Wendell Berry and Ecowomanism in Conversation Toward an Eco-Cosmopolitanism

This project explores the social and ecological thought of Wendell Berry, Alice Walker, and bell hooks, highlighting the significant ways in which their distinctive concerns are compatible and contribute to developing ethical commitments that protect and advance both human and environmental well-being. Wendell Berry's agrarian philosophy emphasizes the interconnectedness of human communities and the natural world, advocating for sustainable agriculture and a harmonious relationship with the land. Alice Walker's work brings attention to the intersection of race, gender, and environmental justice, particularly through her concept of "womanism," which calls for a holistic approach to social and ecological healing. Similarly, bell hooks examines how systems of domination-racism, patriarchy, and capitalism-damage both human relationships and the environment, urging for a transformative love that restores balance and justice.

The project argues that the compatibility between these three thinkers' social and ecological concerns also resonates with major Christian theological perspectives, particularly those of Willie Jennings and Melanie Harris. Jennings's work challenges the colonial legacy of Christian thought and calls for a reimagined relationship with land and community, while Harris integrates African American spiritual traditions with environmental justice, emphasizing care for the earth as a sacred moral imperative. By bringing together the insights of Berry, Walker, and hooks with Jennings and Harris, this project casts a compelling vision for a world that bridges major divides of race, gender, religion, and even human and non-human life. It seeks to create a framework that fosters deeper care and justice for both human communities and the natural environment, recognizing that social and ecological well-being are fundamentally interconnected,