A Desire to be Otherwise: On Eco-survivalism

Abstract

Drawing on two years of ethnographic field research conducted in an eco-survivalist community in central Vermont, this dissertation examines the ideological, philosophical, and political contexts of eco-survivalism and neo-primitivism. In particular, this research focuses on how the practices around which the community coheres––ones commonly relegated to a pre-civilizational past––shape community members’ understandings of past, present, and future human-environment relations. Toward this end, this dissertation explores three primary practices––lithic tool making, animal tracking, and herbcraft––and discusses how such practices are capable of fostering intimacy with, and knowledge of, the world. Through an interdisciplinary, multi-method, and speculative mode of investigation, the findings suggest that while there are many risks––both conceptual and material––associated with eco-survivalist practices, they nevertheless offer insights for addressing present environmental uncertainties and offer a potential set of strategies for navigating future environmental challenges.