Thoreau's Religion
Walden Woods, Social Justice, and the Politics of Asceticism

Boldly reconfigures Walden for contemporary ethics and politics by recovering Thoreau's theological vision of environmental justice.

Alda Balthrop-Lewis (Author)

9781108799676, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 3 August 2023

332 pages
21.6 x 14 x 1.8 cm, 0.415 kg

'… reading this book is a sheer delight. While pursuing her scholarly agenda, Balthrop-Lewis strengthens her portrait of Thoreau by weaving into it her own history, experience and ethical struggles. Effectively striking this balance is a difficult task, and Balthrop-Lewis manages it deftly. Her writing is at once intellectually complex and thoroughly accessible. In essence, she invites us to join her as she walks through both Thoreau's world and our own, attending to the socio-political wounds of both and cogently articulating a compassionate, ethical response. Without question, this is a walk worth taking.' Rebecca Kneale Gould, Marginalia (https://themarginaliareview.com)

Thoreau's Religion presents a ground-breaking interpretation of Henry David Thoreau's most famous book, Walden. Rather than treating Walden Woods as a lonely wilderness, Balthrop-Lewis demonstrates that Thoreau's ascetic life was a form of religious practice dedicated to cultivating a just, multispecies community. The book makes an important contribution to scholarship in religious studies, political theory, English, environmental studies, and critical theory by offering the first sustained reading of Thoreau's religiously motivated politics. In Balthrop-Lewis's vision, practices of renunciation like Thoreau's can contribute to the reformation of social and political life. In this, the book transforms Thoreau's image, making him a vital source for a world beset by inequality and climate change. Balthrop-Lewis argues for an environmental politics in which ecological flourishing is impossible without economic and social justice.

Introduction. Why Thoreau Would Love Environmental Justice
1. Thoreau's Social World
2. The Politics of Getting a Living
3. Thoreau's Theological Critique of Philanthropy
4. Political Asceticism
5. Delight in True Goods
Conclusion. The Promise of a Delighted Environmental Ethics
Epilogue. On Mourning.

Subject Areas: Environmentalist thought & ideology [RNA], Religion & beliefs [HR], Ethics & moral philosophy [HPQ], Philosophy [HP], Social & cultural history [HBTB], History [HB]