The Network for Global Justice and the Environmental Humanities (EHJustice): Transformative engagements between academia and civil society, is very exited to announce an online reading group/roundtable seminar with queer ecologist and environmental humanities scholar Nicole Seymour to discuss her work on “bad environmentalism” in hopes to relate it to a Scandinavian context.

Nicole Seymour’s book Bad Environmentalism: Irony and Irreverence in the Ecological Age examines various Anglophone cultural forms—from sitcoms, to poetry, to art performance—to expose and better understand how mainstream environmentalism is inextricably bound up with affective forms that demand awe, reverence, sentimentality and a love for nature (i.e. the classic nature documentary). Seymour shows that, encoded into these affective forms, are moral, religious and heteronormative undertones that go on to influence how things like environmental activism and environmental justice take shape and live on societally. Ultimately, these encodings craft insider/outsider relationships to mainstream environmentalism that track along racial, gender, and class lines. Enter “bad environmentalism": "Bad environmentalism" exposes and challenges affective norms in mainstream environmentalism by exploring the ways in which "bad" affect—such as irreverence, humour, anti-sentimentalism and irony—holds multivalent value for addressing and critiquing environmentalism. At the same time, "bad environmentalism" also elucidates alternative, underrepresented and marginalised forms of environmentalism and ecological modes of engagement, largely doing so through Anglophone subject material found in a United States context. However, while “bad environmentalism" provides an undeniably useful conceptual entry point for addressing unexposed normativities in mainstream environmentalism, is it useful to the environmental humanities abroad?

Currently, the EHJustice network is attempting to grapple with environmentalism in a Scandinavian context, including its coherences, opacities and contradictions. We wish to ask centrally the question: “How might ‘bad environmentalism’ be useful for thinking about environmentalism, environmental justice, public debate and activism in a Scandinavian context?—including the global material, political and economic linkages that situate Scandinavia?” Answering this may help to describe and better define what a “Scandinavian environmentalism” might look like, while also offering ways forward for how the environmental humanities might participate publicly in a meaningful way. However, a more fundamental question may need to be asked first: “Can ‘bad environmentalism’ be brought to a ‘Scandinavian environmentalism’?” For this to happen a retooling of “bad environmentalism” may be needed in order to deal with strong structural differences in a Scandinavian context, such as how the welfare state—where consensus is often favoured over public debate and conflict—may participate socially and culturally in shaping approaches to environmentalism and environmental justice. 

This event will be a hybrid reading group/roundtable/open discussion with the following organisation:

1. Presentation by Nicole Seymour to help ground and define what “bad environmentalism” is,  drawing upon her most recent work
2. Roundtable with Nicole Seymour and the core members of EHJustice network to help bring Seymour’s work into a Scandinavian context
3. Open discussion with the audience

**Prior to the event, we recommend reading, watching and/or listening to:

• CH. 1 Introductions / CH. 3 “Climate Change Is a Drag and Camping Can Be Campy: On Queer Environmental Performance” in Nicole Seymour’s book, Bad Environmentalism: Irony and Irreverence in the Ecological Age. Read for free online, please visit the Royal Danish Library.

•  Seymour presentation on Bad Enviromentalism at OLLI-CSUF January 28, 2020

• Edge Effects podcast: Feeling Kinky about Environmentalism: A Conversation with Nicole Seymour

• Skylight Books podcast: Nicole Seymour, “BAD ENVIRONMENTALISM”