Environmental Comparative Literature

Abstract

In this essay, my aim is to explore the intersection between the emerging field of biocultural diversity and comparative literature. Focusing on literature within this intersection leads to what I propose to call environmental comparative literature. The central concept of this subfield is urgency, which has historically given rise to disciplines such as urgent anthropology. Environmental comparative literature, akin to urgent anthropology, begins with the acknowledgment of today’s pressing environmental challenges, specifically the rapid pace of language extinction. However, unlike urgent anthropology, environmental comparative literature must grapple with the realization that documenting or collecting texts in endangered and extinct languages cannot be its sole primary objective. Firstly, I will discuss some of the issues that environmental comparative literature should address and provide a provisional definition for this subfield. Secondly, I will re-examine some of the principles and main tendencies of comparative literature in the context of an environment-oriented perspective. Finally, I will explore the potential role of environmental comparative literature in ongoing discussions surrounding sustainability.