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Staring at the Sun: Tragedy, trauma, and ecological harmony
Author(s) -
Gray TysonLord
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
dialog
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.114
H-Index - 5
eISSN - 1540-6385
pISSN - 0012-2033
DOI - 10.1111/dial.12622
Subject(s) - harmony (color) , staring , wright , environmental ethics , ecological crisis , shamanism , inscribed figure , historicity (philosophy) , aesthetics , ecology , sociology , history , philosophy , art , political science , politics , law , art history , archaeology , communication , biology , visual arts , geometry , mathematics
Recently it has become increasingly evident that current theories of civilization are unsustainable. Within this essay I critique three alternative theories: bioregionalism, sustainable development, and The Universe Story . I argue that although these theories address ecological devastation, they fail to grapple with the legacy of white supremacy. Evoking Richard Wright's poem Between the World and Me , I argue that for minorities the landscape is often inscribed with trauma. Consequently, any theory of ecological harmony must take this into account. I refer to the task of contending with the legacy of slavery, colonization, and genocide as Staring at the Sun.