Nature's Saviours

Graham Huggan is Professor of Commonwealth and Postcolonial Literatures at the University of Leeds, UK. His research spans the entire field of comparative postcolonial literary/cultural studies, with further interests in the areas of ecocriticism, travel writing, short fiction, and film.

"As Huggan himself observes, the lack of scholarly attention paid to such prominent figures as Attenborough is astonishing; so is the lack of critical comparative biography on famous conservationists; and so is the lack of attention to the work of television in forging environmental consciousness. Huggan has begun work here that now needs to be taken up by others. He has provided an excellent introduction to this task." – From the Foreword by Dan Brockington, University of Manchester, UK "This book introduces a new and compelling field of interdisciplinary studies. Reading across the fields of celebrity studies, cultural and media studies, history of science and postcolonialism, Nature’s Saviours takes our favourite celebrity conservationists and questions how we see nature and culture, commerce and conservation, and the world of human and nonhuman creatures." – Gillian Whitlock, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia"This is a scholarly and challenging critique of the links between wildlife television and conservation. From David Attenborough to Steve Irwin, television has provided a powerful medium through which highly charismatic presenters have framed exotic wild nature for generations of armchair naturalists. Graham Huggan explores how it is done, and discusses the significance of the result." – Bill Adams, University of Cambridge, UK"Nature's Saviours takes readers on a critically evaluative journey that will forever change their passive and simple viewing of much-loved television shows such as Planet Earth and The Crocodile Hunter. Summing Up: Recommended. All academic and general library collections." - B. A. Losoff, University of Colorado at Boulder in CHOICE"Huggan’s work makes an important and original contribution to conservation advocacy. More broadly, his work also lays a foundation for re-examining the nature of social and ecological interactions–an important and ongoing process in achieving sustainability in an increasingly dynamic system." – Australasian Journal of Environmental Management, Dana Thomsen, University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia"Besides the obvious value of this engagingly written book to students and scholars of green, cultural, and media studies, I wonder also what more could be said by way of application of Huggan’s insights about celebrity conservationism to the practical work of conservation…" – Green Letters: Studies in Ecocriticism, Anthony Nanson, Bath Spa University, UK

• Foreword Dan Brockington 1. Introduction 2. A is for Attenborough 3. Lives Aquatic: Underwater with the Cousteaus 4. Requiem for Dian: Myth, Memory, Mediation 5. Suzuki: The Scientist as Moralist 6. Crocodile Tears: The Life and Death of Steve Irwin 7. Afterword