Harbinger Issue 2: Social Ecological Perspectives on Race & Racism

What does a social ecology perspective offer to ongoing discussions of race and racism? Social ecology’s concept of hierarchy sought to carve out space for non-economic forms of domination like race and gender, expanding upon Marxism’s tighter focus on class and economic exploitation. Murray Bookchin was arrested in the early 1960s as an activist with the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), and was an early critic of the racist Malthusian assumptions common within both the mainstream and radical the environmental movements. Yet at the same time, while racism and colonialism are mentioned in Bookchin’s writings, they are not central concerns that receive sustained or systematic analysis. Although his work took inspiration from the lifeways of indigenous societies, it remained primarily focused on the European revolutionary tradition. His antistatist and universalist positions translated into sharp critiques of the late New Left’s uncritical support for national liberation movements as well as the rise of “identity politics.” These gaps and criticisms have led some to conclude that social ecology has a blind spot regarding race.

With these questions in mind, Harbinger seeks submissions on the topic of social ecology and race/racism, broadly construed. Potential topics might include white supremacy, colonialism, identity, antisemitism, ecofascism, addressing questions including but not limited to: How are how ideas of “nature” and the “natural” used to reinforce the concept of race and racism? What are the strengths and weaknesses of various theoretical frameworks for understanding race/racism today, including social ecology? What should social ecologists learn from antiracist and anticolonial movements and thinkers, past and present? How is the discourse of climate change racialized, including differential impacts? How do our concepts of race/racism shape our political praxis?

Send article pitches, abstracts, and art to harbinger@social-ecology.org. Our submission guidelines can be found here.