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Janet Lorenzen

Associate Professor of Sociology

Headshot of Janet Lorenzen

Contact Information

Salem Campus

Address
Smullin 218
900 State Street
Salem  Oregon  97301
U.S.A.
Phone
503-370-6313
503-370-6720 (Fax)

Biography

Janet A. Lorenzen is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Willamette
University with affiliations in American Ethnic Studies, the Sustainability
Institute, and Women’s & Gender Studies. They teach courses about social
change, just sustainability, qualitative methods, sociological and feminist
theory.

Their primary area of research involves understanding and documenting
mechanisms of social and structural change. They study processes of social
change related to taking action on climate change, including: climate
governance and policymaking, climate movement tactics, lifestyle change and
green consumption. They use an equity lens to critique social change projects
that recreate inequalities and reinforce environmental privilege. Their current
research project looks at how the climate justice movement influences state-
level climate governance.

They earned their doctorate in Sociology at Rutgers University and an M.A. in
Women's Studies from SDSU. Prof. Lorenzen’s work is shaped by a
commitment to activism in the women’s movement, LGBTQ+ movement, and
climate justice movement. They are actively engaged in 350-Salem, the
Salem Climate Action Plan Task Force, the Oregon League of Conservation
Voters Leadership Committee for Marion County, and on campus serve as
faculty advisor for CAFES (Community Action Fund for Equity and
Sustainability).

They have articles on responses to climate change published in:
Environmental Politics, Environmental Sociology, Human Ecology Review,
Humanity & Society, Sociological Forum, Sociology Compass, and Wiley
Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change.

Courses

Sociological Theory

Qualitative Methods

Social Change & Resistance

Sustainability, Justice & Society

Publications

Lorenzen, Janet A. 2020. “‘For Us Climate Action Never Dies’: A Legislative
Process Analysis of Environmental Movement Tactics in Oregon.”
Environmental Sociology. Online first.
https://doi.org/10.1080/23251042.2020.1792265

Lorenzen, Janet A. 2018. “The Limits of Household Change: Structural
Influences over Individual Consumption.” Pp. 243-263 in The Energy and
Society Handbook, edited by Debra J. Davidson and Matthias Gross. Oxford:
Oxford University Press.

Lorenzen, Janet A., Gill, Elizabeth and Mark Andreoni. 2016.“‘Turning out the
Grassroots’: Refining Public Feedback in Environmental Policy
Making.” Humanity & Society 40(4):379-400.

Lorenzen, Janet A. 2014.“Green Consumption and Social Change: Debates
over Responsibility, Private Action, and Access.” Sociology
Compass 8(8):1063-1081.

Lorenzen, Janet A. 2014.“Convincing People to Go Green: Managing
Strategic Action by Minimising Political Talk.” Environmental
Politics 23(3):454-472.

Shwom, Rachael and Janet A. Lorenzen. 2012.“Changing Household
Consumption to Address Climate Change: Social Scientific Insights and
Challenges.” Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change. DOI:
10.1002/WCC.182

Lorenzen, Janet A. 2012.“Going Green: The Process of Lifestyle
Change.” Sociological Forum 27(1):94-116.

Lorenzen, Janet A. 2012.“Green and Smart: The Co-construction of Users
and Technology.” Human Ecology Review 19(1):25-36.

Willamette University

Sociology Department

Address
Smullin Hall 3rd floor
Willamette University
900 State Street
Salem Oregon 97301 U.S.A.
Phone
503-370-6556 voice
503-370-6720 fax