Ecocriticism

Ecocriticism is an interdisciplinary field that interrogates the myriad ways in which literature and other cultural texts represent, respond to and shape human–environment relations. Originating in the early 1990s, it has evolved from close readings of pastoral and wilderness narratives into a diverse arena encompassing climate fiction, urban ecologies, postcolonial landscapes and multispecies storytelling. Scholars draw on theoretical currents such as ecofeminism, new materialism, indigenous and decolonial thought to expose how power, identity and ideology inflect representations of non-human nature. Ecocritical inquiry spans traditional genres and emerging media, examining how narratives frame resource extraction, biodiversity loss, environmental justice and the Anthropocene. By foregrounding non-human agency, ecological interdependence and the politics of care, the field seeks both to deepen our interpretive frameworks and to inform public discourses on sustainability, ethics and resilience.

Research from Nature Portfolio

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Research from all publishers

One recent study has mapped postcolonial environmental injustice in South Asian literatures, demonstrating how narratives of displacement and land appropriation intersect with broader patterns of ecological degradation. By reading canonical and vernacular texts side by side, it reveals the ways colonial land-use regimes continue to shape contemporary debates on conservation and climate adaptation.

Another contribution employs a new materialist lens to examine representations of non-human agents in contemporary fiction and film. Focusing on the vitality of matter—plants, microbes and geological formations—the analysis shows how storytelling can redistribute agency beyond the human, prompting readers to rethink boundaries between culture and biophysical processes.

A third line of work surveys global climate-futures narratives, comparing how writers from Africa, Europe and Latin America negotiate loss, hope and collective action. This comparative approach highlights both the cultural specificity of climate imaginaries and the emergence of transnational solidarities grounded in ecojustice and community resilience.

Ecocriticism publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in ecocriticism across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Anthropocene: Proposed geological epoch marked by profound human impact on Earth’s systems, frequently invoked to frame contemporary environmental crises.

Ecojustice: Interdisciplinary concept linking ecological health with social justice, emphasising equitable access to environmental goods and protection from ecological harm.

New materialism: Theoretical approach that recognises the agency and vitality of matter, challenging anthropocentric assumptions in cultural analysis.

Non-human agency: Recognition of living and non-living entities—plants, animals, minerals—as active participants in ecological and cultural processes.

Postcolonial ecocriticism: Branch of ecocriticism that examines how colonial histories and power structures shape environmental narratives and practices.