A Reenchanted World: The Quest for a New Kinship with Nature

by James William Gibson

A surprising and enlightening investigation of how modern society is making nature sacred once again For more than two centuries, Western cultures, as they became ever more industrialized, increasingly regarded the natural world as little more than a collection of useful raw resources. The folklore of powerful forest spirits and mountain demons was displaced by the practicalities of logging and strip-mining; the traditional rituals of hunting ceremonies gave way to the indiscriminate butchering of animals for meat markets. In the famous lament of Max Weber, our surroundings became "disenchanted," with nature’s magic swept away by secularization and rationalization. But now, as acclaimed sociologist James William Gibson reveals in this insightful study, the culture of enchantment is making an astonishing comeback. From Greenpeace eco-warriors to evangelical Christians preaching "creation care" and geneticists who speak of human-animal kinship, Gibson finds a remarkably broad yearning for a spiritual reconnection to nature. As we grapple with increasingly dire environmental disasters, he points to this cultural shift as the last utopian dream—the final hope for protecting the world that all of us must live in.

Genres: Nature, History, Ecology, Nonfiction, Environment

320 pages, Hardcover

First published April 14, 2009

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book covers a movement that has arisen in the last 40 years which reclaims the sacredness of and connection to nature (see quote below). Gibson situates this movement within historical roots of the environmental movement and modern forces both against and in support of the movement. It is a comprehensive book that dovetails with my thesis topic very closely.

I reviewed this book thoroughly on my thesis blog: Part 1 & Part 2.

"The ultimate goal of this sweeping change, which I call 'the culture of enchantment,' is nothing less than the reinvestment of nature with spirit. Flatly rejecting modernity’s reduction of animals, plants, places, and natural forces to either matter or utilitarian resource, the culture of enchantment attempts to make nature sacred once again… People respond to the culture of enchantment because it offers them something they need (and cannot find elsewhere in consumerist America): transcendence, a sense of mystery and meaning, glimpses of a numinous world beyond our own" (p. 11).

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tree-huggers have a negative connotation in today’s culture. Somehow, they’ve acquired this stereotype of long-haired, smelly, poor, bleeding-heart liberals, and we look down on them as a handicap to progress. They strap themselves to bulldozers for the sake of a few trees, and that’s ridiculous, right? Why defend a few trees?

It’s more than the trees. It’s a kinship with nature itself, according to James William Gibson’s book A Reenchanted World. With detailed journalism and observations on sociology, Gibson explores the modern yearning for a connection with nature amidst the expanding suburban world of chain-link fences and asphalt. While he does address the whole world, he mostly focuses on America, which deserves all the discussion it gets.

The book begins with the story of John Quigley, who received national attention for his two-month-long tree-sit in California in 2002. The local developers wanted to tear down the tree in order to expand a road into a subdivision, and the local environmentalists howled in protest. Quigley climbed into the tree and refused to move, much to the chagrin of the developers, and was supported by other environmentalists in the LA area. “Old Glory,” as he named the tree, remained standing.

This fierce love for nature is not new to the world, but it’s new to us, according to Gibson. For nearly 200 years, Americans have been recklessly and aggressively taking hold of the New World, blazing fields and drilling oil rigs in the name of progress, and the victims have been endangered species, our natural environment, and the climate. Odd, considering that the Native Americans are some of the most naturally-connected people on the planet, and it is from this that Gibson draws his beginning.

Native Americans believe in the spirituality of nature, and the environmental movement in the 1960s and 70s stemmed mostly from a revival in tribal traditions amongst Native American chieftains. As we know, it spread quickly through the youth because of the anti-war sentiments at the time, taking the world in great strides with movements like “flower power” and Greenpeace. Yet, despite all the positive effects that a more natural environment has been proven to have, these hippies have been blacklisted by modern society as radical, liberal, and dangerous.

Gibson takes this movement in hand and explains the desire for a connection with nature in both scientific and spiritual terms. The very title refers to attaching a holiness to the natural world, which seems ridiculous to us. But if you look at it, we do anyway. Gibson’s primary example is our reverence for whales. People come from around the world to the great oceans to take a cruise liner out into the middle of the sea just to see whales surface for a moment, and it changes them. This doesn’t just apply to biologists or whale experts; ordinary people have been reduced to tears by simply watching a whale surface out of the water for a moment, blow water at them, and disappear majestically once more. Any whale stranded on a beach makes national news as hundreds of people rush to its rescue, and there was recently a film entitled Big Miracle based on the true story of the drastic attempts to rescue a whale family marooned in the ice. Shamoo, the performing whale at SeaWorld, is more famous than many humans.

Gibson’s point is not that we are coming back to nature worship, or that people will soon revert to worshiping ants or grass. No, instead, he outlines the reasons that we are still attached deeply to our world, and that environmentalism is merely an expression of the love and responsibility that we must bear for our planet.

This book was remarkably similar in topic to The World Without Us, which I reviewed earlier this year. However, Gibson doesn’t have Weisman’s writing charisma, and A Reenchanted World reads like a scientific article. The facts and points are well laid-out, the theme is relevant, and the ideas that he shares are true and thought-provoking, but it still feels dry. Scattered with words like “dispensationalism” and “counterculture,” Gibson might have reached a wider audience by simplifying his ideas into layman’s terms.

Addressing environmentalism’s place in politics is necessary for any ecology book, but because of the stiff relations between the two, the discussion can become awkward. Gibson devotes two chapters for politics and religion, and while they make excellent points, they both feel a bit like rants against the right wing and conservatism. Although the men he refers to are radicals and usually known as such, he does not address the moderate right wing, nor the average American view of environmentalism, which leaves a big gap in our ideology. It is easy to pick out the red threads in the weave, but all the ones that blend together make the big picture and are equally important.

Altogether, this book makes an important contribution to the picture of today’s environmentalism: it’s not just a sense of misplaced duty, but a pure connection to the world that motivates us to save it. Rife with excellent examples and pithy quotes, Gibson has provided us with a guidebook for why we love nature and how to responsibly go about conserving it as long as we can. There are more details about the book on his website.

The book is only two years old, so it’s available for $9.99 from the Kindle store or $10.80 in hardback from Amazon. The library might have a copy, so check there first, but do read this. Even if you’re not an environmentalist, it can’t hurt to understand what drives them, and it might help to make you understand our world and its people a little better.

[Lia · Rating 5 out of 5]

My heart was soaring and weeping at the words of holy and wise people (Native American leaders and environmental activists). I also mourned for the devastation we humans have wrought, and for what we have lost that won't be coming back. We are sick with a disease of illusions and lack of awareness. I hope we can recover and come to a healthy balance, again. Enchantment does seem to be a mechanism of that balance. It seems to be slowly returning.

But the chapter titled, "The Right-Wing War on the Land" was the scariest thing I've EVER read... or seen... or thought about. Hands down. EVER. Falwell, et al. are spreading some virulent, potent memes that twist reality, turn it on its head, and praise greed and rape as holy, while casting responsibility and compassion as tools of the Christian God of Evil (Satan). Their memes are subtle and tricky, and thus powerful and scary. Anyone who takes the lead in saving our planet will be labeled, by them, "AntiChrist" and thus have many people fighting against their own preservation... but that label belongs on Falwell, LaHaye, Robertson, etc. People trust them and follow them, but they're being fooled... fooled into harming the planet, fellow humans, and themselves, thinking they're so faithful and good all the while. It's so sick and twisted it hurts my mind and heart.

Do people really, REALLY want to be faithful to a God that tells them to rape the land, take what you want, think of poor people as lazy and worthless and subhuman, and worship money because He'll "prosper" the faithful and they can use wealth as a mark of who is a good person? REALLY? That may be a different God than the One they think they're following.

It did give me hope to read about the Evangelicals who ARE building a stewardship movement. All is not lost if that movement is growing so rapidly.

I'd love to see this book being widely read. It's an important topic, which this book covers well... nicely packaged, and tightly researched. There were so many endnotes that I unexpectedly finished, thinking I had another chapter or two left.

[Marla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a good, wonderful book. So valuable.
If only everyone would read it and we could all join together to cherish our planet and all its inhabitants, and stop polluting and abusing animals, plants and trees.
As just a small example, if you look at the states that have filled in their wetlands, you will see the correlation with severe flooding.

[Bellamy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hybrid of contemporary political commentary, science, and history that was engaging, compelling, and informative even to the layman.
Best summed up in last sentence:
“The reenchantment of nature - if coupled with political courage to act - offers a chance to remake the world.”
-
I picked up this book after it was referenced in an Atlantic article about moving to where you feel happy. There is a biological phenomena to feeling at home in a specific environment - a presence I’ve felt (or noted the lack of) but never expected to have confirmed with empirical data. But the book was about so much more - from the discussion of what makes an animal wild, to the relationship between the US government and indigenous American tribes, to the spirituality and kinship with animals found in mythologies across the world, to the Bush administration’s outright attack on natural spaces, to the discussion of what makes an endangered animal “worth” saving - I spent a long time on this book because there was a lot to digest!
I’d recommend it to just about anyone - particularly if you have an interest in nature, history, or politics.

[Snail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in a historical review style, great if you want to know the emergence of the environmental movement in the US. I found the structure well made, with interesting anecdotes and references from science, literature, media, and snips of interviews. This was accompanied by a sentimental yet observational narrative that helped tie it all together. The chapters did tend to drag with numerous examples, so I would best recommend this book to be read bit by bit rather than all at once in order to avoid information overload. Overall I learned a lot and it definitely left food for thought and an interest to read more on the subject.

[TL Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book contains a lot of information and food for thought. I don't know if it is the style or just because I've read a lot of natural history books so I knew most of the info already, but I just couldn't get into this. The first 20% or so reads like a really dry history book to me, it's certainly full of facts and historical information about how we viewed nature in the past, but it was really dry and there was nothing to grab attention - more textbook than anything. There were some better moments after that, for sure, but still not one I would recommend due to overall lack of engaging stories or hooks to pull you into the material.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh

[Maggie Jaicomo · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book was full of good insight and fascinating facts. however, it was a bit blocky and at times slow reading due to the fact that it is basically a big research paper.

[Merel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book about the history of enchantment & nature activism in USA.