Coexistentialism and the Unbearable Intimacy of Ecological Emergency (Lexington Books, 2016)
"Is there an ecological style of engaging with things that aren't me, yet share and even overlap with my being in some sense? The paradoxes and absurdities of existence have only become heightened as we have entered an ecological age, and it's about time a writer committed to existentialism took up the challenge of working with those paradoxes. This book is up to speed with the ethical implications of our growing understanding of the symbiotic real and with what the author, quoting Björk, calls its necessary sense of 'emergency.' In trenchant and engaging prose, not to mention deep engagements with philosophy, Sam Mickey lays it out for you."
— Timothy Morton, Rice University
"With refreshing style and intellectual forcefulness, Sam Mickey widens the scope of existentialism and shows how it offers important resources to address our urgent ecological situation. Here existentialism becomes coexistentialism, and through it we glimpse a chance to strengthen our existence together on a fragile planet. Make this book part of your coexistence!"
— Clayton Crockett, University of Central Arkansas
The Variety of Integral Ecologies:
Nature, Culture, and Knowledge in the Planetary Era
Edited by Sam Mickey, Sean Kelly, and Adam Robbert (SUNY Press, 2017)
In the current era of increasing planetary interconnectedness, ecological theories and practices are called to become more inclusive, complex, and comprehensive. The diverse contributions to this book offer a range of integral approaches to ecology that cross the boundaries of the humanities and sciences and help us understand and respond to today's ecological challenges. The contributors provide detailed analyses of assorted integral ecologies, drawing on such founding figures and precursors as Thomas Berry, Leonardo Boff, Holmes Rolston III, Ken Wilber, and Edgar Morin. Also included is research across the social sciences, biophysical sciences, and humanities discussing multiple worldviews and perspectives related to integral ecologies. The Variety of Integral Ecologies is both an accessible guide and an advanced supplement to the growing research for a more comprehensive understanding of ecological issues and the development of a peaceful, just, and sustainable planetary civilization.
Whole Earth Thinking and Planetary Coexistence: Ecological Wisdom at the Intersection of Religion, Ecology, and Philosophy (Routledge, 2015).
"Sam Mickey has produced an insightful study of the intersection of religion, ecology, and philosophy. Drawing on such seminal thinkers as Thomas Berry, Gilles Deleuze, and Félix Guattari, the author weaves an engaging narrative of a way toward Whole Earth thinking."
–Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim, Forum on Religion and Ecology at Yale University
"Philosophically precise, ethically capacious, and accessibly written, Whole Earth Thinking and Planetary Coexistence is a wonderful addition to discourses on religion, philosophy, and ecology. Sam Mickey's careful and generous depictions of geophilosophy (informed by Deleuze and Guattari) and earth community (informed by Thomas Berry and others) serve as helpful guides to some of the vexing environmental issues facing different parts of the planet in the present day. His treatments of various religious and philosophical traditions demonstrate the vitality of multiple ways of human knowing and relating in an era of ecological change. Both erudite and accessible, this text is a wonderful guide for students and will also serve as a useful resource for interdisciplinary scholars of environmental philosophy and religion and ecology."
–Christiana Peppard, Fordham University
On the Verge of a Planetary Civilization: A Philosophy of Integral Ecology (Rowman and Littlefield International, 2014).
"This book is much needed. The book skilfully and articulately brings together difficult concepts from the philosophies of event-oriented ontology, object-oriented ontology, and speculative realism to bear on our contemporary ecological crises. Furthermore, the book does not merely think about ecology, but begins to ask how ecological thinking changes our ways of thinking, doing ethics, and philosophizing in general."
— Whitney Bauman, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, Florida International University
"The ongoing reinvention of our thought tradition is soaring into the task of developing a new philosophy of Earth, a philosophy of Gaia, a philosophy powerful enough to effect a fundamental transformation of humanity's functioning within the enveloping community of life. For anyone interested in joining this historic venture, there is no better pathway in than Sam Mickey's book."
— Brian Swimme, California Institute of Integral Studies.
"Reading major postmodern theorists in the light of integral theory, Sam Mickey's path-breaking book points the way to environmentalism of the future. He has made an important contribution toward our understanding of the emergent, subtle, and complex entwining of humankind and nature. Highly recommended for those who want to understand the cutting edge of contemporary environmental theory."
— Michael E. Zimmerman, professor of philosophy, University of Colorado at Boulder
Women and Nature? Beyond Dualism in Gender, Body, and Environment, edited by Douglas A. Vakoch and Sam Mickey (Routledge, 2017).
"This innovative and engaging anthology on women and nature reveals the ongoing relevance of ecofeminism in today's global world by emphasizing postcolonialism, ecocriticism, queer ecology, animality, and feminist materialism. Anyone interested in the nuances and complexities of the women-nature connection across histories, belief-systems, and regions will want to buy this book."
— Carolyn Merchant, University of California at Berkeley
"The myriad ways that Earthly bodies – both human and nonhuman – continue to be bound by structures of patriarchy and domination requires sustained analysis. This transnational, transdisciplinary volume brings the lens of ecofeminism to bear on timely topics, including transgender studies, animal studies, and the new materialism."
— Elizabeth Allison, California Institute of Integral Studies
"This fresh and exciting collection identifies privileges and invisibilities overlooked in earlier ecofeminist thinking. Authors call for ethical self-reflexivity and deep questioning of heteronormative assumptions reflecting a wide range of interdisciplinary, postcolonial, and cross-cultural perspectives. From ecosickness narratives to borderlands ecofeminism, this set of papers provides a rich and timely offering by deeply thoughtful scholars across the globe."
― Stephanie Kaza, Professor Emerita, University of Vermont
Ecofeminism in Dialogue, edited by Douglas A. Vakoch and Sam Mickey (Lexington, 2017).
There are countless ways of thinking, feeling, and acting like an ecofeminist. Ecofeminism includes a plurality of perspectives, thriving in dialogue between diverse theories and practices involving ecological and feminist matters of concern. Deepening the dialogue, the contributors in this anthology explore critical and complementary interactions between ecofeminism and other areas of inquiry, including ecocriticism, postcolonialism, geography, environmental law, religion, geoengineering, systems thinking, family therapy, and more. This volume aims to further the cultural and literary theories of ecofeminism by situating them in conversation with other interpretations and analyses of intersections between environment, gender, and culture. This anthology is a unique combination of contemporary, interdisciplinary, and global perspectives in dialogue with ecofeminism, supporting academic and activist efforts to resist oppression and domination and cultivate care and justice.
Literature and Ecofeminism: Intersectional and International Voices, edited by Douglas A. Vakoch and Sam Mickey (Routledge, 2018).
"Literature and Ecofeminism: Intersectional and International Voices is a narrative symbiosis of literary and scholarly voices converging on ecofeminist thought. Dealing with various themes, issues, and concerns of ecofeminism, the 13 chapters weave truly compelling connections across different literary voices. The international scholars who make up this collection bring forward the ecofeminist voices of Native American, African American, English, Scottish, American, Taiwanese, Caribbean, Spanish, Indian, and South African writers in powerful and dynamic ways. The topics are diverse and refreshing, covering Shakespeare's Ophelia, 18th century British critic Anna Letitia Barbauld, Mary Austin, Sylvia Townsend Warner, Zora Neale Hurston, Ann Pancake, Peter Matthiessen, Linda Hogan, Jade Chen, and, surprisingly, T.S. Eliot. They all help expand the repertoire of ecofeminism in this skillfully prepared collection."
— Serpil Oppermann, Professor of English, Hacettepe University and President of EASLCE
"Ever since its origins, ecofeminism has advocated for the dismantling of all the interweaved forms of oppression that encapsulate women, nonhuman animals, marginal humans, and whatever subject has been marked as "other" by dominants systems of power, including the earth. Merging with literary studies, these emancipatory stances have found their narratives and new critical landscapes. With its rich plurality of angles and visions, Literature and Ecofeminism: Intersectional and International Voices continues to enrich this seminal conversation, demonstrating the key role of feminist ecocriticism in shaping creative epistemologies of liberation that are essential to the imagination of our time."
— Serenella Iovino, Professor of Comparative Literature, University of Turin
One thought on "Books"
Pingback: Year in Preview | Becoming Integral