Introduction to Social Ecology

Facilitators: Todd Parsons and Chris Gustafson

e-mail parsons@math.toronto.edu CC info@anarchistu.org

Social ecology is a body of ecoanarchist political philosophy that has developed around Murray Bookchin's efforts to create a coherent radical critique of current social, political, and anti-ecological trends coupled with his vision of a reconstructive, ecological, communitarian, and ethical approach to society. In this course, we will introduce some of the primary themes in social ecology in a participatory learning framework. We will read through Bookchin's primer, Remaking Society, with supplemental texts from Bookchin, his associates, and his critics.

Week 1 - Introduction/What is Social Ecology?

• Review syllabus, class format, expectations
• Murray Bookchin. "What is Social Ecology?" in The Modern Crisis, (Montreal: Black Rose, 1997).

Week 2 - Nature and Human Nature

• Class discussion: personal and societal conceptions of nature and human nature
• Murray Bookchin. "Hierarchies, Classes, and States" in Remaking Society, (Montreal: Black Rose Books, 1989).
• Alan P. Rudy, "Ecology and Anthropology in the Work of Murray Bookchin: Problems of Theory and Evidence" The Philosophy of Social Ecology. (Montreal: Black Rose, 1995).

Week 3 - The Dialectical Tradition and Dialectical Naturalism

• Introduction to the dialectical tradition: Hegel, Marx, Adorno, etc. (text to be determined).
• Murray Bookchin, "Thinking ecologically: a dialectical approach" The Philosophy of Social Ecology (Montreal: Black Rose Books, 1998).
• Glenn A. Albrecht, "Ethics and Directionality in Nature" Social Ecology After Bookchin (New York: Guilford Press, 1998).

Week 4 - The Socio-Erotic: A Social Understanding of Desire

• Murray Bookchin, "Desire and Need" Post-Scarcity Anarchism, (Montreal: Black Rose, 1967).
• Chaia Heller, "The Five Fingers of Social Desire: The Dimensions of the Socio-Erotic" The Ecology of Everyday Life: Rethinking the Desire for Nature. (Montreal: Black Rose Books, 1999).
• Audre Lord, "Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power" Sister Outsider (New York: Crossing Press, 1981).

Week 5 - Scarcity and Post-Scarcity

• Nicholas Xenos, "The Promise of Abundance" Scarcity and Modernity (New York: Routledge, 1989).
• Murray Bookchin, "Introduction" Post Scarcity Anarchism (Montreal: Black Rose, 1967).

Week 6 - Reconstructive Visions 1: Turning Points in History and the Utopian Tradition

• Murray Bookchin, "Turning Points in History" and "Ideals of Freedom" Remaking Society (Montreal: Black Rose, 1989).
• Daniel Chadorkoff, "The Utopian Imulse: Reflections on a Tradition" Harbinger, 2(1).

Week 7 - Reconstructive Visions 2: The Ecological Society and Libertarian Municipalism

• Murray Bookchin, "From Here to There" Remaking Society.
• Murray Bookchin, "The New Municipal Agenda" The Rise of Urbanization and the Decline of Citizenship (San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 1987).
• Janet Biehl, "Politics Versus Statecraft" The Politics of Social Ecology: Libertarian Municipalism (Montreal: Black Rose, 1997).
• John Clark, "Municipal Dreams: A Social Ecological Critique of Bookchin's Politics" Social Ecology After Bookchin (New York: Guilford Press, 1998).

Week 8 - Where are we now? Where do we go from here?

• Open discussion. Evaluation of course. Potential guest speaker.