Ecology
of Everyday Life examines the
ecological impulse as a `desire for nature,' a desire
that emerges as people within industrial capitalist
contexts respond to the personal and aesthetic,
rather than the physical and political implications
of ecological breakdown.
While
exploring the historical causes of this romantic
`desire for nature,' Heller also offers a way to
reconstruct ideas of both `nature' and `desire,'
drawing from feminist, anarchist, and social
ecological theory. She provides an activist response
to ecological questions, arguing that the ecology
movement too often links ecological problems to
personal, psychological, and spiritual concerns,
rather than to concerns of social justice. Yet rather
than dismiss such personal and qualitative concerns,
Heller links the desire for a more meaningful and
integral quality of life to the activist impulse
itself. Questioning assumptions about `nature,'
`desire,' and `the ecological agenda,' the author
encourages readers to consider new ways of desiring
nature that entail changes not only in personal
life-style and outlook, but changes in social
institutions as well.
"Heller
brings back the joy and spontaneity to activism,
reminding us that the struggle for freedom and
justice is not a duty or a chore."
Greta Gaard, author of Ecological
Politics: Ecofeminists and the Greens
"This is an exciting,
provocative, and truly insightful work."
Murray Bookchin
"Anyone searching for ways
to rethink and remakethe world should read this
book." Carolyn Merchant,
author of The Death of Nature
and Earthcare:Women and the Environment"
Not
everyone is protected from immediate ecological
crises. The global division of ecological labour is a
harsh reality. While those in the South are forced to
work to sustain the viability of life, others in the
North are more concerned with establishing a quality
of life. While all people desire a better quality of
life, the question of who has the freedom to fulfil
these desires is largely informed by global questions
of power and privilege. When activists focus solely
on questions of ecological need and survival they
fail to recognise the qualitative concerns of the
poor who also share desires for a meaningful and
pleasurable quality of life, writes Subir
Ghosh."
The Reviewer, online at
http://www.jaalmag.com/thereviewer/23042000c.htm
Table of Contents
Chaia Heller holds a MA in psychology and has worked
for many years as a clinical social worker
counselling and advocating for women struggling with
issues of domestic abuse and poverty. In addition,
she has had a long career as a teacher and
international lecturer in the fields of social
ecology and ecofeminism and is currently on the
faculty at the Institute for Social Ecology. She also
teaches at the University of Massachusetts where she
is pursuing a PhD.
204 pages, bibliography, index
Paperback ISBN: 1-55164-132-1 $19.99
Hardcover ISBN: 1-55164-133-X $48.99
Ecology and the Environment
January 1999
