Richard Stedman is Professor and Chair of the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment at Cornell University, where he also is Associate Director of the Center for Conservation Social Sciences and a member of the Graduate Field of Development Sociology.
Dr Stedman earned his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin (Sociology/Rural Sociology), his M.S. from Cornell University, and his BA from the University of Wisconsin. Prior to his arrival at Cornell University in 2007, he served as a faculty member in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology at The Pennsylvania State University (2002-2007), and led the Social Science Research Group for the Canadian Forest Service in Edmonton Alberta.
Stedman’s research, teaching, and outreach is rooted in social-ecological systems. An author of over 200 peer reviewed works, he is especially interested in sense of place—as the meanings and attachments that are held for particular landscapes—and the role of environmental quality in underpinning this connection. He also focuses on the well-being of resource dependent communities, especially communities in transition. Much of his recent work in this area targets issues related to energy transitions, ranging from shale gas to large scale renewable efforts, but he also has keen interests in water, wildlife, and fishery systems, domestically and internationally. When not engaged in these activities, he enjoys all manner of outdoor pursuits, especially those that put food on the table, and writing mediocre poetry.
Recent Research
My research is rooted in connection to place and to community and how these connections may be affected by rapid social and ecological change. As a sociologist who takes the natural world seriously, I believe that place matters, even in this age of extraordinary mobility. Our environmental behaviors—from stewardship, to politics, to consumer choices--are rooted in our experiences, our understandings of, and preferences for places we care about. I study a wide range of these places, at multiple scales, facing a diverse array of challenges, including wildlife conflict, invasive species, energy development, climate change, migration, and many others.
Selected Publications
- Nilson, R., and R.C. Stedman. 2023. Reacting to the rural burden: Perceived energy colonialism and opposition to utility-scale solar development. Rural Sociology 88(2):578-605.
- Naiman, S.M., R. C. Stedman, and J. P. Schuldt. 2023. Latine culture and the environment: How familism and collectivism predict environmental attitudes and behavioral intentions among U.S. Latines. Journal of Environmental Psychology 85 10192 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2022.101902
- Mason, J., R.C. Stedman, and K. Kleisner. 2023. Climate resilience and risks of rigidity traps in Iceland's fisheries. Ambio https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-023-01859-8.
- Raymond, C.R., R.C. Stedman, and N. Frantzeskaki. 2023. The role of nature-based solutions and senses of place in enabling just city transitions. Environmental Science and Policy 144:10-19.
- Armstrong, A,. R. Stedman, S. Sweet, and N. Hairston. 2022. What causes harmful algal blooms? A case study of causal attributions and conflict in a lakeshore community. Environmental Management https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-021-01581-9
- Nilson, R., and R. Stedman. 2022. Are big solar and small solar separate things: The role of scale in public support for solar energy development in upstate New York. Energy Research & Social Science 86:102449.
- Bugden, D., and R.C. Stedman. 2021. Unfulfilled promise: Social acceptance of the smart grid. Environmental Research Letters 16(3): 034019.
- Sward, J, R.S. Nilson, V.V. Katkar, R.C. Stedman, D.L. Kay, J.E. Ifft, and K. M. Zhang. 2021. Integrating social considerations in multicriteria decision analysis for utility-scale solar photovoltaic siting. Applied Energy 288: 116543
