An Eco-Socialist Civic Virtue: Democracy, Ethics, and Ecological EmancipationdissertationsFoley-Keene, MaxcreatorKrause, SharonAdvisorRogers, MelvinReaderGourevitch, AlexanderReaderBrown University. Department of Political Sciencesponsor20267, 160 p.born digitalThesis (Ph. D.)--Brown University, 2026thesesMy 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.environmentdemocratic theoryVirtueEnglishRPB20260427