
Devoted to Nature
The Religious Roots of American Environmentalism
Evan Berry(Author)
University of California Press
1st Edition
Published on 21. July 2015
Book
Hardback
272 pages
978-0-520-28572-9 (ISBN)
Description
Devoted to Nature explores the religious underpinnings of American environmentalism, tracing the theological character of American environmental thought from its Romantic foundations to contemporary nature spirituality. During the Gilded Age and the Progressive Era, religious sources were central to the formation of the American environmental imagination, shaping ideas about the natural world, establishing practices of engagement with environments and landscapes, and generating new modes of social and political interaction. Building on the work of seminal environmental historians who acknowledge the environmental movement's religious roots, Evan Berry offers a potent theoretical corrective to the narrative that explained the presence of religious elements in the movement well into the twentieth century. In particular, Berry argues that an explicitly Christian understanding of salvation underlies the movement's orientation toward the natural world.
Theologically derived concepts of salvation, redemption, and spiritual progress have not only provided the basic context for Americans passion for nature but have also established the horizons of possibility within the national environmental imagination.
Theologically derived concepts of salvation, redemption, and spiritual progress have not only provided the basic context for Americans passion for nature but have also established the horizons of possibility within the national environmental imagination.
Reviews / Votes
"A significant scholarly contribution to understanding environmentalism ... Recommended." CHOICE connectMore details
Edition
First Edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Berkerley
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
499 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-520-28572-9 (9780520285729)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
07/2015
1st Edition
University of California Press
€28.99
Available for download
Person
Evan Berry is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Religion at American University and Codirector of its Ethics, Peace, and Global Affairs master's program.
Content
Acknowledgments Introduction: Whither Religion? 1. Recreation and Soteriology 2. Congregating around Nature 3. Sacred Space and the American Environmental Imagination 4. Recreation and Spiritual Experience Conclusion: The Mechanics of Religious Change Notes For Further Reading and Research Index