Religion in the Anthropocene

edited by Celia Deane-Drummond, Sigurd Bergmann and Markus Vogt

Book cover: Religion in the Anthropocene

Extent: 362 pages

Publisher: The Lutterworth Press

Subjects: Religious Studies

Language: English

Paperback (No longer our product)

(September 2018)

ISBN: 9780718895389

5.98 x 9.02 inches

Price: $53.00

In stock

PDF (No longer our product)

(September 2018)

ISBN: 9780718847654

Price: $40.00

A multidisciplinary collection of essays exploring the many social, ethical and theological aspects of the Anthropocene, the geological Age of Humans.


Religion in the Anthropocene charts a new direction in humanities scholarship through serious engagement with the geopolitical concept of the Anthropocene. Drawing on religious studies, theology, social science, history, philosophy, and what can be broadly termed as environmental humanities, this collection represents a groundbreaking critical analysis of diverse narratives on the Anthropocene. The contributors to this volume recognize that the Anthropocene began as a geological concept, the age of the humans, but that its implications are much wider than this. Does the Anthropocene idea challenge the possibility of a sacred Nature, or is it a secularized theological anthropology more properly dealt with through traditional concepts from Roman Catholic social teaching on human ecology? Not all contributors to this volume agree about the answers to these and many more different questions. Readers will be challenged, provoked, and stimulated by this book.

  • Edited by Sigurd Bergmann
  • Edited by Celia Deane-Drummond
  • Edited by Markus Vogt

'Interpreting what it means to live in a time characterized by pervasive human influence throughout Earth's systems involves questions and narratives that appear religious in scope, even while they also challenge conventional religious thought. The essays in this collection, edited well so that they are both coherent and helpfully contradictory with one another, offer readers multiple ways into the conflicts and possibilities in the idea of the Anthropocene.'- Willis Jenkins, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, University of Virginia'This timely book takes the notion of the Anthropocene literally by providing historical, theological, philosophical, and ethical elaborations on what it actually means that humanity has become a dominant force of the earth system. It is a scholarly account of the deeper human dimensions of the Anthropocene, moving beyond its predominating framing as a natural science phenomenon.'- Dieter Gerten, earth system scientist, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, professor, Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin, Geography Department'Religion in the Anthropocene marks the first thorough treatment of religious and quasi-religious dimensions of the Anthropocene from perspectives as diverse as philosophy, theology, anthropology, and history, among others. This impressive collection of international scholarly voices aims not at consensus or easy answers, but fully explores the Anthropocene's profoundly ambivalent implications for humanity's place in nature and deep time, and our responsibilities for nonhuman others. Readers new to the topic, as well as scholars in the field, will come away with fresh--and sometimes disconcerting--insights into what it means to be human in the Age of Humans.'- Lisa H. Sideris, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Indiana University Laudato Si, this document receives a fair bit of attention in this book, which is not surprising given it-s influence, but this widespread attention is a turn of events in the world of scholarship that could not have been predicted a decade ago. This book is an important rejoinder to the scientifically dominant discourse that surrounds the concept of the anthropocene. This book is recommended.-Paul Allen, Corpus Christi College, Vancouver, Canada
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