IN CONVERSATION
Beyond propaganda
Prof. Scott Slovic
Eco-literature began to take shape in the 1980s. This is not to say that writers before were not concerned with issues relating to ecology and environment. But the decades since then saw these two subjects receive a focused attention in literary circles. The Department of English, Madras Christian College, hosted an international conference on December 20 and 21 on Literature and Environment in association with the Indian Association for Studies in Contemporary Literature and the World Association for Studies in Literature in English.
The distinguished scholar DR. SCOTT SLOVIC, Professor of Literature and Environment, University of Nevada, was the main speaker. He said that the United States has the most enlightened and hopeful individuals and institutions and the most callous and destructive institutions too. "Since we have exported most of the destructive technology, it is only fair we try to export some of the ways of mitigating the problems caused by these destructive advancements". He defined eco-criticism as the study of explicitly environmental texts — including literature, film, music, visual art and popular media — from any critical perspective or the application of various environmental lenses (ranging from scientific ecology to the language and terminology of environmental justice scholarship) to any kind of text, even material that presents no obvious statement about the more-than-human world or the relationship between the human and the non-human.
Excerpts from an interview with SELINE AUGUSTINE.
ARE we to understand that what began as the genre called `Nature writing' in the 1960s has evolved into eco-literature?
The phrase Nature writing itself began to be used in the U.S. during the first decade of the 20th Century to describe the work of natural history writers such as Burroughs and Seton. From the late 1960s to the present, the genre of literary expression known as nature writing has at times been described broadly as "environmental literature" and has become one of the most vigorous and significant branches of world literature — this is particularly true in the U.S. and in other English-speaking cultures such as the U.K., Canada and Australia.
What do you think is the role of eco-literature in addressing the world's environmental problems?
Eco-literature is a way of understanding and articulating that which is meaningful, of what we value, care about in nature. Eco-criticism and environmental literature can help us to pay attention to and understand the physical and social processes that are affecting the planet. I am not under the delusion that everyone is going to read this genre. But when a distinguished filmmaker is influenced by it and incorporates it into his film or a best-selling novel, the ripple effect will be enormous. The central part of the work is to make people live more responsibly. Fewer and fewer people in industrialised nations such as the U.K., Germany, Italy, Australia, Japan, Taiwan and of course the U.S., actually know where their food, fuel and building products (wood, steel and glass) come from. We participate — as producers sometimes, but mostly as consumers — in an increasingly global economy, which tends to mean that we depend on natural resources from throughout the world, although the products we consume are strangely removed from the landscapes and communities that produced them and the costs of production — often substantial costs in the form of ecological damage and social injustice — are hidden.
The U.S., India and China are among the countries who believe that the Kyoto Protocol will endanger the economy. What is your take on this?
We give importance to bio-diversity, are concerned about climate changes. What if we suffered a little, or had even a shrinking economy? Too much importance is given to the health and success of businesses. It is irresponsible of governments not to engage with the Kyoto Protocol.
The common people easily understand political and economic problems. The media to an extent is able to create only an awareness about environmental issues. Do you think eco-literature can do better than this?
It is important to realise that environmental literature is not the same as what some might call environmentalist literature. Environmental literature is seldom simply propaganda on behalf of conservation causes — it is different from the "literature"(pamphlets, newsletters, requests for financial support or political action) that might be prepared and distributed by environmental organisations. Environmental literature, although it frequently expresses a particular political orientation and a concern or social reform in pursuit of environmental protection, also tends to be exploratory, questioning and celebratory — in other words, it is much more than simple argumentation against typical environmental ills, such as destruction of wildlife habitat, pollution, urban sprawl, and excessive extraction of natural resources.
What is your opinion on eco-feminism?
It is very important and I respect the eco-feminists, for they take the trouble to link issues like social justice and environmental protection. India is the leader in this regard; Australia and the U.S. are also prominent.
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