Introduction to Regeneration
Purpose:
The journal "Regeneration" is dedicated to advancing the environmental humanities, which focus on the interconnections between human culture and the environment. This initiative is important for recognizing and addressing the pressing environmental challenges facing societies today. Key features of the journal include:
Open Access Publishing: Ensuring that research is freely available to promote widespread dissemination of knowledge.
Multimedia Capacity: Utilizing various formats to enrich academic discourse, and allowing for a broader reach in communicating complex ideas.
Collaboration: Engaging multiple disciplines and communities to foster innovative approaches to environmental issues.
Abstract
The journal was initiated with the mission to revitalize the environmental humanities, which have rapidly expanded in recent years, paralleling global environmental crises. This revitalization is driven by the need for a platform that not only reflects current knowledge but also encourages innovative scholarship that can respond to urgent ecological challenges.
Key Concepts and Themes
Keywords: environmental humanities, collaboration, open access, multimedia.
Symbolism of the Star Jet
The image of the drowned Star Jet rollercoaster serves as a poignant symbol of our era, illustrating the tangible impacts of climate change on cultural landmarks.
This imagery prompts reflection on human responsibility in contributing to environmental degradation, as it connects our daily choices—such as consumption, waste generation, and energy use—to the broader implications of climate disruption and loss of cultural heritage.
Growth of Environmental Humanities
The rapid expansion of the environmental humanities is reminiscent of a rollercoaster's acceleration, highlighting both exciting developments and inherent challenges.
Areas of inquiry within this field have splintered into several distinct subfields, including:
Energy Humanities: Examines the cultural implications of energy production and consumption.
Posthumanism: Questions anthropocentric viewpoints and explores human-nonhuman relationships.
Blue Humanities: Focuses on the cultural significance of oceans and aquatic environments.
Ecomedia: Investigates the relationship between media and ecological issues.
Waste Studies: Explores the cultural and environmental narratives surrounding waste and disposal.
Despite this growth, there is a noticeable lack of celebratory acknowledgment among scholars, as collective focus remains on activism and responsiveness to intersecting environmental and social crises, such as climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss.
Challenges and Collaborations
The growth of environmental humanities is fueled by ongoing global crises, complicating feelings of accomplishment. However, it is also marked by an increase in collaboration, fostering relationships between scholars, activists, and community stakeholders.
This movement is further enhanced by efforts to integrate the voices and perspectives of historically marginalized groups into the environmental discourse, emphasizing equity and inclusion in addressing ecological justice.
Open Access Publishing
Open Access Significance: The journal views open access as crucial to maintaining the dynamism of the environmental humanities.
Promoting a justice-centered discourse by making scholarship publicly available, thereby removing knowledge from economic constraints and making it accessible to a broader audience.
Concerns: The ongoing climate crisis has exacerbated feelings of burnout and urgency among scholars, highlighting the need for sustainable measures amidst the neoliberal pressures faced within academia.
Key Objectives of Regeneration
Focus on:
Open Access: Actively working to dismantle traditional hierarchies in academic discourse, making scholarship more inclusive.
Multimedia Capacity: Utilizing a variety of media forms to enrich scholarly conversations—this could include soundscapes, videos, visual art, and interactive formats that engage audiences more deeply.
Collaboration: Emphasizing the importance of collaborative work that incorporates a multitude of voices and perspectives, thus enhancing the richness of the discourse.
Rejection of Traditional Models
While traditional scholarship undoubtedly holds value, Regeneration advocates for diverse forms of argumentation and storytelling.
It encourages experimental approaches that connect scholarly work with pressing real-world issues, allowing for more fluid and dynamic engagement with the audience.
Accomplishments: The journal is committed to fostering a dialogic and innovative scholarly environment that adapts to the evolving needs of the field, constantly striving to create impactful and relevant discourse.
Future Directions
Regeneration seeks to host a variety of guest-edited special issues that reflect a multitude of perspectives and engagements within the ever-expanding field of environmental humanities, paving the way for new conversations and collaborations in response to contemporary environmental challenges.
