Introduction: Open Ecologies

Abstract

This collection of essays turns to the nineteenth century in order to weigh the legacy of its holistic conception of systems and to resurrect alternative discourses of openness, permeability, and indeterminate relation. If modern ecocriticism has sometimes been hobbled by a restrictively organic, harmonious conception of how ecologies work, we wager that a return to Victorian interrogations of natural and social collectives can furnish more open, less integrated models for how assemblages operate. The nineteenth century saw both the first acceleration of anthropogenic climate change and the birth of a host of sciences-economic, social, geological, energetic, and (yes) ecological-that now struggle to address the planetary implications of that acceleration. Our growing awareness that we are now living in the long tail of this conjuncture and at the birth of the Anthropocene has prompted a re-evaluation of what we think we know about how nature and society work, and how they might work together.

Soil as a transdisciplinary research catalyst: from bioprospecting to biorespecting

“…Ecologies, such as soils, have been described in the environmental humanities as ‘open’ rather than ‘closed’ [61] . This change in conception is best described with an example, such as the microbiome of any living body (including soil), which is more accurately described as diverse and constantly changing in relation to its internal and external environment rather than closed and singular entity [61]. Open ecologies are characterized by openness, permeability and relations that are neither pre-determined nor assumed to be coherent, harmonious or integrated [61].…”

“…Of the varied topics discussed, assemblage theory and actor-network theory proved useful as they offered perspectives which removed disciplinary confines and the anthropocentric worldview. As a result, we reflected on properties of soil that can inspire research: soil as a permeable, open, ecology and soil as the root of ‘one health’ [44,61]. Our results revealed microbiomes of varying diversity and composition across the city of Bristol and led to comparisons with ecologies of knowledge [60].…”

Introduction

“…As Gelder and Weaver demonstrate, the kangaroo hunt narrative, while often seen simply as an account of masculine individualism and homosociality, is demonstrative of the extent to which 'sites of colonial conquest and imperial trade' had a 'profound impact on how ecologies were recognized and imagined'. 113 Grace Moore's chapter on Louisa Atkinson is also concerned with the relationship between settler acculturation, acclimatisation, and environmental adaptation. Focusing on Atkinson's bushfire stories, the chapter argues that her depictions of fire-setting and fire-fighting are distinct from those of her contemporaries in that they seek to promote respect for the bush.…”

Conrad's Carbon Imaginary: Oil, Imperialism, and the Victorian Petro-Archive

“…To read for the transitive is "to resurrect alternative discourses of openness, permeability, and indeterminate relation," as Deanna Kreisel and Devin Griffiths write, shifting from "traditional systems thinking" to open ecologies of interaction between coal and petroleum. 12 In introducing such an approach, my work joins that of Imre Szeman, Stephanie LeMenager, Jennifer Wenzel, and others who highlight "the saturation of our culture and aesthetics in the energy of fossil fuels": the creative, commercial, and institutional formations that have fostered oil's dominance and that might motivate a transition to alternatives. 13 Particularly vital are the resources of literature.…”