ABSTRACT

Green History traces the development of ecological writing through history and forms a broad critical review of green ideas and movements reinforcing the importance of environmental concern and action in our own time. Animal rights, ecology as science, feminism, green fascism/socialism/anarchism, land reform, peaceful protest, industrialization, ancient ecology, evolution, grassroots activism, philosophical holism, recycling, Taoism, demographics, utopias, sustainability, spiritualism ...all these issues and many more are discussed. Authors include Alice Walker on massacre in the City of Brotherly Love, Aldous Huxley on progress, Lewis Mumford on the organic outlook, Engels on natural dialectics, Thoreau on the fontier life, the Shelleys on vegetarianism and playing God, Bacon on the New Atlantis, Hildegard of Bingen on green vigour, the unknown writer of the Bodhisattva and the Hungry Tigress and Plato on soil erosion. Each article is set within its historical and thematic context. A full introduction and a guide to further reading are also provided.

chapter |19 pages

Introduction

chapter 1|12 pages

Ancient Wisdom

chapter 2|11 pages

Ecology and Early Urban Civilization

chapter 3|8 pages

The Origins of Environmental Danger

chapter 4|11 pages

Theories of Breakdown

chapter 5|12 pages

Putting the Earth First

chapter 6|11 pages

Gaia

chapter 7|13 pages

Philosophical Holism

chapter 8|11 pages

The Web of Life

chapter 9|9 pages

Against Growth

chapter 10|11 pages

10Sustainable development

chapter 11|11 pages

11The Frankenstein factor

chapter 12|17 pages

12Peaceful protest

chapter 13|11 pages

13The city and the country

chapter 14|13 pages

14Eco-feminism

chapter 15|13 pages

15Spiritual awakenings

chapter 16|9 pages

16Literary roots

chapter 17|11 pages

17Green revolutionaries

chapter 18|11 pages

18Green politics

chapter 19|10 pages

19Utopia or else!