Publisher's Synopsis
Taking their cue from Perry Miller's early definition of America as 'Nature's Nation', the essays collected in this volume offer critical reconsiderations of the manifold ways in which, over time, different concepts of 'nature' have affected US attitudes towards the land Americans have explored, settled, cultivated, exploited and, more recently, also begun to protect. Scholars from Europe and North America approach the topic from a wide range of disciplines -- history, literature, popular culture, religion, social and economic geography, film studies, ethnic studies, philosophy, ethics, gender and sexuality studies, and Native American studies. Conjointly the thirty-five essays re-examine the infinite manifestations of 'nature' in US culture, politics and society, from practices of gardening, strip-mining, farming and urban planning, to forms of environmentalist activism and representations of 'nature' and nationality in literature, film, art and ideology. In addition, they explore the possibilities of newer approaches -- eco-criticism, eco-theology, eco-feminism, 'eco-queer' studies and transnational perspectives -- within the interdisciplinary domain of American studies.
