Books in the Routledge Environmental Humanities series

As one of the originators of the concept of bioregionalism, Peter Berg (1937-2011) is a founding figure of contemporary environmental thought. As arguably the nation's first post-environmentalist, in the 1970s Berg perceived the negative direction the environmental movement was taking and began to articulate a more positive and pro-active alternative, centred on the concept of bioregions. This book introduces readers to the biospheric vision and post-environmental genius of Berg, with original tributes from twenty prominent writers and thinkers, whose reflections illuminate facets of Berg's continuing importance and offer fresh angles on bioregionalism.

This book examines Brazil's position in the global ecological crisis and how social, political, ethical, scientific and economic issues affect its environmental performance.

Humanities for the Environment, or HfE, is an ambitious project that from 2013-2015 was funded by a generous grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The project networked universities and researchers internationally through a system of "Observatories." This book collects the work of contributors networked through the North American, Asia-Pacific, and Australia-Pacific Observatories. Humanities for the Environment showcases how humanists are working to "integrate knowledges" from diverse cultures and ontologies and pilot new "constellations of practice" that are moving beyond traditional contemplative or reflective outcomes (the book, the essay) towards solutions to the greatest social and environmental challenges of our time. With the still controversial concept of the "Anthropocene" as a starting point for a widening conversation, contributors range across geographies, ecosystems, climates and weather regimes; moving from icy, melting Arctic landscapes to the bleaching Australian Great Barrier Reef, and from an urban pedagogical "laboratory" in Phoenix, Arizona to Vatican City in Rome. Chapters explore the ways in which humanists, in collaboration with local communities, NGOs, nonprofits, international science research platforms and disciplines across academia, are responding to warming oceans, disappearing islands, collapsing fisheries, evaporating reservoirs of water, exploding bushfires, and spreading radioactive contamination.This interdisciplinary work will be of great interest to scholars in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences interested in interdisciplinary questions of environment and culture.

The museum sector has a moral obligation to use its collections and exhibitions and other events to explore some of the inequalities wrought by global warming. The book tackles the broad global issue of climate change through specific collections and in local places. It reflects the Pacific community at its core, but also embraces many other communities who will experience the adverse effects of climate change sooner or later. The book is rich with practical museum experience and detail, as well as critical, analytical and philosophical about where a museum can intervene to speak to this great conundrum of our times.

This book explores the notion of endangerment which stands at the heart of a network of concepts, values and practices dealing with objects considered threatened by extinction, and with the procedures aimed at preserving them. It looks at some of the fundamental ways in which this process involves science, but also more than science: not only data and knowledge and institutions, but also affects and values. With a focus on endangerment sensibility, it encapsulates tensions between the normative and the utilitarian, the natural and the cultural.

This book captures some of the radical new thinking prompted by the arrival of the Anthropocene and opens up the social sciences and humanities to the profound meaning of the new geological epoch, the `Age of Humans¿. It presents some of the challenges and difficult questions posed by the convergence of geological and human history. As well as calling for a greater reflexivity when talking about the Anthropocene, it shows that what has been represented as the impact of the human species on its environment is fundamentally a political issue, raising questions about power, global distribution and environmental justice.

Written by an international team of contributors from Scandinavia, Germany, the UK, and the US, this book examines in-depth the relationship between sustainability and the good life. It explores where contemporary visions of the sustainable good life come from; what functions they serve; how they are expressed in current transition processes; and whether a sustainable and satisfying life is possible for all. It frames the eco "crisis" in an optimistic way, showing it to be full of potential for creative unfolding and democratic participation at all levels ¿ personal, community, and societal.

As one of the originators of the concept of bioregionalism, Peter Berg (1937-2011) is a founding figure of contemporary environmental thought. As arguably the nation's first post-environmentalist, in the 1970s Berg perceived the negative direction the environmental movement was taking and began to articulate a more positive and pro-active alternative, centered on the concept of bioregions. This book introduces readers to the biospheric vision and post-environmental genius of Berg, with original tributes from twenty prominent writers and thinkers, whose reflections illuminate facets of Berg's continuing importance and offer fresh angles on bioregionalism.

This textbook provides an overview of different ways of conceptualising nature in epistemological terms, reflecting the tensions between the polarities of humans as masters or protectors of nature, or as part of or outside of nature.

Research from a uniquely humanist perspective has much to offer in interrogating the social and cultural ramifications of invasion ecologies. This book addresses the ongoing community concerns about invasive species and the ecological changes that we will together face in a climate changing world. It demonstrates beautifully how the environmental humanities can meaningfully impact discourse on environmental degradation. It allows us to rethink what has been a longstanding problem in global environmental history: the impact on national, regional or local ecologies of the deliberate or accidental introduction of foreign species, plant and animal. The book reveals how the nonhuman world must be examined in conjunction with cultural and historical processes. Particularly important is how it examines the prejudice toward nativism in much supposedly neutral environmental and ecological writing.

Research from a uniquely humanist perspective has much to offer in interrogating the social and cultural ramifications of invasion ecologies. This book addresses the ongoing community concerns about invasive species and the ecological changes that we will together face in a climate changing world. It demonstrates beautifully how the environmental humanities can meaningfully impact discourse on environmental degradation. It allows us to rethink what has been a longstanding problem in global environmental history: the impact on national, regional or local ecologies of the deliberate or accidental introduction of foreign species, plant and animal. The book reveals how the nonhuman world must be examined in conjunction with cultural and historical processes. Particularly important is how it examines the prejudice toward nativism in much supposedly neutral environmental and ecological writing.

This book captures some of the radical new thinking prompted by the arrival of the Anthropocene and opens up the social sciences and humanities to the profound meaning of the new geological epoch, the `Age of Humans¿. It presents some of the challenges and difficult questions posed by the convergence of geological and human history. As well as calling for a greater reflexivity when talking about the Anthropocene, it shows that what has been represented as the impact of the human species on its environment is fundamentally a political issue, raising questions about power, global distribution and environmental justice.

This book faces the challenges and possibilities of conducting cultural and environmental history research today. Disciplinary commitments certainly influence the questions scholars ask and the ways they seek out answers, but some methodological challenges go beyond the boundaries of any one discipline. The book examines: how to account for the fact that humans are not the only actors in history yet dominate archival records; how to attend to the non-visual senses when traditional sources offer only a two-dimensional, non-sensory version of the past; and how effectively to use sources and means of communication made available in the digital age.

In this edited volume, leading and emerging scholars investigate for the first time the ways in which the size of an animal population impacts how they are viewed by humans and, conversely, how human perceptions of populations impact on animals.

While our world is characterized by mobility, global interactions, and increasing knowledge, we are facing serious challenges regarding the knowledge of the places around us. We understand and navigate our surroundings by relying on advanced technologies. Yet, a truly knowledgeable relationship to the places where we live and visit is lacking.

Reflecting on waste in the context of sustainability, materiality, social practices, subjectivity, and environmental challenges, the book covers settings from the municipal garbage crisis in Beirut, to food rescue campaigns in Hong Kong, and the toxic by-products of computer chip production in Silicon Valley.