Decolonizing Environmentalism - by Prakash Kashwan & Aseem Hasnain (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Decolonizing Environmentalism makes visible the simplifications and erasures of mainstream environmental movements, while reimagining our collective commitment to environmental stewardship in a way that builds on the knowledge and praxis of indigenous people, racial minorities, and rural communities. The authors deconstruct popular ideas, such as 'green consumption' and 'sustainable development' to show how these concepts rest on misleading assumptions, which are based on colonial conceptualizations of conquering nature and European Modernity's view of there being a fundamental separation between nature and society"--

Book Synopsis

We live in a moment rife with mixed emotions-existential anxieties about catastrophic climate change, presumptuous confidence in planet-hacking geoengineering technologies, and hopefulness of youth climate activism. Decolonizing Environmentalism helps us navigate these emotions and reimagine our approach to environmental stewardship.

The authors cast a critical eye on wealthy and influential environmental groups that committed to anti-racist strategies in the wake of the racial awakening of 2020. Yet, they continue to embrace false solutions like carbon markets and biodiversity offsets, which carry deeply racialized consequences. By tracing the roots of these misplaced priorities to detrimental modernity steeped in colonialism and capitalism, the authors call for transformational changes in human-nature relationships. They distil lessons from the divestment movement, which has questioned the fossil fuel industry's moral standing, and food sovereignty activists, who have mobilized global civil society to hold agribusiness corporations accountable.

Amidst calls for "apocalyptic optimism," Kashwan and Hasnain offer a radical vision grounded in intersectional ecofeminism, Indigenous sovereignty, and strategies honed in the trenches of transnational environmentalism. In these extraordinary times, Decolonizing Environmentalism invites readers to embark on a transformative journey to embrace anti-racist, emancipatory, and regenerative approaches to environmentalism.

Review Quotes

"Decolonizing Environmentalism dismantles the assumptions of mainstream Western environmentalism, offering a powerful critique in clear and accessible language. It goes beyond critique, however, by providing a valuable roadmap for building more inclusive and equitable environmental movements." --Amitav Ghosh, author The Nutmeg's Curse (2021)

"Decolonizing Environmentalism is a thought-provoking and comprehensive exploration of the intricate relationship between the urgent issues of environmentalism, social justice, and climate change. Through a comprehensive and diverse array of sources, it skillfully navigates the historical, ethical, and contemporary dimensions of environmental movements, shedding light on the often overlooked perspectives of indigenous communities and marginalized groups. This book is an essential read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the complexities of environmental issues and the imperative of inclusive, equitable approaches to address them." --Kumi Naidoo, Stanford University, USA

"Decolonizing Environmentalism is a much needed and timely analysis of the limitations of mainstream environmentalism and how these can be transcended. It makes a strong case for decolonisation by explaining how popular environmental and sustainability initiatives, including geo-engineering, market-based approaches, and nature conservation, have failed because they have reproduced the same colonial, capitalist, and modernist logics that have caused environmental crises in the first place. As the book suggests, it is high time that we abandon these initiatives in favour of transformative changes that center on justice and equity for humans and other species." --Esther Turnhout, University of Twente, Netherlands

"Questioning the Euro-American valorization of 'heroic', individual responsibility-focused environmentalism, Kashwan and Hasnain offer an incisive, critical, decolonial, history-conscious, and politically engaged way to address the root causes of our polycrisis through visions of a regenerative and emancipatory decolonial environmentalism." --Julian Agyeman, Tufts University, USA

"Decolonizing Environmentalism is a groundbreaking reflection on the necessity of reimagining environmental and climate action to break free of problematic ideologies and intellectual strictures rooted in colonial pasts. The book deftly draws from different academic fields, movement histories, and contemporary discourses to demonstrate why we must build solidarities between environmentalism, climate change, economic and social justice, and self-determination of Indigenous and marginalized communities around the globe. The book accomplishes its aims in clear, accessible, and powerful prose rendering it an indispensable guide for helping to usher in regenerative environmental futures." --Sheila R. Foster, Columbia University and co-author of From the Ground Up: Environmental Racism and the Rise of the Environmental Justice Movement

About the Author

Prakash Kashwan is a scholar of global environmental and climate justice, environmental commons, and co-founder of the scholar-activism collective Climate Justice Network. He teaches in the Environmental Studies Program at Brandeis University.
Aseem Hasnain is a sociologist at California State University, Fresno. He is interested in the ideological dimensions of politics, and culture. Aseem grew up in Lucknow and lives in Fresno.