Rob Nixon

"Environmentalism and Postcolonialism"

Abstract:

Here's a brief sense of what I'd talk about: What would it mean to bring environmentalism and postcolonialism into dialogue with each other? These are currently two of the most dynamic areas in literary studies. However, they have developed in almost total isolation from each other. Environmental literary scholarship has taken shape as an offshoot of American Studies, whereas postcolonial literary scholarship has typically focused on the literatures of South Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean and has either remained silent about environmental concerns or dismissed them as manifestations of a Western 'green imperialism.' I wish to examine the genesis and implications of this mutual silence and, through detailed environmentalist readings of a range of postcolonial writers, articulate the value of inaugurating an overdue dialogue.