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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 with environments, ecology, and environmentalism (Sponsel 2001a). In 1995, David Kinsley published the first major textbook on this subject, Ecology and Religion: Ecological Spirituality in Cross-Cultural Perspective (Prentice-Hall), while a year later Roger S. Gottlieb edited a monumental benchmark anthology, This Sacred Earth: Religion, Nature, Environment (Routledge). (A second edition of the anthology is forthcoming).

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, Daoism, 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. 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. In addition, 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 conference series. 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, 2003). With more than 1,000 entries, this definitive reference work of global and comprehensive scope reviews 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 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 of Religion and Nature is also planned.

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). Also a popular periodical, EarthLight: The Magazine of Spiritual Ecology, has been published for more than a decade now (http://www.earthlight.org).

Applied and Advocacy Initiatives Proponents 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. For instance, the Alliance of Religions and Conservation founded in 1995 by Dr. Martin Palmer of Manchester University in association with the Worldwide Fund for Nature in the United Kingdom has numerous projects focused on linking people across cultural, religious, and institutional boundaries to promote environmental conservation, and especially through sacred places (http://www.religionsandconservation.org). As another illustration, 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 based at Oxford University (London: International Technology Publications 1999).

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.

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."

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 between religions on the one hand and environments, ecology, and environmentalism on the other as one optional focus within the well-established Ecological Anthropology Program at the University of Hawai`i.

Anthropology Courses The following courses in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Hawai`i are especially relevant for the Spiritual Ecology Concentration:

385C Undergraduate Proseminar: Ethnography
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
620H Theory in Social and Cultural Anthropology: Human Ecology

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

Potentially relevant as well is the Discursive Practices Program.

For detailed information on the Department of Anthropology and its courses and degree requirements, among other things, see http://www.anthropology.hawaii.edu. Also explore the course websites for 415, 422, and 423: http://www.blackboard.hawaii.edu. Just click on Course Catalog, click on Preview, then type into the Search Box Anth and the course number, next click on Go, and finally click on either Preview or the course number.

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).

Graduate Student Research on Spiritual Ecology Since the late 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. Chun worked with the Kaho`lawe Island Reserve Commission initiative to restore the ecology of the island as part of Hawaiian cultural and spiritual heritage, and more recently is staff scientist as working as a Natural Resource Specialist with ParsonsUXB on the removal of ordnance and other debris from the military bombing of the island (http://www.state.hi.us/kirc/main/home.htm).

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

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).

2001a "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.

2001b "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: Non-Western Views of Nature and the Environment, Helaine Selin, ed. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers, pp. (co-author Poranee Natadecha-Sponsel) (in press).

2003 "The Spiritual Ecology of Sacred Caves and Bats in Thailand" in festschrift book in honor of Sulak Sivaraksa, David Chappell, ed. (co-author Poranee Natadecha-Sponsel) (in press).

2003 "Sacred Places and Biodiversity Conservation" in Sanctuaries of Culture and Nature: Conserving Sacred Places and Biodiversity, Leslie E. Sponsel, ed. (co-author Poranee Natadecha-Sponsel)(under review by publisher).

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.

2003 in 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).

Edited Books

2003 Sanctuaries of Nature and Culture: The Conservation of Sacred Places and Biodiversity (under review by publisher).

Books (Monographs)

Thailand: Explorations in Ecology, Culture and Religion (penultimate draft completed toward publication in 2004).

Natural Wisdom: Meditations on Buddhist Ecology and Environmentalism (second draft completed toward publication in 2005).