Sustainability at the Intersection: A Bibliometric Analysis of the Impact of Social Movements on Environmental Activism from 1998 to 2025

Claudiu Coman (), Vasile Gherhes, Anna Bucs, Lorant Bucs and Dana Rad
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Claudiu Coman: Faculty of Sociology and Communication, Transilvania University of Brașov, 500036 Brașov, Romania
Vasile Gherhes: Department of Communication and Foreign Languages, Politehnica University of Timisoara, 300006 Timisoara, Romania
Anna Bucs: Faculty of Sociology and Communication, University of Craiova, 200585 Craiova, Romania
Lorant Bucs: Faculty of Economics Sciences and Business Administration, Department of Management and Economic Informatics, Transilvania University of Brașov, 500068 Brașov, Romania
Dana Rad: Center of Research, Development and Innovation in Psychology and Social Work, Aurel Vlaicu University of Arad, 310130 Arad, Romania

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 13, 1-21

Abstract: Sustainability and environmental activism are two interconnected fields that advocate for a common goal: systemic changes to protect the environment. Grassroots movements play a crucial role in influencing the status quo, public discourse, and actions regarding these topics by shaping new policies and public behavior. The present study aims to conduct a comprehensive bibliometric review that explores the intersection of environmental activism and sustainability from the pioneering document on this subject from 1998 to 2025 by analyzing 475 documents retrieved from the ISI Web of Science (WoS) database. This study adopts a quantitative approach to identify trends, key authors, patterns, topics, and themes in environmental activism focused on sustainability. By tracking the research landscape from the seminal work, this research provides insights into sustainable environmental initiatives. Results underscore that sustainability cannot be viewed as an isolated concept. Instead, it has become a standard across multiple domains. Environmental activism has the potential to drive change toward a more sustainable future across all domains analyzed. There is an urgent need for initiatives and collaborations across disciplines to achieve this goal.

Keywords: social movements; environmental activism; sustainability; bibliometric review; VOSviewer; leader countries; themes; interdisciplinary research (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:13:p:5741-:d:1684795

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