T.R. Ormond's Reviews > The Bioregional Imagination: Literature, Ecology, and Place

A very academic book written for specialists, with all the strengths and weaknesses of such texts.

Bioregionalism is defined broadly. It proposes "that human identity may be constituted by our residence in a larger community of natural beings—our local bioregion—rather than…national, state, ethnic, or other more common bases of identity" (4). Since bioregionalism is focused more locally, it is less concerned with crises and disasters. It attempts to be proactive by using the imagination to "create human communities that live sustainably in place" (4).

I think it would be fair to say that the hope of such an approach is to use the particulars of a given place in order to derive conclusions of universal benefit. It is not really about navel-gazing at all. (though it might appear that way to a skeptic)

This book contains 25 essays that explore the theory and practice of bioregionalism. You should be able to find the table of contents on Google Books or Amazon.

I found the book informative and well-intentioned. I also found it to be instructional and I will be exploring several of the books in its bibliography.