Description
- Abstract:
- My dissertation, 'An Eco-Socialist Civic Virtue: Democracy, Ethics, and Ecological Emancipation,' offers a new vision for environmental engagement that joins political agitation with ecological care. The eco-socialist civic virtues are excellences that enable individuals to overcome despair, disorientation, and social exclusion—three obstacles that often frustrate radical action. I focus on three figures who theorized new forms of action in response to these obstacles: the socialist revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg, the canonical Black intellectual W.E.B. DuBois, and the multispecies anthropologist Anna Tsing. I cohere the virtues they developed—revolutionary resilience (Luxemburg), vision (DuBois), and love (Tsing)—into an ethic offering a way through disorientation and despair. Love is a catalytic virtue, spurring collective action for mutual flourishing. Resilience is a preservative virtue, recognizing that eco-politics is fraught with tragedy and offering tactics for psychic survival. Vision is an intellectual and imaginative virtue, sharpening political tactics and sparking utopian dreams. Ultimately, I recover a submerged tradition of environmental action where political action is fueled by a love for all organic life.
- Notes:
- Thesis (Ph. D.)--Brown University, 2026
Citation
Foley-Keene, Max,
"An Eco-Socialist Civic Virtue: Democracy, Ethics, and Ecological Emancipation"
(2026).
Political Science Theses and Dissertations.
Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.
https://repository.library.brown.edu/studio/item/bdr:c6ycf9x3/
Relations
Collection:
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Political Science Theses and Dissertations
Theses and Dissertations for the Political Science department....