Grounding Religion

Whitney A. Bauman is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Florida International University, Florida, USA. Richard Bohannon is a cartographer and teaches in the Geography Department at St. Cloud State University, Minnesota, USA. Kevin J. O’Brien is Associate Professor of Religion and Dean of Humanities at Pacific Lutheran University, Washington, USA.

"Grounding Religion is an accessible and engaging introduction to religion and ecology for the undergraduate classroom. Changes made for the second edition - especially the new chapters addressing race and ethnicity, climate change, and hope and despair are particularly timely." - Nancy Menning, Ithaca College, USA."In recent years, the literature exploring the intersections between religion and nature has grown exponentially. Grounding Religion is both an original contribution to the field and also a smart, wide-ranging introduction to it. It provides good overviews of important topics such as place, food, and climate change without merely repeating familiar discussions. Even better, it addresses crucial issues that are rarely included in discussions of religion and ecology, such as economics and technology. It will be an essential resource for scholars and an outstanding teaching tool." - Anna Peterson, University of Florida, USA."This handbook provides an excellent introduction to key issues of environmental concern viewed through the prism of a modern-day, secularist view of religion-writ-large. (...) This book will prove useful in the undergraduate classroom. (...) Each chapter effectively defines its arguments and terms. Several concrete examples are given that will encourage student conversations, especially on the extractive process of mountaintop removal, the alteration of food through industrialized agriculture, and the multiple challenges posed by climate change. The discussion questions at the end of each chapter enhance its effectiveness as a teaching tool." - Christopher Chapple, Loyola Marymount University, USA

• Notes on contributorsIntroduction to the second editionAcknowledgements Introduction Whitney A. Bauman, Richard Bohannon, and Kevin J. O’Brien 1 Religion: what is it, who gets to decide, and why does it matter?Whitney A. Bauman, Richard Bohannon, and Kevin J. O’Brien 2 Case Study: religion and the twenty-first century North American anti-extraction movementJoseph Witt3 Ecology: what is it, who gets to decide, and why does it matter?Whitney A. Bauman, Richard Bohannon, and Kevin J. O’Brien 4 Case Study: religion and disaster: the Merapi volcano eruptionNajiyah Martiam5 Gender and queers studiesWhitney A. Bauman and Heather Eaton6 Race and ethnicityCarol Wayne White7 The power of place Brian G. Campbell8 GlobalizationLois Ann Lorentzen9 Climate changeLaurel Kearns10 FoodWhitney Sanford11 AnimalsDave Aftandilian12 TechnologyNoreen Herzfeld13 JusticeRichard Bohannon and Kevin J. O’Brien14 SustainabilityWillis Jenkins15 EconomicsLaura M. Hartman16 Conclusion: despair, hope, and actionWhitney A. Bauman and Kevin J. O’BrienIndex