Revised May 2005
SPIRITUAL ECOLOGY CONCENTRATION
BACKGROUND
Why the Environment is a Religious Issue
During the 1970s developments like Earth Day, The Ecologist magazine, Friends of the Earth, Green Party, Greenpeace, and the Stockholm Environment Conference reflected markedly increased international awareness, concerns, and actions about the growing environmental crisis in the world. However, after more than three decades the crisis is even worse with the discovery of new environmental problems like acid rain, global warming, and biodiversity loss. Apparently the usual remedies are insufficient--- environmental science, technology, education, and politics. Since the 1990s, an accelerating number of diverse individuals and organizations are turning to religion as a last resort. This movement is not offered instead of previous approaches, but in addition to them as a complement and to hopefully finally turn things around for the better. No particular religion is designated as the solution. Instead, scientists, scholars, educators, clerics, adherents, politicians, and others are each looking deeply into their own religion and/or spirituality for elements to construct more viable environmental world views, attitudes, values, and practices for themselves and others.
The New Field of Spiritual Ecology
An exciting and promising whole new transdisciplinary field of spiritual ecology has been developing since the 1990s which may be defined as follows: a complex and diverse arena of spiritual, intellectual, and practical activities at the interface of religions, environments, and environmentalisms (Sponsel 2001a). Advocates of religion as one important factor in reducing or resolving environmental problems argue that the ultimate cause of the ongoing environmental crisis resides in choices and concerns which are ultimately moral, and that religion and/or spirituality can be decisive. Thus, this is not simply an academic matter. Indeed, practical action is underway in a remarkable number and variety of substantial programs and projects. As just two examples, the Alliance for Religion and Conservation in association with the Worldwide Fund for Nature in the United Kingdom has numerous projects focused on the linkage between sacred places in nature and biodiversity conservation (http://www.wwf.org.uk), while the United Nations Environmental Programme sponsored publication of the monumental inventory Cultural and Spiritual Values of Biodiversity co-edited by Darrell Addison Posey and others (London: International Technology Publications 1999, http://www.unep.org/Biodiversity/).
Harvard Forum on Religion and Ecology
A series of ten conferences on the world’s religions and ecology were held at the Center for the Study of World Religions (CSWR) at the Harvard University Divinity School from May 1996 to July 1998. These were organized by Dr. Mary Evelyn Tucker and Dr. John Grim of the Department of Religion at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania (http://www.departments.bucknell.edu/religion). These multidisciplinary and international conferences were collectively attended by more than 700 individuals. Most of the conferences were focused on a particular religion in relation to ecology and environmentalism--- Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Indigenous Traditions, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, and Shinto. Subsequently a substantial anthology with an extensive bibliography was published as a result of each conference by Harvard University Press (eight in print and others forthcoming). The primary goal of these conferences is to outline the contours of a new field of study in religion that also has implications for contemporary environmental ethics, public policy concerns, and related matters. Three culminating conferences in the autumn of 1998 were held at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at the United Nations in New York City invited by the UN Environmental Programme (UNEP), and at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The Forum on Religion and Ecology (FORE) arose out of the ten conferences at the CSWR and was announced at the United Nations press conference at the conclusion of a symposium reporting on the conclusions of the Harvard conferences. FORE is now housed at the Harvard University Center for the Environment.
(http://environment.harvard.edu/religion and for book orders http://www.hup.harvard.edu).
Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature
A second major initiative is the 2-volume Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature with Dr. Bron Taylor and Dr. Jeff Kaplan, General Editors (London, England: Continuum International, 2005). With more than 1,000 entries, this definitive reference work of global and comprehensive scope recapitulates and defines the parameters of discussion regarding nature religion, the natural dimensions of religion, and related matters including spiritual ecology. Beyond the printed encyclopedia, the ongoing website for this project provides very extensive online resources (http://www.religionandnature.com). Furthermore, Dr. Taylor and colleagues in the Department of Religion at the University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, have launched an exciting new concentration on religion and nature in their Ph.D. program (http://web.religion.ufl.edu). A Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature, and Culture, and a Society for the Study of Religion, Nature, and Culture have been developed as well (http://www.religionandnature.com).
Periodicals about Spiritual Ecology
It is also noteworthy that since 1997, an entire international refereed academic journal focuses on aspects of spiritual ecology: Worldviews: Environment, Culture, and Religion. The purpose of this scholarly journal is to offer an interdisciplinary exploration of the environmental understandings, perceptions and practices of a wide range of different cultures and religious traditions. Disciplines represented include anthropology, environmental studies, geography, philosophy, religious studies, philosophy, sociology, and theology (http://www.brill.nl). A second academic periodical of special relevance has been launched: Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature, and Culture. (See http://www.religionandnature.com). Also a popular periodical, EarthLight: The Magazine of Spiritual Ecology, has been published for more than a decade now (http://www.earthlight.org).
Research on Spiritual Ecology, Sacred Places and Biodivesity Conservation by Professor Sponsel and Colleagues
In the Department of Anthropology at the University of Hawai`i, Dr. Leslie E. Sponsel, Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Ecological Anthropology Program, is increasingly focusing his own research, publications, and teaching on the relationships among spiritual ecology, sacred places, and biodiversity conservation, this largely as a result of his continuing field research in Thailand since 1986 where extensive portions of the landscape have long been sacred in various degrees and ways. (See Research History under Thailand).
In 2002, Dr. Sponsel, together with Dr. Poranee Natadecha-Sponsel (Department of Religion, Chaminade University of Honolulu), launched a new ongoing field research project in Thailand for subsequent summers: "The Spiritual Ecology of Buddhist Sacred Caves in Relation to the Ecology and Conservation of Bats, Forests, and Biodiversity in Thailand" (see see Research). (Also see http://www.anthropology.hawaii.edu/projects/thailand/spiritualecology.htm).
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SPIRITUAL ECOLOGY CONCENTRATION
Ecological Anthropology Program Committed students at the graduate and undergraduate levels are most enthusiastically invited to pursue a special concentration exploring the relationships among religions, ecology, and environmentalism as one optional focus within the well-established Ecological Anthropology Program at the University of Hawai`i (EAP, also see PowerPoint presentation).
Anthropology Courses
The following courses in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Hawai`i are especially relevant for the Spiritual Ecology Concentration:
415 Ecological Anthropology
422 Anthropology of Religion
423 Social and Cultural Change
435 Human Adaptation to Forests
444 Spiritual Ecology
445 Sacred Places
481 Applied Anthropology
620D Theory in Social and Cultural Anthropology: Religion
620H Theory in Social and Cultural Anthropology:
Human Ecology
(See course syllabi, bibliographies, and related materials under "Courses").
Students may also take an individualized course focusing on particular aspects of spiritual ecology and/or sacred places:
399 Directed Reading or Research
699 Directed Reading or Research
For detailed information on the Department of Anthropology and its courses and degree requirements, among other things, see http://www.anthropology.hawaii.edu.
Religion Courses
Beyond anthropology, many other departments, regional centers, and special programs at the University of Hawai`i are of relevance to the Spiritual Ecology Concentration, but especially pertinent are any of these courses in the Department of Religion:
300 The Study of Religion
352 Comparative Ethics
383 Mysticism East and West
480 Field Methods in Religion
600 History and Theory of the Study of Religion
630 Field Research in Religion
650 Seminar on World Religions
Students may also take an individualized course focusing on particular aspects of special interest:
499 Directed Reading and Research
699 Directed Reading and Research
Courses are also available on individual religions at the undergraduate and graduate levels (http://www.hawaii.edu/religion).
Institute for Cultural Ecology
Students may also take advantage of field school programs variously offered in Australia, Hawai`i, Fiji, Nepal, Spain, and Thailand through the independent Institute for Cultural Ecology (http://www.Culture-Ecology.com).
Student Research
Since the 1980s, graduate student research in which Dr. Sponsel served as committee chair (anthropology) or as an outside committee member has yielded two M.A. theses and six Ph.D. dissertations on various aspects of spiritual ecology, sacred places, and biodiversity conservation:
David W. Adams, 1998, "The Boundary Makers: The Search for Wilderness in Minnesota's Hundred Years' War" (Ph.D. Dissertation in Anthropology). His dissertation has since been revised and published as the book: Season of the Loon: One Man's Search for Wilderness in Increasingly Strange Times, St. Cloud, MN: North Star Press of St. Cloud, Inc., 2001). Dr. Adams is founder and President of the Institute for Cultural Ecology in Hilo, Hawai`i (http://www.Cultural-Ecology.com).
Safia Aggarwal, 2001, "Supernatural Sanctions in Commons Management: Panchayat Forest Conservation in the Central Himalayas" (Ph.D. Dissertation in Geography). Dr. Aggarwal is currently associated with Conservation International in Washington, D.C.
Morgan Brent, 2001, "Spiritual Ecology and Medicinal Plants: Contemporary Herbalism as a Neo-Indigenous Revitalization Movement" (Ph.D. Dissertation in Anthropology) Dr. Brent teaches anthropology at Chaminade University of Honolulu and collaborates in developing workshops on Amazonian herbalist healing traditions as well as field trips in Peru (http://www.tribesofcreation.com).
Shirley Naomi Kanani Garcia, 2002, "E Na Halau Hula, Nana Kakou Ia Laka (Look to the Source): Finding Balance Between the Practice of Hula Forest Gathering and the Ecological Realities of Hawai`i's Native Forests" (M.A. Thesis in Geography). Ms. Garcia is a student specializing in environmental law at the University of Hawai`i School of Law.
Carla Deicke Grady, 1995, "A Buddhist Response to Modernization in Thailand with Particular Reference to Conservationist Forest Monks" (Ph.D. Dissertation in Philosophy). Dr. Grady teaches philosophy at Santa Rosa Junior College in California (http://online.santarosa.edu/homepage/cgrady).
Joe R. Mansberger, 1987, "In Search of the Tree Spirit: Evolution of the Sacred Tree (Ficus religiosa)" (M.A. Thesis in Geography).
Joe R. Mansberger, 1991, "Ban Yatra: A Bio-cultural Survey of Sacred Forests in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal" (Ph.D. Dissertation in Geography). Dr. Mansberger resides in Oxford, England, where he is an environmental activist.
Allison Smith, 2002, "The Discourses (Re)Constructing the Sacred Geography of Kaho`olawe Island, Hawai`i" (Ph.D. Dissertation in Geography). Based in Wailuku, Maui, HI, Dr. Smith works with the Kaho`lawe Island Reserve Commission initiative to restore the ecology of the island as part of Hawaiian cultural and spiritual heritage (http://www.state.hi.us/kirc/main/home.htm).
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CONTACT INFORMATION
Dr. Leslie E. Sponsel
Professor of Anthropology
Director of the Ecological Anthropology Program
Director of the Spiritual Ecology Concentration
Department of Anthropology
University of Hawai`i - Saunders Hall 317
2424 Maile Way
Honolulu, HI 92822-2223 U.S.A.
Telephone: (808) 956-8507 (office hours on Thursday afternoons)
FAX: (808) 956-4893
Email: sponsel@hawaii.edu
Web sites:
http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/sponsel/sponsel
http://www.anthropology.hawaii.edu/faculty/sponsel/sponsel.htm
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PUBLICATIONS BY DR. SPONSEL ON SPIRITUAL ECOLOGY
Journal Articles
1992 "Thailand: Buddhism, Ecology and Forests" The New Road (Gland, Switzerland) 21:4-5 (co-author Poranee Natadecha-Sponsel).
1992 "A Comparison of the Cultural Ecology of Adjacent Muslim and Buddhist Villages in Southern Thailand: A Preliminary Field Report" Journal of the National Research Council of Thailand (Bangkok) 23(2):31-42 (co-author Poranee Natadecha-Sponsel).
1998 "Sacred and/or Secular Approaches to Biodiversity Conservation in Thailand" Worldviews: Environment, Culture, Religion (Leiden, the Netherlands) 2(1):155-167 (co-authors Poranee Natadecha-Sponsel, Nukul Ruttanadakul, and Somporn Juntadach).
2000 "Does Buddhism Have Any Future?: Some Thoughts on the Possibilities of Buddhist Responses to the 21st Century" Seeds of Peace (Bangkok) 16(1):36-39 (January-April issue)(co-author Poranee Natadecha-Sponsel).
Book Chapters
1988 "Buddhism, Ecology and Forests in Thailand" in Changing Tropical Forests: Historical Perspectives on Today's Challenges in Asia, Australasia, and Oceania, John Dargavel, Kay Dixon, and Noel Semple, eds. Canberra, Australia: Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies, pp. 305-325 (co-author Poranee Natadecha-Sponsel).
1991 "Nonviolent Ecology: The Possibilities of Buddhism" in Buddhism and Nonviolent Global Problem-Solving: Ulan Bator Explorations, Glenn D. Paige and Sarah Gilliatt, eds. Honolulu, HI: Center for Global Nonviolence and Spark M. Matsunaga Institute for Peace, pp. 139-150 (co-author Poranee Natadecha-Sponsel). (Available online: http://www.globalnonviolence.org).
1993 "The Potential Contribution of Buddhism in Developing an Environmental Ethic for the Conservation of Biodiversity" in Ethics, Religion, and Biodiversity: Relations Between Conservation and Cultural Values, Lawrence S. Hamilton, ed.
Cambridge, U.K.: White Horse Press, pp. 75-97 (co-author Poranee Natadecha-Sponsel).
1995 "The Role of Buddhism in Creating a More Sustainable Society in Thailand" in Counting the Costs: Economic Growth and Environmental Change in Thailand, Jonathan Rigg, ed. Singapore: Institute for Southeast Asia Studies, pp. 27-46 (co-author Poranee Natadecha-Sponsel).
1997 "A Theoretical Analysis of the Potential Contribution of the Monastic Community in Promoting a Green Society in Thailand" in Buddhism and Ecology: The Interconnection of Dharma and Deeds, Mary Evelyn Tucker and Duncan Williams, eds. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Center for the Study of World Religions, pp. 45-68 (co-author Poranee Natadecha-Sponsel).
2001 "Do Anthropologists Need Religion, and Vice Versa?: Adventures and Dangers in Spiritual Ecology" in New Directions in Anthropology and Environment: Intersections, Carole L. Crumley, ed. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press, pp. 177-200.
2001 "Is Indigenous Spiritual Ecology a New Fad?: Reflections from the Historical and Spiritual Ecology of Hawai`i" in Indigenous Traditions and Ecology, John Grim, ed. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Center for the Study of World Religions, pp. 159-174.
2001 "Why a Tree is More than a Tree: Reflections on the Spiritual Ecology of Sacred Trees in Thailand" in Santi Pracha Dhamma, Sulak Sivaraksa, et al., eds. Bangkok, Thailand: Santi Pracha Dhamma Institute, pp. 364-373 (co-author Poranee Natadecha-Sponsel).
2002 "Buddhist Views of Nature and the Environment" in Nature Across Cultures: Views of Nature and the Environment in Non-Western Cultures, Helaine Selin, ed. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers, pp. 351-371 (co-author Poranee Natadecha-Sponsel) .
2003 "Illimuniating Darkness: The Monk-Cave-Bat-Ecosystem Complex in Thailand," Socially Engaged Spirituality: Essays in Honor of Sulak Sviaraksa on His 70th Birthday, David W. Chappell, ed., pp. 255-269 (co-author Poranee Natadecha-Sponsel). Reprinted in This Sacred Earth: Religion, Nature, Environment, Roger S. Gottlieb, ed., 2004, New York, NY: Routledge, pp. 134-144.
2005 "Religion and Nature," Psychology of Religion: Handbook, David Wulff, ed., New York, NY: Oxford University Press (in press).
Encyclopedia Articles
1997 "Environment and Nature: Buddhism" in Encyclopaedia of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures, Helaine Selin, ed. Boston, MA: Kluwer Academic Publishers, pp. 290-291.
2001 "Human Impact on Biodiversity, Overview" in Encyclopedia of Biodiversity, Simon Asher Levin, Editor-in-Chief. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 3:395-409.
2005 Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature, Bron Taylor and Jeffrey Kaplan, General Editors, New York, NY: Continuum International: articles on Amazonia, anthropologists and nature religion, anthropology as source of nature religion, biodiversity and religion, sacred caves, ecological anthropology, neotropical rainforests and religion, sacred trees, Southeast Asian religion and nature, Yanomami, and "The Noble Savage." (See http://www.religionandnature.com).
2005 Encyclopedia of Anthropology, h. James Birx, ed., Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press (articles on Animism, Religion and Enviroment) (in press).
2005 "Buddhism: Environment and Nature," in Encyclopedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures (Second edition, online), Helaine Selin, ed., Boston, MA: Kluwer Academic Publishers (Poranee Natadecha-Sponsel co-author) in press).
Edited Books
2003 Sanctuaries of Nature and Culture: The Conservation of Sacred Places and Biodiversity (under review by publisher).
Books (Monographs)
Natural Wisdom: Meditations on Buddhist Ecology and Environmentalism (in preparation)
Spiritual Ecology and Sacred Places in Thailand (in preparation)