Nov 16 - Paul Wapner, School of International Service, American University

Environmentalism After Nature

Human beings have been extending themselves into every niche on the planet--the air, water, soil and even the evolutionary trajectory of life itself. In so doing, they are crowding out the natural world. Along with this, contemporary intellectual trends emphasize that 'nature' is an idea whose meaning changes over time and place. Both of these have led people to declare an "end to nature." My talk will discuss how the "end of nature" influences environmentalism. Environmentalism has always prized nature for its ecosystem services, beauty, spiritual inspiration and so forth. What can environmentalism mean in a post-nature age?

Dr. Paul Wapner researches and teaches global environmental politics, social movements, environmental thought, and international relations theory. His articles have appeared in World Politics, International Studies Quarterly, Global Environmental Politics, Alternatives, Global Governance, Environmental Politics, Tikkun, Chicago Journal of International Law, Politics and the Life Sciences, Dissent and other venues. He is author of ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISM AND WORLD CIVIC POLITICS, which won the Margaret and Harold Sprout Award, and co-editor (with Edwin Ruiz) of PRINCIPLED WORLD POLITICS: THE CHALLENGE OF NORMATIVE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS.