Author : John Mathias
Publisher : Univ of California Press
ISBN 13 : 0520395506
Total Pages : 275 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (23 download)
Book Synopsis Uncommon Cause by : John Mathias
Download or read book Uncommon Cause written by John Mathias and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2024 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How can activists strike a balance between fighting for a cause and sustaining relationships with family, friends, and neighbors? Uncommon Cause follows environmental justice activists in Kerala, India, as they seek out, avoid, or strive to overcome conflicts between their causes and their community ties. John Mathias finds two contrasting approaches, each offering distinct possibilities for an activist life. One set of activists repudiates community ties and resists normative pressures; for them, environmental justice becomes a way of transcending all local identities and affiliations, even humanity itself. Other activists seek to ground their activism in community belonging, to fight for their own people. Each approach produces its own dilemmas and offers its own insights into ethical tensions we all face between taking a stand and standing with others. In sharing Kerala activists' diverse stories, Uncommon Cause offers a fresh perspective on environmental ethics, showing that environmentalism, even as it looks beyond merely human concerns, is still fundamentally about how we relate to other people.