Professor George Hoberg at the UBC School of Public Policy and Global Affairs was awarded the 2022 Donald Smiley Prize by the Canadian Political Science Association for his book, The Resistance Dilemma: Place-Based Movements and the Climate Crisis (MIT Press, 2021).
The Donald Smiley Prize was established to honour the life and work of the late, distinguished, Canadian political scientist and former Association’s President, Donald V. Smiley. The prize is awarded every year to the author of the best book published in a field relating to the study of government and politics in Canada.
Dr. Hoberg’s book, The Resistance Dilemma: Place-Based Movements and the Climate Crisis explores whether such place-based environmental movements are effective ways of promoting climate action, if they might inadvertently feed resistance to the development of renewable energy infrastructure, and what other, more innovative processes of decision-making would encourage the acceptance of clean energy systems. Focusing on a series of conflicts over new oil sands pipelines, Dr. Hoberg investigates activists’ strategy of blocking fossil fuel infrastructure, often in alliance with Indigenous groups, and examines the political and environmental outcomes of these actions.
In fall 2021, SPPGA held a virtual book launch which featured an enriching discussion between Dr. Hoberg and Tzeporah Berman, International Program Director at Stand.Earth.
