220125 Theoretical Perspectives on Environmental Movements in the United States of America (S) (WiSe 2024/2025)

For the last 200 years, the United States have been a laboratory for environmental protests and philosophies. Their many twists and turns are exactly what make the environmental movements in the United States so intriguing.

From the late 1880s on, "heroes" of the “conservation movement” – charismatic and often white men and women writers – such as John Muir, Mabel Osgood Wright and later Aldo Leopold fought to save species on the brink of extinction and to conserve wild land. Their literary work and philosophical texts enriched people`s imagination and thinking about nature. Founding organizations such as the “Sierra Club” and “The Wilderness Society”, they created platforms powerful enough to negotiate with politicians in Washington D.C. eye to eye.
By the late 1970s, some activists had grown disillusioned with these now well-established environmental clubs: The “radical environmental movements” started with groups such as Earth First! or the Sea Shepherds. Earth First! with prominent members Dave Foreman and Judi Bari envisioned themselves as a non-hierarchical network. They embraced “deep ecology” and ideas by popular anarchist writer Edward Abbey. Their new eco-sabotage tactics such as tree-sitting and tree-spiking as well as their publicity stunts sparked heated controversies, captured the media´s attention and would soon land environmentalists on top of the FBI`s most wanted list.
In 1982, predominately African American citizens of Warren County birthed yet another incarnation of environmentalism, when they fought against a planned landfill for PCB-contaminated soil: the “environmental justice movement”. People of color came together and redefined “environment” as the place “where we live, work, play, learn, and worship [...]“. They merged civil rights protests tactics with environmentalism.
Environmental protest in the United States has always been a transnational issue. Native American protests at Standing Rock in 2014, for instance, present yet another tradition of activism for the environment and point to more Native American-led activism across the Americas. Throughout this history of environmental movements, diverse groups sought intellectual inspirational from abroad, would engage around the world and join forces in their ultimate battle to do nothing less than: to protect planet earth.

In this class, we will systematically investigate and compare these movements: Who are are the protesters? How are they organized? What are their objectives? What are their tactics? Whom/what do they oppose? And last but not least: What is their underlying definition of “environment”/ “nature“? To answer these questions, we will use and interdisciplinary and transnational approach. We will use theories and models from literary studies, sociology, history and political studies and also look at disciplines that have recently emerged such as ecocriticism and environmental humanities.

Requirements: A good command of English in reading and speaking is required, as all the sources and research literature will be in English. Also, English will be used throughout the class and you have to give a presentation in English.

Bibliography

For more see: Reserved Shelf (Semesterapparat) and List of electronic publications (Lernraum)

• Keith Makoto Woodhouise. The Ecocentrists. A History of Radial Environmentalism. Columbia University Press: 2018.
• Environmental Justice in Postwar America. A Documentary Reader. Ed.by Christopher W. Wells. University of Washington Press: 2018.
• Robert Gottlieb. Forcing the Spring. The Transformation of the American Environmental Movement. Island Press: 2005.
• Daniel J. Philippon. Conserving Words. How American Nature Writers Shaped the Environmental Movement. University of Georiga Press: 2004.
• Michelle Nijhuis. Beloved Beasts. Fighting for Life in an Age of Extinction. W.W. Norton & Company: 2021.
• Confronting Environmental Racism. Voices from the Grassroots. Ed. By Robert D. Bullard. Foreword by Benjamin Chavis Jr. South End Press: 1993.
• Rik Scarce. Eco-Warriors. Understanding the Radical Environmental Movement. Updated edition.Foreword by David Brower. Left Coast Press: 2006.
• Dave Foreman. Confessions of an Eco-Warrior. Crown Trade Paperbacks: 1991.
• Defending the Earth. A Dialogue between Murray Bookchin & Dave Foreman. Edited with an Introduction by Steve Chase. Foreword by David Levine. South End Press: 1991.
• Captain Paul Watson. Earth Force! An Earth Warrior`s Guide to Strategy. Foreword by Dave Foreman. Chaco Press 1993.
• Paul Brooks. Speaking for Nature. How Literary Naturalists from Henry Thoreau to Rachel Carson Have Shaped America. Houghton Mifflin Company: 1980.
• American Earth. Environmental Writing Since Thoreau. Foreword by Al Gore. Edited by Bill McKibben. Library of America: 2008.
• Scott Slovic. Seeking Awareness in American Nature Writing. Henry Thoreau. Annie Dillard. Edward Abbey. Wendell Berry. Barry Lopez. University of Utah Press: 1992.