On November 19, 2025, at the invitation of the School of Foreign Languages, Professor Scott Slovic—a distinguished scholar in ecocriticism, Senior Research Scientist at the Oregon Institute, and Honorary Professor of Environmental Humanities at the University of Idaho—delivered a special lecture titled “Ecocriticism as a Crisis Response: An Examination of Disaster Discourse” in Conference Room 821. The lecture was chaired by Professor Li Meiqin and attended by faculty, master's, and doctoral students of the school.

In his lecture, Professor Slovic began by providing a systematic overview of the development of ecocriticism. He traced its historical origins to the 1970s and highlighted the foundational role of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring in shaping the field. Professor Slovic further emphasized that ecocriticism is closely connected to the concept of the “Anthropocene”—a term that reflects the profound impact of human activity on Earth's systems—and has become a vital perspective for understanding contemporary environmental issues.

Drawing on his own research experience, Professor Slovic focused on a detailed analysis of several recently published and forthcoming academic anthologies, including Imagining Ecological Disaster in India: Critical Contexts(2023), Ecocritical Explorations of the Climate Crisis: Planetary Instability and Future Habitability(2025), and Imagining Ecological Disaster: Reading Literary and Cultural Texts in a Global Context(2025). He noted that ecocriticism manifests in diverse theoretical forms and practical approaches across different regional contexts worldwide. Through a series of case studies, he examined how ecocriticism represents environmental crises in literature and media, exploring both its potential impact and its limitations as a form of crisis response. Furthermore, Professor Slovic looked ahead to future directions for ecocriticism, such as raising public awareness of environmental crises through literary and cultural media and developing more effective communication strategies through interdisciplinary collaboration. He also discussed the constraints of current environmental communication efforts, offered evidence-based suggestions for improvement, and called for promoting more effective environmental communication practices through interdisciplinary research.

Professor Slovic's presentation combined academic rigor with practical relevance, offering theoretical guidance for early-career scholars while also reinforcing their intellectual commitment to ecocriticism. During the interactive session, he shared insights from his research, discussed the gap between climate change awareness and public action, and stressed the importance of psychological and cultural dimensions in ecological discourse. He also encouraged scholars to venture into new research areas rather than resting on established accomplishments.

This lecture formed an important part of Southeast University's Distinguished Global Scholars Lecture Series, creating a high-level platform for academic dialogue for the school's faculty and students. It not only deepened their understanding of recent developments in ecocriticism but also inspired them methodologically to address complex environmental issues with a broader interdisciplinary perspective.

Text: Li Meng, Wu Qian

Photos: Wang Yining

Translated: Li Yixiao, Zhang Tingting

Proofreading: Guo Qing