Introduction

This Handbook introduction offers a historical overview of ecomedia studies, situating it within a continuum of related fields, such as cultural studies, American studies, postcolonialism, ecocriticism, and ecocinema. The chapter broadly conceptualizes ecomedia studies, converging into three streams: (1) ecomedia are media of and about the environment; (2) ecomedia involve a revised and expanded definition of media; and (3) ecomedia works through iterative circuits consisting of four critical areas of ecomedia scholarship: ecomateriality, political ecology, ecocultures, and eco-affects. Ecomateriality and eco-affects register the material and affective “turns” that distinguish ecomedia studies from media studies. This introduction then offers an overview of the Handbook’s chapters.