CONCEPT NOTE
The word eco comes from the Greek word oikos, which etymologically implies household or earth and logy from logos implies rational discourse. Together they mean criticism of the house- the earth as represented in writing. It is therefore defined in general, as the study of literature and the physical environment put together. However, in larger context, it incorporates numerous variants of human life.
William Rueckert introduced the term eco-criticism in his basic critical writing Literature and Ecology: An Experiment in Eco-criticism in 1978. In this book, he pointed to the fact that eco-criticism applies environment or ecological values into the investigation of literature. This primarily became a key issue concerning the relationship between culture and nature.
Culture and nature have always played a vital role in human survival. People have adapted culture to survive the threats of nature or nature has led them to adapt the culture, is hard to explain. Different people of different areas have different cultures, which possibly would have emerged to adapt to the environment or because they planned to live in that area, they must have adapted the culture suitable for that area. Like the different foods, lifestyles, clothing, housing styles, etc. Interplay between the culture and nature has always been a complex one to determine. It is hard to define their relationship, as one cannot conclusively define the past based on assumptions and the inter linkage between culture and nature can be predicted to be as old as human existence. All cultures are in fact the outcome of various faces of nature. In every culture of the past, the act of nature is depicted. Our ancestors considered nature as giver and considered themselves as nature’s children. Until today in many cultures, mostly among tribes, nature holds an important place. No doubt, nature is superior to all in every culture. Different cultures have interpreted nature differently. In many societies, sacraments based on sacrificial offerings to nature are conducted before and after the harvest, any illness is treated as bad omen of nature and again rituals are performed to make the Mother Nature play smooth and some cultures perform services before consuming anything provided by nature. No wonder nature is indeed a superior force that has power to give as well as take.
Man and nature have always lived together in the strife to maintain the balance. It was human’s greed to grow rapidly became intense, that it brought about much advancement in technologies, resulting into the exploitation of the nature. Thus, the strategies for the survival weakened the nature and the threats for it worsened.
Thus, ecology as a cultural representation, discusses about nature and human interactions in the given time. Ecology in general, hence, is a cultural representation of nature and human interaction with nature in a given era.
As a special discourse, it also studies the connection between the nature and the literature, thereby complementing it along with the relationship between environment and literature. It seeks to strengthen ties between environmental concerns and social justice problems at a time when a more socially and ecologically conscious way of living is urgently required.
The human being is an indispensable component of environment. Just like literature and art influence human life, human life too effects the art and literature. The integrative studies tends to redefine and re- establish our relationship with the environment from various standpoints and angles. It identifies the root cause of the problem, ecological crisis in the relationship of the society with nature and subsequently establishes a link with the social and economic justice. The loss of ecosystem has been unalterable, intergenerational penalties. Cultural survival of individuals depends upon assimilated environmental practices. It is not just human abilities and cultural heritage, which determines the material culture, but it is the environment, which holds the key. Nature and culture maybe diverse portions, but they are symbiotic and unified. Romantic and British Literature bears a testimony to it. From countryside, it has now covered the entire globe. The different genres beautifully deal with human and nature relationship. This forms the interconnection about the various keynotes on ecology.
The relationship between the three: man, culture and nature only tends to get broad if different perspectives are considered. The idea is- the relationship is a complex one and man should not underestimate nature and try to break the bond. The focus should be more on how to mould culture in such a way that the relationship with nature may become friendly. Of course, one cannot alter what has already been lost, but the actions can protect and prevent whatever is been left for the future generation.
The people have just a single earth to live in and we are at the precarious edge of our pending demolition except if we are watchful of the blue planet. On the off chance that we need to hear the melody of the earth, we should change our human centric vision immediately. The world writing possesses large amounts of environmental points of view. Condition being an indivisible piece of human culture is foremost in all major sanctioned works. A natural understanding may lead them into a few new points of view.
Devoted to this extensive and elaborate pragmatic study, interpretative and insightful research papers are invited, for an edited collection, which is currently being developed from a reputed publishing house. The proposed edited volume seeks to find out about its various paradigms and models of ecology in collaboration with multi -disciplinary studies.
IMPORTANT DATES:
SUBMISSION OF THE ABSTRACT: - DECEMBER 20, 2023
ACCEPTENCE OF THE ABSTRACT: - DECEMBER 30, 2023
SUBMISSION OF THE COMPLETE PAPER: FEBURARY 15, 2023