Ecolinguistics and Environment in Education - (Bloomsbury Advances in Ecolinguistics) by Emile Bellewes (Hardcover)

About the Book

"This book argues for the need to develop classroom practices which aid students in critically reviewing and evaluating different perspectives on discourses of environmentalism and sustainability. Employing ecolinguistics as a form of eco-critical pedagogy, Emile Farmer presents key concepts underpinning ecolinguistics, before guiding readers through their application in the classroom. Bridging environmental discourse analysis and linguistics, this book shows how environmentally significant messages can be analysed and decoded in the classroom"--

Book Synopsis

In the age of ecological crisis, language and discourse are emerging as a new battleground in the environmental debate. With the rise of new environmentalist movements and their subsequent backlash, we are now exposed to a plethora of different and often opposing discourses on the environmental crisis and our relationship with nature. This book argues for the need to develop classroom practices which aid students in critically reviewing and evaluating different perspectives on discourses of environmentalism and sustainability.

Remarking that language and humanities teachers are perfectly positioned to play a key role in the development of eco-critical language awareness at this crucial juncture, this book explores how they can help students utilise a critical perspective to navigate the multitude of cultural messages regarding our relationship with nature. Employing ecolinguistics as a form of eco-critical pedagogy, Emile Bellewes presents key concepts underpinning ecolinguistics, before guiding readers through their application in the classroom. Serving as a bridge between critical perspectives on environmental education and forms of discourse analysis, Ecolinguistics and Environment in Education explains how ecolinguistics can be used to carry out detailed linguistic analyses of environmentally significant messages in the classroom.

Review Quotes

"This book is an innovative and fundamental contribution connecting ecolinguistics, language education and pedagogy of responsibility. Focusing on language and semiosis as instantiating cultural narratives and their influence on the living world, the volume engages scholars, educators and students to reflect on the transformative power of ecolinguistics for ecojustice education" - Maria Bortoluzzi, Associate Professor, The University of Udine, Italy

"Educators of all stripes need this book! The author offers a critical challenge to the culture/nature binary dominating every aspect of our lives, and an urgent call with specific guidelines for teacher educators to analyze the linguistic systems at the heart of ecological crises." - Rebecca Martusewicz, Professor, Eastern Michigan University, USA

About the Author

Emile Bellewes is Lecturer of English Language and Linguistics at Linköping University, Sweden.