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10 October 2024 – The Hindu

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All the details about the concept of Environmental Humanities

Introduction:

  • From a scholarly perspective, the environment has long been viewed through the prism of science. A utilitarian perspective of nature has been used by academics and professionals to investigate ecological and environmental challenges. The topic of environmental humanities is relatively new, despite research on the interaction between humans and nature becoming more common in recent decades.

Favouring “soft sciences”:

  • positioning themselves as researchers engaged in environmental humanities at a scientific and technology university where humanities and social science courses is required.
  • The authors demonstrate how the bias against the “soft sciences” and the division between the disciplines could not be eliminated by simply adding a chapter on the humanities.
  • The authors argue that humanities and social science fields must be treated seriously in order to comprehend indigenous epistemologies that deepen our understanding of nature, rather than viewing science as the only avenue for finding solutions to environmental problems.
  • The Indian Knowledge Systems is an example of a nationalist effort that is risky because it only serves to supplant the Western concept of nature.
  • It is devoid of the plethora of stories and viewpoints from diverse social and underprivileged groups that describe how humans are intertwined with the environment.

Country and environment:

  • In India, people have long believed that civilization and culture are inextricably linked to nature.
  • The country is viewed from the perspective of ecology, nature, or as a sense of location.
  • A nation can be understood in one of two ways. The first one views the country as a single location where nature is universally recognised by its inhabitants as an ecological reality.
  • Environmental nationalism is used to defend the exploitation or control of the natural world.
  • The second idea transcends the monolithic conception of a nation or nationalism and uncovers a variety of viewpoints that define a nation in relation to nature as a relationship to a geographical area and the people who inhabit it, each of whom has a distinct cultural identity. Regardless of one’s beliefs towards the environment and ecology, it is a sense of belonging.
  • Neo-liberal establishments have dissociated indigenous people’s experiences and narratives from our concept of nature by viewing the environment as a physical thing that should be exploited in accordance with man’s desires.
  • The authors claim that despite using gender, caste, and tribal experiences as case studies, the mainstream concept of the environment is still predominantly androcentric and Brahminical.

Native American nature narratives:

  • Contrary to popular belief, the relationship tribal or Dalit populations have with the environment is multifaceted and goes far deeper.
  • They have less access to space, land, and water because of the caste system’s ongoing restrictive practises, but they have a stronger bond with nature since they believe the environment has agency and impact.
  • Such narratives oppose the reductionist view of ecology and the environment present in conventional understandings of the term.
  • In order to question the dominant understanding of the environment, it is crucial to include the perspectives of many marginalised populations, such as those based on gender, caste, and tribal identities, in conversations inside academic and policymaking circles.

Moving ahead:

  • The field of environmental humanities is open-ended and constantly redefines how people perceive the environment.
  • The discipline contributes to our understanding of the environment and encourages us to rethink our preconceived ideas about nature by incorporating narratives about the interaction between nature and diverse communities through tales of rivers, landscapes, plants, and animals as well as the perspectives and ecological wisdom of the communities.

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