Systematic Literature Review on Coastal Sociology: The Uses of Sociological Paradigms

Abu Hurairah Bin Abu Bakar, Mohamad Fauzi Sukimi, Mimi Hanida Abdul Mutalib

Abstract


The increasing density of coastal populations has resulted in various environmental and social challenges. To address these issues, various studies have been conducted by coastal sociologists. However, no research has yet discussed the use of paradigms in coastal sociology articles. This research aims to identify the use of paradigms in the field of coastal sociology. This sytematic literature review was conducted using the PRISMA method. This research began by searching for articles related to coastal sociology using the keyword "Coastal Sociology" in the Scopus and Web of Science databases. The search successfully identified 98 research articles published until the end of 2024, in English and openly accessible. This research applies Ritzer’s multiple sociological paradigms, the Human Exceptionalism Paradigm (HEP) and the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) in the screening process to find 21 relevant and eligible articles. This research found nine themes frequently discussed in coastal sociology articles, namely traditional beliefs, community adaptation, environmental justice, public migration, public participation, ecotourism, gender equality, the fishing industry, and coastal wildlife. This study also provides a summary of information from the 21 articles related to the distribution of time and place of research, data collection methods, popular sociological paradigms, and interrelated factors between the environment and society. The word "paradigm" is only found in five articles (environmental justice paradigm, hydraulic paradigm, neoliberal policy paradigm, and new paradigm for well-being), but it is not to explain the sociological paradigm for the research.


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