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Journal of Beijing Normal University(Social Sciences) ›› 2025, Vol. 0 ›› Issue (3): 30-41.

• Philosophy • Previous Articles     Next Articles

On David Harvey's Ecocritical Theory and Its Contemporary Value

WANG Yuchen   

  1. School of Philosophy,Zhongnan University of Economics and Law,Wuhan 430073,China
  • Online:2025-05-25 Published:2025-09-03

Abstract: Harvey systematically examines the Enlightenment's concept of the “domination of nature” and its political implications,pointing out that among both Enlightenment thinkers and later-generation theorists,this notion has been questioned and criticized.This criticism gave rise to the formation and development of organicism and ecological thinking.He further investigates the theoretical gains and losses in evaluating natural models from different theoretical lineages,opposing western ecological discourse and political practices that detach ecological issues from social systems and political dimensions.These approaches,which abstractly analyze the roots and solutions of ecological problems,are critiqued.Based on this,grounded in geographical historical materialism,Harvey reveals both the inevitable consequences of ecological differentiation and diversity under certain social systems and production relations,and the spatial production of capital aimed at capital accumulation,which not only causes imbalanced geographical development and the reorganization of geographical landscapes but also leads to the fact that the working class,constrained by geographical barriers,is limited to fighting for specific rights and local justice in opposition to capital.Therefore,Harvey emphasizes that the path to solving the ecological crisis lies in directing the environmental movement toward a radical class movement,and building an ecological socialist society.The distinctive feature of Harvey's ecocritical theory is its emphasis on the spatial and justice dimensions of ecological civilization theory,making it an inherent component of socialist ecological politics.

Key words: Harvey, ecocriticism, the domination of nature, ecological discourse, spatial and justice dimensions

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