Newspaper headlines and political discourse habituate us to alarming news about the intensifying dangers of global warming, hydraulic fracturing or ‘fracking,’ rising sea levels, and greenhouse gases. All too often, we become over-reliant on data-driven scientific approaches to the natural world at the expense of humanistic discourse. There has been a perceived schism between the humanities, seemingly on the sidelines or in an ivory tower, while the natural sciences frequently take the public spotlight and are thought to lead on environmental issues. We at Green Humanities believe in the power of the humanities–a book, a poem or a work of art for example—to influence public opinion and inspire engagement with ecological issues and causes. Green Humanities aims to place the humanities on the frontlines not only of cutting edge eco-criticism, but also of the environmental debates that will shape and determine our very world. We envision varied collaborations and juxtapositions of scholarship within the humanities as well as environmental sciences and related fields–all with the overarching goal of coaxing our global society toward a more sustainable future.
Current Volume: Volume 4 (2024) Eco-Justice
From Flint Michigan to battles against the Keystone Pipeline, individuals and communities in the US have mobilized to defend people of color and indigenous communities most affected by extractivist and polluting practices. In France, a wave of uprisings known as the Gilets Jaunes movement rose to contest the socio-economic injustice of a national carbon pricing policy supposedly aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. At the international level, a plethora of actors challenge the hypocrisy of the Global North’s neglect of their historically dominant role in causing global and environment and climate disruption. From environmental and climate justice to just transitions, ecological discourse and action are increasingly understood through the lens of justice.
Our fourth volume is dedicated to the ever-important topic of eco-justice. Through a diverse set of contributions, it is a testament to the unique and expansive lenses which the arts and humanities are capable of soliciting. Together, they expand and challenge our understandings of and sensibilities to eco-justice.
We extend our gratitude to all of our contributors, for helping to chart an eco-justice journey within and beyond the pages of Green Humanities.
Articles
Powering Justice: Sketches for a New Ethos in Energy Policy
Erin Rizzato Devlin
Diverse voices, sticky maps and wicked patterns. Using creative methods to explore environmental justice
Clare Saunders and Daksha Patel
Imaginative Acts, Environmental Futurity: Re-envisioning the Heroic White Male Savior in Snowpiercer
Michelle Yates
Poems
"Drone," "Attempting to Persuade the Musk Ox You Are Not Unlike Not a Threat Not Other"
Elizabeth Bradfield
Salt: A tribute to Ghana's fishers
Vanessa F. Jaiteh
Dear little activist heart
Lilith Kuhn
In the Doha International Airport, a forest
Paulina Bianca Ocampo
Melissa Tuckey
Melissa Tuckey
Field Notes
The Artist Corner
Vijali Hamilton
The Activist Corner - Ecojustice Insights from the Field
Coralie Boulard and Lucas Zabotin
Editor's Notes
Cover
Editors
- Peter Schulman, Old Dominion University
- Coralie Boulard, KU Leuven
- Lucas Zabotin, University of Cambridge
Poetry Editor
- Jennifer Atkinson, George Mason University