Environmental Racism in the U.S.

U.S. environmental thought has long been characterized by a history of discriminatory, exclusionary, and elitist concepts. Its inception was marked by mostly white male ideals about human engagement with nature at the expense of less privileged, marginalized population groups and their experiences with the environment. This tradition of capitalizing on a very particular, non-inclusive perspective led to racist notions being ingrained in the very essence of environmental thinking. In this course, we will trace the origins of environmental narratives in American culture before examining how African American, Latinx, and indigenous writers/ activists have questioned and redefined the conventional maxims of American environmentalism.

We will read a wide range of texts (by Harriet Ann Jacobs, Henry David Thoreau, Charles W. Chesnutt, John Muir, W.E.B. DuBois, Langston Hughes, Rachel Carson, Leslie Marmon Silko, Alice Walker, Joy Harjo, Juan Felipe Herrera, Luci Tapahonso, Craig Santos Perez, among others) and address the following questions: How are racism and environmentalism inherently connected? How have authors addressed the cultural, socio-political roots and ramifications of this interlinkage in their texts? How do contemporary writers and activists deal with the legacy of environmental racism in their works, especially in view of the ever-escalating climate crisis?

Dates:

• 15 November 2023 from 6-9 p.m.: introductory online meeting via Zoom
• 19 January 2024 from 12 p.m.-6 p.m.: day 1 (in person)
• 20 January 2024 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.: day 2 (in person)
• 21 January 2024 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.: day 3 (in person)