Our working group seeks participants whose scholarship reflects on the notion of ecological citizenship.
The goals of the group include (1) contemplating the diverse ways in which ecological citizenship is revealed in literary works (any period), as well as through its various modes of public witnessing, (2) compiling a metabibliography, and (3) reflecting on the diverse ways in which ecological citizenship enriches curricula. We will reflect on how the two modes of literature and activism have influenced each other, and, in turn, how their intersections have influenced public policy.
Prior to the Convention, workgroup members will participate in ongoing discussions, and share research and resources in the dedicated MLA Commons area. Papers will be pre-distributed before the MLA, in order to facilitate productive discussions during the two or three morning sessions. Our workgroup sessions will be guided by three questions: How is ecological citizenship represented in literature and/or advocacy? Who/what is categorically left out? How can the public humanities be used to broadcast findings?
Potential topics:
Theories of ecological citizenship
Literary examples (all genres, periods) of ecological citizenship
Legislative examples that embed or prompt ecological citizenship
Virtual Ecological Citizenship
Case studies where “citizens of the world” demonstrate ecological activism.
