The sciences have long since had their say about nature, scrutinizing it, analyzing it, and experimenting on it. We have frequently studied nature from a purely scientific perspective. However, early poetry and philosophy taught at schools do touch upon the nature element, from Green Mythology, to Native American culture, to pre-Islamic poetry, and so on.
What would the arts and humanities have to say about nature conservation and sustainable futures? Would it be able to use them as a tool for mobilizing the people towards conservation and for raising awareness about the issue?
These questions and more were tossed around during Ibsar’s first Ta3a Ne7ke debate for the current academic year, taking the environment as a lens for our work. Since the topic deals with the environment, our natural surroundings, and what our artistic faculties can offer it or how they can aid in conserving it, the debate was held outdoors in the area between West Hall and Jesup at AUB.
The debate was moderated by Dr. David Wrisley, Chair of the English Department who crocheted the discussion in many directions by inviting speakers to tackle the issue from different perspectives. Dr. Adam Waterman (English Department) initiated the talk by discussing the origins of the conservation movement in America. He also commented on the current commoditification and politicization of the term “green,” as well as the historicity of the concept of conservation. According to him, businesses today are leaning towards “selling” their greenness, so to speak, as part and parcel of their commodities, rather than sincerely promoting it. Conservation, as a result, is taking a different turn from its initial core meaning and aim, on account of the commercial logic rendering nature invaluable of aesthetic value rather than consumption. What is missing is an aware culture, which conveys distinction rather than participating in a green economy. Green, according to Dr. waterman, cannot be a label but a practice in need of rethinking.
Dr. Sonjia Mejcher, from the CVSP department, spoke next and gave examples of the manifestation of nature in Arabic Literature, as an attempt to highlight the link between the humanities and literature. She mentioned contemporary Arab authors such as Abdel Rahman Mounif in his two books, Endings and Cities of Salt. She stated that the description of nature found in these two books is akin to that in pre-Islamic literature. According to her, politics is strongly ingrained in the writings of Mounif and it is inseparable from his allusions and descriptions of nature, especially when he speaks of land in such a way that it embodies man’s liberty and identity. For this reason, we find many authors describing “paradise,” as an allusion to a better world, a nature belonging to everyone and not just the ruling regime. She therefore links the loss of land to a loss of identity, a loss of a piece of ourselves.
Dr. Joshua Gonsalves of the English Department chose to tackle the issue of nature conservation through the discipline of Animal Studies. Animals, according to Gonsalves, are a natural resource. In order to stress this point, Gonsalves’ dog, Cyberia, was one of the main attendees of the debate, sitting quietly, chasing mosquitoes in secret, next to the speakers’ table. Gonsalves spoke about the narrativization of animals in literature, in which they have become symbols, such as evil, loyalty, and so on. However, that cannot be considered the main focus or nucleus of Animal Studies. He stated that “Animal Studies does not focus on the animal as a symbol or story element. Symbolization and narrativization relate the animal to human concerns, where a snake stands for evil, a pig for gluttony, and so on. Animals symbolize a lower realm of sensual experience, or a higher realm to which we should aspire, an innocent lamb or an imperial eagle.” However, the priority remains human, according to Gonsalves. Therefore, Animal Studies would look at how the animal in the artwork being studied reflects a side of the protagonist’s personality. In order to make his point hit home, he discussed the movie Stalker as an example. After a brief synopsis of the movie, Gonsalves concluded that being ignorant about our own environment can often be fatal. He stated that “The practical problem dogs present is, then, this: How to relate to their presence as other, as outside our desire, as a way of thinking our in-mixing in a nature that is neither sacred, nor profane.”
The fourth and final speaker was Ms. Crystal Hoffman, Eco-poet and professor of Creative Writing at the English Department. After reading a poem as a live example of eco-poetry, Hoffman defined Eco-poetry. According to her, very few people know what eco-poetry really is and they so often confuse it with poetry which merely talks about or praises nature. She stated that Eco-poetry steps farther than this simple definition in its attempt to highlight the invisible connections between humans and non-humans, man and nature. Eco-poetry is about changing consciousness and breaking the false binary separating man and nature, according to her.