policy makers, and business, as a way to frame sustainable development, we think it is about …
Just by design: Exploring justice as a multidimensional concept in US circular economy discourse
Circular economies are often framed as addressing a trio of problems: environmental degradation, economic stagnation, and social ills, broadly defined. Our paper centers on this last claim – that circular economies promise social benefits. There is a dearth of literature focused on the social dimensions of circular economies (Geissdoerfer, Martin, Paulo Savaget, Nancy M. P. Bocken, and Erik Jan Hultink. 2017. “The Circular Economy – A New Sustain…
After the Perfect Storm
Recent disruptions in waste management, including the COVID-19 pandemic and China’s decision to limit waste imports from the United States, have shocked materials management systems across the United States. In Maine, these disruptions have been exacerbated by significant disturbances in the state’s waste management infrastructure. These shocks, emerging on multiple scales, combine to strongly impact Maine’s communities. Drawing on interviews wit…
Toxicants, entanglement, and mitigation in New England’s emerging circular economy for food waste
Drawing on research with food waste recycling facilities in New England, this paper explores a fundamental tension between the eco-modernist logics of the circular economy and the reality of contemporary waste streams. Composting and digestion are promoted as key solutions to food waste, due to their ability to return nutrients to agricultural soils. However, our work suggests that food waste processors increasingly find themselves responsible fo…
Rethinking replacement, rebound and environmental impact in reuse practice
Despite the current emphasis on reuse as a primary strategy for realising more circular economic systems, researchers have questioned the assumed environmental benefits of the practice – arguing that reuse can result in unintended rebound effects that diminish or outweigh environmental gains. This article reviews studies focused on potential rebound effects in reuse practices – not as a means to re-adjudicate the environmental virtues of reuse – …
Beyond productivism: On the social and ecological value of distributive labour: a commentary on ‘Postgrowth welfare systems: a view from the Nordic context’ by Riya Raphael et al
Sociology (18 works) · Political science (17 works) · Environmental ethics (12 works) · Social science (12 works) · Economics (11 works) · Law (11 works) · Sustainability (9 works) · Business (8 works) · Computer Science (7 works) · Geography (7 works)