Imagining Extinction

Name: Imagining Extinction
Brand: Unknown
SKU: 9780226358161
Price: 56.99 NZD
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The Cultural Meanings of Endangered Species

By Ursula K. Heise

Summary

Imagining Extinction by Ursula K. Heise explores the cultural and historical narratives surrounding biodiversity loss and extinction. The book delves into the ways humans perceive and respond to the threat of species vanishing, examining the intersection of environmental science with literature, art, and activism. Through this lens, Heise prompts readers to consider how our stories about extinction shape our environmental actions and policies.
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Format: Paperback / softback

$56⁹⁹

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Imagining Extinction

$56⁹⁹

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you are fascinated by the intersection of biodiversity and culture, exploring how narratives of extinction shape perceptions of environmental challenges. It presents a compelling look at how ecological and literary elements merge, making it appealing to readers interested in the broader implications of conservation and environmental storytelling.

Description

We are currently facing the sixth mass extinction of species in the history of life on Earth, biologists claim—the first one caused by humans. Activists, filmmakers, writers, and artists are seeking to bring the crisis to the public’s attention through stories and images that use the strategies of elegy, tragedy, epic, and even comedy.

Imagining Extinction is the first book to examine the cultural frameworks shaping these narratives and images.

Ursula K. Heise argues that understanding these stories and symbols is indispensable for any effective advocacy on behalf of endangered species. More than that, she shows how biodiversity conservation, even and especially in its scientific and legal dimensions, is shaped by cultural assumptions about what is valuable in nature and what is not.

These assumptions are hardwired into even seemingly neutral tools such as biodiversity databases and laws for the protection of endangered species. Heise shows that the conflicts and convergences of biodiversity conservation with animal welfare advocacy, environmental justice, and discussions about the Anthropocene open up a new vision of multispecies justice.

Ultimately, Imagining Extinction demonstrates that biodiversity, endangered species, and extinction are not only scientific questions but issues of histories, cultures, and values.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Imagining Extinction by Ursula K. Heise is lauded for its insightful exploration of the cultural narratives surrounding species extinction and biodiversity loss. The book is praised for its elegant writing and comprehensive research, focusing on how stories about species shape cultural understanding and action. Heise's approach is noted for its originality, suggesting that our concern for conservation is evident through ubiquitous images of endangered species, and it offers new insights into the intersection of environmental narratives and cultural identity. The work is regarded as a significant contribution to environmental humanities, encouraging interdisciplinary exploration and rethinking of our relationship with nonhuman species.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780226358161

Publisher: The University of Chicago Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 10 August 2016

Country: United States

Imprint: University of Chicago Press

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 2.0mm

Width: 16.0mm

Height: 23.0mm

Weight: 425g

Pages: 288

Collections

Education & Reference Non-Fiction Science & Nature Ursula K. Heise

About the Author

Ursula K. Heise is the Marcia H. Howard Chair in Literary Studies in the Department of English and the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her books include Chronoschisms: Time, Narrative, and Postmodernism and Sense of Place and Sense of Planet: The Environmental Imagination of the Global.