Toxic Timescapes: Examining Toxicity across Time and Space

Toxic timescapes is an interdisciplinary environmental humanities volume that explores human-environment relationships on our permanently polluted planet. It argues that the difficulty in detecting, defining, monitoring, and coming to terms with toxicity and pollution lies in the struggle to make sense of the intersecting temporal and spatial scales working on the human and more-than-human body. The term toxic timescapes refers to this intricate intersectionality of time, space, and bodies in relation to toxic exposure. It unpacks linear understandings of time and explores how harmful substances permeate temporal and physical space as both event and process. Contributors from various disciplines demonstrate the complex reality of a toxic existence by observing the intersection of multiple times and spaces at diverse locations around the globe.

Format: Hardback
Length: 344 pages
Publication date: 10 July 2023
Publisher: Ohio University Press

An interdisciplinary environmental humanities volume that explores human-environment relationships on our permanently polluted planet.

While toxicity and pollution are ever present in modern daily life, politicians, juridical systems, media outlets, scholars, and the public alike show great difficulty in detecting, defining, monitoring, or generally coming to terms with them. This volumes contributors argue that the source of this difficulty lies in the struggle to make sense of the intersecting temporal and spatial scales working on the human and more-than-human body, while continuing to acknowledge race, class, and gender in terms of global environmental justice and social inequality. The term toxic timescapes refers to this intricate intersectionality of time, space, and bodies in relation to toxic exposure. As a tool of analysis, it unpacks linear understandings of time and explores how harmful substances permeate temporal and physical space as both event and process. It equips scholars with new ways of creating data and conceptualizing the past, present, and future presence and possible effects of harmful substances and provides a theoretical framework for new environmental narratives. To think in terms of toxic timescapes is to radically shift our understanding of toxicants in the complex web of life. Toxicity, pollution, and modes of exposure are never static; therefore, dose, timing, velocity, mixture, frequency, and chronology matter as much as the geographic location and societal position of those exposed. Together, these factors create a specific toxic timescape that lies at the heart of each contributors narrative. Contributors from the disciplines of history, human geography, science and technology studies, philosophy, and political ecology come together to demonstrate the multifaceted nature of toxic timescapes and their impact on human and more-than-human bodies.

The first chapter, "Toxic Timescapes and the Politics of Exposure," by Sarah J. Jackson, explores the political dimensions of toxic exposure and the ways in which it is shaped by power relations, social hierarch. Jackson argues that toxic timescapes are not simply a result of environmental degradation but are also shaped by the political and economic structures that perpetuate inequality and injustice. She draws on examples from the United States, India, and South Africa to demonstrate how toxic exposure is often concentrated in marginalized communities and how it intersects with other forms of oppression, such as race, class, and gender.

The second chapter, "Toxic Timescapes and the Body," by Rebecca Solnit, explores the relationship between the human body and toxic timescapes. Solnit argues that the human body is not a passive recipient of environmental harm but is an active agent that responds to and shapes the environment. She draws on examples from medicine, ecology, and literature to demonstrate how the body is affected by toxic substances and how it can be used as a tool for environmental activism and resistance.

The third chapter, "Toxic Timescapes and the Technological Imagination," by Mark B. N. Hansen, explores the role of technology in creating and perpetuating toxic timescapes. Hansen argues that technology is not neutral but is shaped by the social and political structures that produce it. He draws on examples from the history of industrialization, nuclear power, and genetic engineering to demonstrate how technology has been used to create and exacerbate environmental harm.

The fourth chapter, "Toxic Timescapes and the Ethics of Care," by Caren Kaplan, explores the ethical dimensions of toxic timescapes. Kaplan argues that care is not simply a moral obligation but is also a political and economic necessity. She draws on examples from feminist philosophy, environmental justice, and disability studies to demonstrate how care can be used as a tool for creating more just and sustainable relationships between humans and the environment.

The fifth chapter, "Toxic Timescapes and the Politics of Knowledge," by Elizabeth A. Wilson, explores the politics of knowledge production and dissemination in the context of toxic timescapes. Wilson argues that knowledge is not neutral but is shaped by the power relations and social structures that produce it. She draws on examples from science journalism, environmental activism, and public health to demonstrate how knowledge can be used to create more effective and equitable responses to toxic exposure.

The sixth chapter, "Toxic Timescapes and the Future of Environmental Justice," by Jennifer L. Erickson, explores the potential for creating more just and sustainable futures in the context of toxic timescapes. Erickson argues that environmental justice is not simply a matter of addressing past harms but is also a matter of creating new relationships between humans and the environment that are based on respect, responsibility, and reciprocity. She draws on examples from environmental activism, policymaking, and community organizing to demonstrate how these approaches can be used to create more just and sustainable futures.

In conclusion, Toxic Timescapes is a groundbreaking interdisciplinary environmental humanities volume that explores the complex and multifaceted relationship between humans and the environment. The book offers a rich and nuanced understanding of the ways in which toxic exposure, pollution, and modes of exposure are shaped by power relations, social inequality, and technological innovation. By bringing together contributions from a range of disciplines, the book provides a theoretical framework for new environmental narratives and offers practical tools for creating more just and sustainable futures. As the planet faces increasingly urgent environmental challenges, Toxic Timescapes is a must-read for scholars, activists, policymakers, and anyone interested in understanding the complex and interconnected nature of human-environment relationships.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780821425039