Abstract
Introduction to the book and to the intersection of ecopsychology and phenomenology. Explores the history of how the two fields have interacted with each other and how an early contra-naturalist penchant within phenomenology was transformed into a fecund opening towards ecological thinking. The chapter highlights the two fields' shared values, sensibilities and axioms and includes a contemporary and inclusive definition of ecopsychology. Introductions for each section and each chapter are provided. Concluding paragraphs speak to how the volume as a whole allows the reader to engage more fully with the climate crisis, thereby laying the groundwork for a different future for ourselves and the planet.
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Notes
- 1.
A precise description of ecopsychology is nearly impossible to produce as it encompasses a wide range of elements and domains. Additionally, it is difficult to mark a clear boundary between ecopsychology and environmental or ecological thought more generally. A useful way of defining the field, then, would note that it is a meld of psychological and ecological sensibilities, and includes practices such as eco-therapy, nature-oriented awareness praxes, earth-sustaining work, philosophical inquiry, art, and ritual. A common area of ecopsychological study focuses on the relationship, both “proper” and “improper,” between humans and the rest of nature. For a superb and concise history of ecopsychology, please refer to John Davis’ chapter, “Diamond in the Rough: An Exploration of Aliveness and Transformation in Wilderness,” in this volume.
- 2.
For an examination of phenomenology and environmental thought more generally, please see Brown and Toadvine (2003). In many ways, that landmark volume can be considered a forbearer of this collection. What distinguishes the two is the more strictly ecopsychological, as opposed to philosophical, focus of this anthology.
References
Abram, D. (2010). Becoming animal: An earthly cosmology. New York: Vintage Books.
Brown, C., & Toadvine, T. (2003). Eco-phenomenology: An introduction. In C. Brown & T. Toadvine (Eds.), Eco-phenomenology: Back to the Earth itself. Albany: SUNY.
Wood, D. (2003). What is ecophenomenology? In C. Brown & T. Toadvine (Eds.), Eco-phenomenology: Back to the Earth itself. Albany: SUNY.
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Castrillón, F. (2014). Ecopsychology and Phenomenology: An Introduction. In: Vakoch, D., Castrillón, F. (eds) Ecopsychology, Phenomenology, and the Environment. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9619-9_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9619-9_1
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