Re-Storying the Earth
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RE-STORYING THE EARTH Writing a New Meta-Narrative Through Eco-Fiction Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Rachel Le Rossignol Swinburne University of Technology Faculty of Life and Social Sciences 2014 i ABSTRACT The exegesis, ‘Re-Storying the Earth’, and the accompanying artefact, ‘Shifted’, a young adult novel, address the research question, ‘what is required to re-story cultural meta-narratives about the relationship of humans to the Earth through fiction?’ I use the term ‘re-story’ (derived from Narrative Therapy) in the context of creating new cultural narratives that offer an alternative to existing dominant ones. My work rests on the assumption that fiction can shift cultural ways of seeing and hence acting. Both artefact and exegesis synthesise ideas from eco-psychology (in particular the work of Koger and Winter, 2010) and eco-feminism (including Mies and Shiva 1993, and the fiction and essays of activist and writer Starhawk). The PhD adopts a Practice-Led Research methodology. Consequently the exegesis is a performative document within which my central argument develops by accretion, reflecting my creative practice journey. Simultaneously it charts the process I underwent to attempt a re-storying of Earth narratives. It is constructed using a Narrative Therapy methodology, a therapeutic approach created by Michael White and David Epston. I argue that re-storying our relationship with the Earth offers one approach to addressing the deeply complex and issue of climate change, which I define as encompassing shifting weather conditions but also the depletion and destruction of the Earth’s natural resources. The exegesis defines the problem to be considered in terms of the impact of the exploitative relationship of humans to the Earth. It notes the growing call to create an alternative future by re-storying this relationship to one of interdependence and stewardship. I explore how certain cultural meta-narratives maintain this paradigm by enforcing a disconnection between humans and the natural world, whilst discouraging agency. Examining alternative narratives and eco- theory yields other ways of perceiving and acting. In answering the research question I identify useful concepts for creating Earth-centred cultural stories. One is to balance message with Ecos, which Kaye (2013) defines as an Earth- as-home ethos aligned with biocentrism rather than anthropocentrism. Another is to use characterisation to encourage empathic resonance with the Earth. I also note how negotiating a path between intellectual exploration and creative activity led to practice learnings. Drawing on the work of Bhabha (2012) and Soja (2009) I argue that it is the process of allowing the merging of the epistemological, ontological and creative through entry into a conceptual Thirdspace that leads to new understandings for the writer/ researcher. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would never have completed this project without the outstanding support and guidance of my supervisors, Martin Andrew and Dominique Hecq. Martin’s ability to pinpoint the perfect references, and the breadth of his scholarship, which he always used to inspire me to develop my ideas further, astound me. Dominique’s eye for detail was indispensible in the final stages of the project, as was her knowledge of philosophy and psychology and her artful expertise with language. I am incredibly grateful to the Research Committee of Swinburne University for awarding me a scholarship, without which I would never have been unable to even begin this project. Thank you to the wonderful young people with Williams Syndrome and their families who invited me to their camp and shared their time with me so generously. Thanks also to the CEO of Cystic Fibrosis Victoria for his insightful question which challenged me to spread my wings as a writer. Personal thanks must go to Wendy Dunn, who made sure that I didn’t become a hermit by regularly checking on my well-being, and especially to my wonderful husband Jamie, who, despite facing his own battle with the spiders of Mirkwood at the same time that I thought I’d never find a way out of that primeval forest, kept me sane. iii DECLARATION BY CANDIDATE This artefact and exegesis are submitted to meet the requirements of the PhD by artefact and exegesis at Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne. I declare that the artefact, ‘Shifted’, and the accompanying exegesis: • contain no material which has been accepted for the award to myself of any other degree or diploma; • to the best of my knowledge contains no material previously published or written by another person Rachel Le Rossignol Student No. 7169094 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface ........................................................................................................................................... 7 Theoretical and Philosophical Underpinnings ........................................................................... 7 Methodology ............................................................................................................................ 11 The Artefact and the Exegesis .................................................................................................. 15 The Interaction of the Artefact and the Exegesis .................................................................... 17 Chapter One – Defining the Problem ........................................................................................... 24 Current Context ....................................................................................................................... 24 The Dominant Social Paradigm and its Impact ................................................................... 25 Externalising the Problem Through Story ........................................................................... 27 A Call for Change ...................................................................................................................... 29 Moving Towards Re-Storying ................................................................................................... 30 Re-Storying Through Fiction ............................................................................................... 32 Shaping a New Earth Ontology ........................................................................................... 34 Chapter Two – Earth Meta-Narratives In Storytelling ................................................................. 37 Deconstructing Earth Meta-Narratives .................................................................................... 37 Depictions of Nature ........................................................................................................... 38 Messages Implicit Within Nature Depictions ...................................................................... 39 Agency and the Hero ........................................................................................................... 42 Finding Exceptions and Alternatives ........................................................................................ 44 The Fifth Sacred Thing ......................................................................................................... 46 Gibbon’s Decline and Fall .................................................................................................... 49 A Final Note on Ethos .......................................................................................................... 50 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 51 Chapter Three – Re-Storying I – Message and Ecos..................................................................... 53 Message as Idea Seeding ......................................................................................................... 53 Technology and Nature ....................................................................................................... 54 Other Message ‘Seeds’........................................................................................................ 57 Ecos and Ontology ................................................................................................................... 58 Ecos I – Connection, Community, Agency, Diversity........................................................... 59 Ecos II – Sacredness ............................................................................................................ 61 Finding a Balance Between Message and Ecos ................................................................... 63 Chapter Four – Re-storying II – Characters and Empathy ............................................................ 64 v Characterisation – Empathy and Connection .......................................................................... 64 The Process of Character Creation .......................................................................................... 66 Disability, Difference and Community ................................................................................ 67 Finding The Characters’ Voices ........................................................................................... 69 Using Emotion to Create Empathy ...................................................................................... 72 Chapter Five – Re-storying III – Depicting the Earth .................................................................... 75 Why Empathy Is Important