Rethinking Nature

Reviews / Votes

"This book represents a wide collection of vibrant contributions on the topical issue of understanding nature and environmental challenges without remaining trapped in the horizon of the natural sciences. The book's ambitious aim is to challenge not only the very idea of nature but also any rigid academic disciplinary framework that can prevent research from crossing both disciplinary and cultural boundaries. Thus, the collection also seeks to offer"a resolutely cross-cultural and multidisciplinary approach" that is able to include non-Western conceptions and a wide range of disciplines." - Francesco Carpanini in Environment and Society: Advances in Research Journal (2018)

"Defining nature and the various ways it features in disciplines which range from theology through geography to biology is complex, and is continually developing. Such themes and trends, involving the ever-changing relationship between nature and culture, are the subject matter of this book. The 21 contributors represent a diverse array of disciplines including philosophy, literature, history, planning, sociology, environmental humanities, social/urban geography, entomology, ecological economics and anthropology... This book is a valuable contribution to the ecological/environmental literature... It deserves a wide readership at undergraduate and postgraduate levels as well as those involved in the construction and implementation of environmental policies." - A.M. Mannion in British Ecological Society Bulletin (2017)

"One of the main strengths of this book lies in its exhaustive examination of the relationship between nature and society, with comparative analyses drawn from a wide array of domains, giving the reader a global understanding of the subject. These include ethics, spirituality, psychology, aesthetics, feminism, sociology, politics, economics, anthropology, urbanism and animal protection. In each case, the authors delve into the relationship between their discipline and the concept of 'nature', which has sparked a flurry of 'eco' disciplines (eco-feminism, eco-spirituality, eco-psychology, etc.). As a result, the book brings original insights into new, little-studied emerging disciplines." -Arnault Barichella in French Journal of Political Science (2018) [translated from the original in French]

The book is a major milestone in environmental studies because it describes the ongoing ecologization of knowledge and sheds light on the reflexive impacts of such an epistemological turn on literary and social disciplines. [...] For the first time in the English-language literature, Rethinking Nature sums up the contemporary controversies and debates among environmental humanities scholars from different disciplinary and geographical backgrounds, in order to go beyond national differences and encourage new ways of studying the environment. The book is essential reading for students interested in environmental issues and in the various ideas, controversies and knowledge which have shaped environmental thought and made it such a vibrant and fruitful field." Emiliano Scanu in Natures Sciences Societes (2018) [translated from the original in French]