Urban Ecologies

City Space, Material Agency, and Environmental Politics in Contemporary Culture

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Nature, Environment, Ecology, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Sociology, Urban
Cover of the book Urban Ecologies by Christopher Schliephake, Lexington Books
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Christopher Schliephake ISBN: 9780739195765
Publisher: Lexington Books Publication: December 11, 2014
Imprint: Lexington Books Language: English
Author: Christopher Schliephake
ISBN: 9780739195765
Publisher: Lexington Books
Publication: December 11, 2014
Imprint: Lexington Books
Language: English

The term “urban ecology” has become a buzzword in various disciplines, including the social and natural sciences as well as urban planning and architecture. The environmental humanities have been slow to adapt to current theoretical debates, often excluding human-built environments from their respective frameworks. This book closes this gap both in theory and in practice, bringing together “urban ecology” with ecocritical and cultural ecological approaches by conceptualizing the city as an integral part of the environment and as a space in which ecological problems manifest concretely. Arguing that culture has to be seen as an active component and integral factor within urban ecologies, it makes use of a metaphorical use of the term, perceiving cities as spatial phenomena that do not only have manifold and complex material interrelations with their respective (natural) environments, but that are intrinsically connected to the ideas, imaginations, and interpretations that make up the cultural symbolic and discursive side of our urban lives and that are stored and constantly renegotiated in their cultural and artistic representations. The city is, within this framework, both seen as an ecosystemically organized space as well as a cultural artifact. Thus, the urban ecology outlined in this study takes its main impetus from an analysis of examples taken from contemporary culture that deal with urban life and the complex interrelations between urban communities and their (natural and built) environments.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The term “urban ecology” has become a buzzword in various disciplines, including the social and natural sciences as well as urban planning and architecture. The environmental humanities have been slow to adapt to current theoretical debates, often excluding human-built environments from their respective frameworks. This book closes this gap both in theory and in practice, bringing together “urban ecology” with ecocritical and cultural ecological approaches by conceptualizing the city as an integral part of the environment and as a space in which ecological problems manifest concretely. Arguing that culture has to be seen as an active component and integral factor within urban ecologies, it makes use of a metaphorical use of the term, perceiving cities as spatial phenomena that do not only have manifold and complex material interrelations with their respective (natural) environments, but that are intrinsically connected to the ideas, imaginations, and interpretations that make up the cultural symbolic and discursive side of our urban lives and that are stored and constantly renegotiated in their cultural and artistic representations. The city is, within this framework, both seen as an ecosystemically organized space as well as a cultural artifact. Thus, the urban ecology outlined in this study takes its main impetus from an analysis of examples taken from contemporary culture that deal with urban life and the complex interrelations between urban communities and their (natural and built) environments.

More books from Lexington Books

Cover of the book Counterrevolution and Repression in the Politics of Education by Christopher Schliephake
Cover of the book Level Playing Field for All? by Christopher Schliephake
Cover of the book Politics and International Relations in Eurasia by Christopher Schliephake
Cover of the book Legacies of State Violence and Transitional Justice in Latin America by Christopher Schliephake
Cover of the book Living Traditions and Universal Conviviality by Christopher Schliephake
Cover of the book Resilience in South Sudanese Women by Christopher Schliephake
Cover of the book How Student Journalists Report Campus Unrest by Christopher Schliephake
Cover of the book Beyond the Gateway by Christopher Schliephake
Cover of the book Spirits of Palestine by Christopher Schliephake
Cover of the book Civil Society and Regional Governance by Christopher Schliephake
Cover of the book Plato versus Parmenides by Christopher Schliephake
Cover of the book The European Union beyond the Crisis by Christopher Schliephake
Cover of the book The Rhetoric of Supreme Court Women by Christopher Schliephake
Cover of the book When the Letter Betrays the Spirit by Christopher Schliephake
Cover of the book Stagecraft and Statecraft by Christopher Schliephake
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy