Outback and Out West: The Settler-Colonial Environmental Imaginary (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781496221971)

Outback and Out West examines the ecological consequences of a settler-colonial imaginary by comparing expressions of settler colonialism in the literature of the American West and Australian Outback. Tom Lynch traces exogenous domination in both regions, which resulted in many similar means of settlement, including pastoralism, homestead acts, afforestation efforts, and bioregional efforts at "belonging." Lynch pairs the two nations' texts to show how an analysis at the intersection of ecocriticism and settler colonialism requires a new canon that is responsive to the social, cultural, and ecological difficulties created by settlement in the West and Outback.

Outback and Out West draws out the regional Anthropocene dimensions of settler colonialism, considering such pressing environmental problems as habitat loss, groundwater depletion, and mass extinctions. Lynch studies the implications of our settlement heritage on history, art, and the environment through the cross-national comparison of spaces. He asserts that bringing an ecocritical awareness to settler-colonial theory is essential for reconciliation with dispossessed Indigenous populations as well as reparations for ecological damages as we work to decolonize engagement with and literature about these places.

Author: Tom Lynch
ISBN-10: 1496221974
ISBN-13: 9781496221971
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Language: English
Published: 11/01/2022
Pages: 348
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.50lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.94d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 06/01/2023