Scott Slovic

Scott Slovic, University Distinguished Professor of Environmental Humanities at the University of Idaho in the United States, was the founding president of the Association for the Study of Literature and Environment (ASLE) from 1992 to 1995, and he edited ISLE: Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment, the major journal in the field of ecocriticism from 1995 to 2020. After nearly forty years of studying ecocriticism, he retired from his full-time faculty position at the end of 2023 and is now a senior scientist at the Oregon Research Institute. In this interview, Slovic looks back at his ecocritical studies in the past four decades, summarizes his important contributions, expounds his future research plan clarifying his going back to ecocritical studies from empirical perspectives which he did as a young professor and focusing on the empirical ecocriticism, a newly emerging subfield of ecocriticism, on the new journey. He made incisive comments on empirical ecocriticism, illustrating the implication of empirical ecocriticism, the necessity and significance, the methodology and strategy of having empirical ecocritical studies.
Scott Slovic, profesor distinguido de Humanidades Ambientales en la Universidad de Idaho en los Estados Unidos, fue el primer presidente de la Asociación para el Estudio de la Literatura y el Medio Ambiente (ASLE) desde 1992 hasta 1995, y editó ISLE: Estudios Interdisciplinarios en Literatura y Medio Ambiente, la principal revista en el campo de la ecocrítica, desde 1995 hasta 2020. Tras casi cuarenta años estudiando la ecocrítica, se jubiló a finales de 2023 de su puesto como profesor universitario y ahora es investigador senior en el Oregon Research Instittue. En esta entrevista, Slovic echa la vista atrás para explorar sus estudios de ecocrítica de las últimas cuatro décadas, resumiendo sus importantes aportaciones, y expone su plan de investigación futuro clarificando que vuelve a los estudios ecocríticos desde perspectivas empíricas que ya hizo en su juventud y que en este nuevo viaje que va a centrarse en la ecocrítica empírica, un nuevo campo emergente dentro de la ecocrítica. Hizo comentarios incisivos sobre la ecocrítica empírica, ilustrando la implicación de ésta, la necesidad e importancia, la metodología y la estrategia de tener estudios ecocríticos empíricosCuat.

Scott Slovic, University Distinguished Professor of Environmental Humanities at the University of Idaho in the United States, was the founding president of the Association for the Study of Literature and Environment (ASLE) from 1992 to 1995, and he edited ISLE: Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment, the major journal in the field of ecocriticism, from 1995-2020. He is currently the co-editor of two book series: Routledge Series in World Literatures and the Environment (2017-present) and Routledge Environmental Humanities (2018-present). Professor Slovic has written, edited, or co-edited thirty books in the field of ecocriticism. This interview focuses on the latest ecocritical developments, as well as key issues in the environmental humanities, in the Age of COVID and more broadly, the context of the Anthropocene. It stresses mainly three aspects: new ideas and directions in ecocriticism, the clarification of some key concepts in the environmental humanities, and studies of ecocriticism relevant with China. Professor Slovic expounds the "fourth wave" and "fifth wave" of ecocriticism, scrutinizes various terms, such as Anthropocene ecocriticism, climate fiction criticism, material ecocriticism, affective ecocriticism, empirical ecocriticism, critical animal studies, critical plant studies, etc., and crystallizes the connections and differences between ecocriticism, the environmental humanities and the medical-environmental humanities. He also explores the impacts of COVID-19 on ecocriticism studies, reveals the concerns of establishing "TCM ecocriticism," sheds light on the new possibilities for ecocriticism in the future, and offers constructive suggestions for Chinese scholars.

The field of ecocriticism dates back to the earliest days of humans commenting on cultural expressions of our relationship to the more-than-human world, but we are now living through a particularly vibrant era of ecocritical engagement with various planetary crises, ranging from climate change and rampant industrial toxicity to the plight of refugees and the hardships caused by the coronavirus pandemic. In addition to exploring timeless philosophical and aesthetic questions, ecocritics seek to gain intellectual traction in explaining and mitigating contemporary humanitarian and ecological problems. The articles included in this special issue of NALANS demonstrate a wide range of traditional and cutting-edge ecocritical approaches and concerns.

Those who love the natural world have plenty to despair about in today's world, as wildlands are carved into housing tracts and plumbed for oil and species after species are driven to extinction - a world in which we may well be warming ourselves to extinction. In the face of this daunting reality, I often find myself, as a teacher and scholar of environmental literature, turning to American author John Muir (1838-1914) for solace and inspiration. I also use Muir prominently in my teaching, especially when working with students in the Semester in the Wild Program of the University of Idaho - an experiential outdoor learning opportunity in the wildest region of the United States, apart from Alaska. One of the central texts of my course on environmental writing is John Muir's "A Wind-Storm in the Forests", which first appeared in Muir's 1894 book The Mountains of California. Muir's essay approaches botanical science in a full-bodied, emotionally engaged way, using a violent windstorm in the high mountains as a way to learn about trees - and also about the physical sensation of viewing and listening to wind, experiencing risk, and contemplating the meaning of wildness. The lessons of Muir's passionate essay remain salutary, even necessary, in the twenty-first century.