In Search of a Space Where Nature and Culture Dissolve Into a Unified Whole and Deep Ecology

Abstract

This paper presents an argument for the importance of considering lived,
direct and dialogical experience in nature as an important component of
our conceptualizations of the natural world. I begin by noting how certain
kinds of knowledge, mostly the intuitive and the local, tend to be muted
or excluded from our nature talk. I then suggest that conversations between
people can serve as a fruitful metaphor for exploring dialogues with
nature, noting how certain kinds of knowledge -- again the intuitive and
local -- are pushed into the background in conversations as well. The
thinking of Henri Lefebvre is then introduced to elaborate this position,
indicating how his notion of thirdspace, conceived of as lived, situated,
and embodied dialogues with nature, provides a rich and generative domain
for conceptualizing our interchanges with the natural world. Some
preliminary implications of this line of thought are drawn out.