HUMANITY AND THE EARTH/L’HOMME ET LA TERRE: THE LEGACY OF ELISEE RECLUS
October 27-29, 2006
Loyola University
New Orleans, LA USA
Last year marked the 175th anniversary of the birth of Elisée Reclus and the
100th anniversary of his death. A conference in New Orleans scheduled on the
occasion of this double anniversary was postponed because of the destruction
caused by Hurricane Katrina, but it has been rescheduled for this Fall. At
that time we will gather to discuss the life and work of Reclus and to
investigate the ways in which his legacy is relevant to our world today.
Reclus is considered by many to be the greatest geographer of his age and is
generally recognized as a pioneering figure in the development of social
geography. His eighteen-thousand page Nouvelle Géographie Universelle was a
monumental intellectual achievement which, as geographer Gary Dunbar
observes, “for a generation was to serve as the ultimate geographical
authority” and constituted “probably the greatest individual writing feat in
the history of geography.” His work culminated in the
thirty-five-hundred-page L’Homme et la Terre, a grand synthesis of his ideas
concerning geography, history, philosophy, politics, sociology, religion,
anthropology, and many other fields.
Reclus, perhaps more than any other 19th century social thinker, contributed
to the development of a comprehensive ecological world view. His focus on
our place in nature is expressed in the opening words of L’Homme et la
Terre: “Humanity is Nature becoming self-conscious.” Reclus can be seen as a
founder of both social ecology and political ecology, inasmuch as he
carefully traced the interconnections between the social, the political and
the ecological, and he saw the solution to ecological problems as
necessitating a wide-ranging, and indeed revolutionary political and
economic transformation of society.
In addition, Reclus was a major social philosopher and one of the foremost
theorists of anarchism. His analysis of the state, capitalism, technology,
racism, patriarchy, authoritarian culture and the domination of nature
constitutes perhaps the most far-ranging critique of domination in the
history of anarchist thought. He was also an important figure in the
development of urbanism, was one of the most original theorists of
libertarian education, and made important contributions to ethical
vegetarianism and the consideration of our treatment of other species.
Finally, Reclus lived an extraordinary life as a scientist, scholar,
revolutionary and human being. He saw all his diverse activities as integral
expressions of his commitment to the struggle for human freedom and of his
concern for the good of humanity and other living beings. Biographers have
described his life as an inspiring example of compassion, solidarity,
egalitarianism, dedication, humility, intellectual curiosity, joy in living,
and a deep love of humanity and nature.
Conference presentations, which should be in English, may address any area
of the legacy of Reclus, the person, the revolutionary, the geographer, and
the social and ecological philosopher. Requests for further information and
proposals for presentations (which are due by May 31), should be sent,
preferably by email, to:
John P. Clark
Department of Humanities
City College
Box 79
Loyola University
New Orleans, LA 70118
clark@loyno.edu
