School of the Environment
Yale University
USA
www.justinfarrell.org
Ordinary Academicians
Justin Farrell is a professor and author at Yale University. His research focuses on cultural sociology and environmental politics. Mostly epistemologies and power. He blends ethnographic fieldwork with large-scale computational techniques from network science and machine learning. His scholarly work has been published by Science, Princeton University Press, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Nature Climate Change, the American Sociological Review, Environmental Research Letters, Social Problems, and funded by the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Science Foundation.
His books and articles have won national scholarly awards, and he regularly presents to policymakers, including the U.S. Senate, the United Nations, the Vatican, and in major media outlets such as the New York Times, The Economist, New York Review of Books, LA Times, NPR, Washington Post, HBO, and the Financial Times. Justin is a proud first-generation college grad and Wyoming native. He splits time between western Wyoming, Denver, and New Haven.
Academic Books
Farrell, Justin. 2020. Billionaire Wilderness: The Ultra-Wealthy and the Remaking of the American West. Princeton University Press.
Farrell, Justin. 2015. The Battle for Yellowstone: Morality and the Sacred Roots of Environmental Conflict. Princeton University Press.
*Outstanding Book Award, Winner, American Sociological Association AMSS
*Outstanding Book Award, Honorable Mention, American Sociological Assoc., Environmental Sociology *Outstanding Academic Title, Choice, American Library Association
*The Economist: “most original political book of early 2015”.
Research Articles (*graduate student co-authors)
Farrell, Justin, Paul Burow*, Kathryn McConnell*, Jude Bayham, Kyle Whyte, Gal Koss. 2021 “Effects of land dispossession and forced migration on Indigenous peoples in North America” Science 374(6567); Mueller, J. T., McConnell, K.*, Burow, P. B.*, Pofahl, K.*, Merdjanoff, A. A., Farrell, J. 2021. Impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on rural America. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 118(1); Burow, Paul*, Kathryn McConnell*, and Justin Farrell. 2019. “Social Scientific Research on the American West: Current Debates, Novel Methods, and New Directions” Environmental Research Letters 14(12); Farrell, Justin, Kathryn McConnell*, Robert Brulle. 2019. “Evidence-based Strategies to Combat Scientific Misinformation” Nature Climate Change 9:191-195; Farrell, Justin. 2019. “The Growth of Climate Change Misinformation in U.S. Philanthropy: Evidence from Natural Language Processing” Environmental Research Letters 14(3) (Best Article Award, Winner (for all disciplines, all articles in 2019), Environmental Research Letters); Farrell, Justin. 2016. “Corporate Funding and Ideological Polarization about Climate Change” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 113(1), 92-97 (*Best Article Award, honorable mention, American Sociological Association SKAT; *Best Article Award, honorable mention, American Sociological Association CITAMS); Farrell, Justin. 2016. “Network Structure and Influence of the Climate Change Counter-Movement” Nature Climate Change 6(4), 370-374; Farrell, Justin. 2015. “Echo Chambers and False Certainty.” Nature Climate Change 5:719-720; McVeigh, Rory, David Cunningham, Justin Farrell. 2014. “Political Polarization as a Social Movement Outcome: 1960s Klan Activism and Its Enduring Impact on Political Realignment in Southern Counties, 1960-2000.” American Sociological Review 79(6): 1144-1171 (*Best Article Award, winner, American Sociological Assoc., Collective Behavior and Social Movements); Farrell, Justin. 2014. “Moral Outpouring: Shock and Generosity in the Aftermath of the BP Oil Spill.” Social Problems 61(3):482-506 (*Marvin E. Olsen Paper Award, American Sociological Assoc. Environmental Sociology); Farrell, Justin. 2013. “Environmental Activism and Moral Schemas: Cultural Components of Differential Participation.” Environment and Behavior 45(3): 399-423; Farrell, Justin. 2011. “The Young and the Restless? The Liberalization of Young Evangelicals.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 50: 517-532; Farrell, Justin. 2011. “The Divine Online: Civic Organizing, Identity Building, and Internet Fluency among Different Religious Groups.” Journal of Media and Religion 10(2):73-90.
My name is Justin, and I’m a Professor of Sociology at Yale University, School of the Environment. My research and teaching investigates how different human societies understand the natural world.
My journey into sociology was fueled by my fascination with philosophy – specifically, epistemology, moral philosophy, and metaphysics. I’ve always been intrigued by the philosophical underpinnings of human behavior and existence, and I’ve dedicated my career to applying these theoretical concepts to real-world environmental conflicts and polarization.
My research dives into the root causes of environmental conflict, looking beyond economic and technical solutions to understand the cultural mechanisms that drive such disputes. In my first book, The Battle for Yellowstone, I argue that our modern reliance on scientific, legal, and economic reasoning often overlooks these deeper cultural drivers. Through ethnographic observation, interviews, and large-scale text analysis, I examine the moral narratives and values that shape environmental conflicts, offering a new lens through which to view policy outcomes.
In addition to my work on environmental conflicts, I’ve also explored the pervasive issue of climate denial and misinformation. Employing computational methods like network science, machine learning, and natural language processing, I delve into the social structure of misinformation and its impact on climate policy. This research not only sheds light on the mechanisms of misinformation but also contributes to our understanding of how social movements and funding networks enable its spread.
My second book, Billionaire Wilderness examines the character of “community” in the 21st century. Through fieldwork and analysis, I investigate how culture, myths, and narratives define communities, and how these elements interact with issues of wealth, power, and environmental management.
Currently, I’m collaborating with colleagues and students on several projects, including an examination of Indigenous land dispossession and its climate-related impacts. I presented some of this work last year at the Academy’s workshop on decolonization. This work aims to quantify and analyze the historical and ongoing challenges faced by Native tribes, highlighting the socio-environmental injustices they endure.
My latest project delves into the intersection of conservatism, environmental thought, and the far right. By integrating sociological research with interdisciplinary literature, we aim to uncover a more nuanced understanding of conservatism's historical and theoretical ties to nature. Finally, I’m embarking on a new research project exploring cultural orientations toward time and their implications for climate change. This work employs large language models and innovative methodologies to unravel the complex ways in which societies perceive and interact with time and temporality.
In conclusion, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to you all, especially to President Alford (and past President Zamagni), Cardinal Turkson (and past Chancellor Sánchez Sorondo), and of course, the Holy Father.
Engaging with such a knowledgeable and passionate group of scholars has been incredibly enriching. I am truly honored to be a member of this esteemed Academy, and I look forward to contributing to the advancement of the Academy. Thank you once again for the opportunity.