Featuring a range of scholars in the field of religion and ecology, over 95 images, and a glossary of key terms, this book provides a survey of the key topics and religious traditions in the study of religion and nature in the North American context. Students are introduced to the ways in which religions have shaped our thinking about the many dimensions of nature and affected the socio-political and ecological landscapes of North America.
This overview explores the impacts of European colonialism on indigenous peoples, and the enslaving of black peoples, that still reverberate in contemporary issues of environmental justice and climate change, and the breadth of intersectional environmentalisms that include race, class, gender, sexuality, disability, and place. Contributing authors also explore the range of religious and spiritual values and sentiments that shape human engagement with the more-than-human natural worlds.
With guidance for further reading accompanying each chapter, the book is divided into three parts: Traditions, Embodiments and Identities, and Themes and Issues. Individual chapters include topics such as animals and religion, indigenous language and ecology, Asian religions, petrocultures and Christianity, and globalization and ethics.
The chapters in this book were first published in the digital collection Bloomsbury Religion in North America. Covering North America’s diverse religious traditions, this digital collection provides reliable and peer-reviewed articles and ebooks for students and instructors. Learn more and get access for your library at http://www.theologyandreligiononline.com/bloomsbury-religion-in-north-america
Part I: Traditions 1. Overview, Laurel Kearns (Drew University, USA) and Whitney Bauman (Florida International University, USA) 2. Reconciling to the Ancestors: The Spirit of Decolonization in Times of Pandemic, Timothy Leduc (Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada 3. Indigenous Language and Ecology, Marcus Briggs-Cloud (University of Florida, USA) 4. The Tent of Abraham: The Emerging Landscape of Jewish, Christian and Islamic Ecological Traditions, Rebecca Kneale Gould (Middlebury College, USA) and Laurel Kearns (Drew University, USA) 5. Asian Religions and Nature in North America, Elizabeth Alison (California Institute of Integral Studies, USA) 6. Environmentalism, Ecological Activism/Theology and New Religious Movements Morgan Shipley Part II: Embodiments and Identities 7. Race, Religion and Environmental Racism in North America, Elaine Nogueira-Godsey (Drew University, USA), Laurel Kearns (Drew University, USA) and Whitney Bauman (Florida International University, USA) 8. African American Religious Naturalism in the novel Sula by Toni Morrison, Tyson-Lord Gray (Boston University School of Law, USA) 9. Religion Nature and Critical Materialisms, Courtney O’Dell-Chaib (Parish Episcopal School, USA) 10. Bodily Beings: Sex, Sexuality and Gender at the intersection of Religion and Nature, Heather Eaton (Saint Paul University, Canada) 11. Religion, Nature, and Disability, Roger Gottlieb (Worcester Polytechnic Institute, USA) 12. Prayerful Living with Animals in the Ancestral Skills Movement, Sarah Pike (California State University, Chico, USA) Part III: Themes and Issues 13. Globalization and Planetary Ethics related to Religion and Nature in North America, Cynthia D. Moe-Lobeda (California Lutheran University, USA) 14. Religion and Climate Change, Kevin O'Brien (Pacific Lutheran University, USA) 15. Petrocultures and Christianity in the United States, Terra Rowe (University of North Texas, USA) 16. Is Extinction Religious?, Willis Jenkins (University of Virginia, USA) 17. Animals and Religion, Laura H. Hobgood (Southwestern University, USA) 18. Sacred Water of Florida: Ceremony & Spirituality in the Sunshine State, Victoria Machado (Rollins College, USA) Index
Whitney Bauman is Professsor of Religious Studies at Florida International University, USA. He teaches and lectures on science and religion, religion and nature, and religion and queer theory. Laurel D. Kearns is Professor of Ecology, Society and Religion at Drew University, USA.
Reviews for Religion and Nature in North America: An Introduction
This outstanding collection of essays makes an important contribution to the literature of Green religion in North America. Going far beyond the usual essays on the Abrahamic traditions, the authors explore such themes as race, queerness, identity, ethnicity, indigeneity, colonialism, and disability. * Mark Stoll, Associate Professor of History, Texas Tech University, USA * These essays will provoke rich discussions and formative student reflections ... Readers interested in environmentalism’s roots will discover critical connections, such as the influence of Asian religions on American activism, the integration of Native American languages with care for nature, and the resacralization of Florida’s degraded waters. * Susan Bratton, Professor Emerita of Environmental Scicence, Baylor University, USA *
