Radical Ecology and Class Struggle: A Re-Consideration

Abstract

An essential tension underlying much thinking about social movements is the relationship between so-called “new” social movements, such as radical ecology, and “older” movements such as those involving industrial workers. Indeed, analyses of class have posed a difficult challenge for much radical green thought. This paper discusses new social movement and radical ecology theories to identify perspectives that may pose obstacles to an articulation between radical ecology and industrial workers. Addressed also are approaches which seek to overcome these obstacles by theorizing radical ecology in terms of class analysis. Especially helpful are Marxist approaches as well as what I term green syndicalism, a view that combines radical unionism and ecology. The work of Judi Bari and Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) Local 1 is offered as one fruitful attempt to bring a class perspective to ecological theory and practice.