Ecological Interdependencies

This volume interrogates the environmental humanities through the lens of asymmetrical dependencies: it is interested in investigating the relationship between the environment and asymmetrical power dynamics, an approach that sheds light on how historical and contemporary inequalities have shaped and still shape our social, political and cultural realities as they intersect with their respective ecosystems. In an attempt to bridge disciplines, the volume synthesizes diverse perspectives from the humanities and social sciences – anthropology, art history, cultural studies, archaeology, religious studies, political science, and literary studies –, attending to the tangled and often thorny relationships that form human and more-than-human existence. By incorporating ecological viewpoints and recognizing the agency of non-human actors, the book aims to amplify the often-overlooked voices of the marginalized, including those beyond the human realm. Understanding the intersections of power dynamics and human history requires acknowledging our deeply interconnected existence within a broader planetary context and this edited volume’s contributions offer a lens through which to rethink enduring questions of difference and dependency. These considerations are framed not as abstract or theoretical exercises but as deeply grounded in material realities shaped by histories of asymmetry, inequality and exploitation, thus challenging us to critically reframe notions of ecological inter/dependencies beyond the universalizing narratives of the Anthropocene.

Zeynep Y. Gökçe and Jennifer Leetsch, Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies, Bonn University, Bonn, Germany.