Ecocritique at the End of the World

Abstract

Abstract This essay revisits Timothy W. Luke’s Ecocritique to make a case for its relevance today, when the world is on the brink of runaway climate change and it is unclear what direction societies will take. To do so, it proceeds in three parts. First, it outlines three significant shifts that have taken place, undermining some of the coordinates that guided Luke’s Ecocritique and raising new problems for political ecology today. Then, it draws a few lessons from Ecocritique that remain vital to political ecology today. Finally, inspired by the way Luke mapped his ecocritique by examining a number of thinkers, projects, and movements, I will briefly outline a number of sites that seem critical for mapping new ways forward at this juncture. The essay concludes with five suggestions for how ecological politics might proceed today.