Derrick Jensen 300706 226150618 2008-07-17T01:26:25Z El C 92203 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/98.213.92.15|98.213.92.15]] ([[User talk:98.213.92.15|talk]]) to last version by El C {{otheruses4|the environmental activist|the football player|Derrick Jensen (football player)}} <!--- removing image because its deletion is imminent [[Image:DerrickJensen150.jpg|frame|right|Derrick Jensen.]] ---> '''Derrick Jensen''' (born [[December 19]], [[1960]]) is an [[United States|American]] author and [[environmental activist]] living in [[Crescent City, California|Crescent City]], [[California]].<ref>''Endgame, Volume 1: The Problem of Civilization'', Seven Stories Press (ISBN 1-58322-730-X), p.17</ref> He has published several books questioning contemporary society and its values, including ''[[A Language Older Than Words]]'', ''[[The Culture of Make Believe]]'', and ''[[Endgame (Derrick Jensen books)|Endgame]]''. He holds a [[B.S.]] in Mineral Engineering Physics from the [[Colorado School of Mines]] and an [[Master of Fine Arts|M.F.A.]] in Creative Writing from [[Eastern Washington University]].<ref>[http://www.derrickjensen.org/about.html Derrick Jensen<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> He has also taught creative writing at [[Pelican Bay State Prison]] and Eastern Washington University.<ref>Jensen D., 2003, ''Walking on Water: Reading, Writing, and Revolution'', Context Books (ISBN 1-893956-37-7).</ref> ==Themes in Jensen's work== Jensen is often labeled an [[anarcho-primitivist]], by which is meant he concludes that civilization<ref>He defines a civilization as "a culture&nbsp;— that is, a complex of stories, institutions, and artifacts&nbsp;— that both leads to and emerges from the growth of cities (''civilization'', see ''civil'': from ''civis'', meaning ''citizen'', from Latin ''civitatis'', meaning ''state'' or ''city''), with cities being defined&nbsp;— so as to distinguish them from camps, villages, and so on&nbsp;— as people living more or less permanently in one place in densities high enough to require the routine importation of food and other necessities of life." Jensen D., 2006, ''Endgame, Volume 1: The Problem of Civilization'', Seven Stories Press (ISBN 1-58322-730-X), p.17</ref> is inherently unsustainable and based on violence. He argues that the modern industrial economy is fundamentally at odds with healthy relationships, the [[natural environment]], and [[indigenous peoples]]. Jensen's work catalogues what he perceives as the pervasiveness of abuse, hatred, rape, environmental destruction, and dishonesty (which he says serves to maintain the systemic abuse of civilization). He concludes that the very pervasiveness of these behaviors indicates that they are diagnostic symptoms of the greater problem of civilization itself. Accordingly, he exhorts readers and audiences to help bring an end to [[industrial civilization]]. In ''A Language Older Than Words'' and also in an article entitled ''Actions Speak Louder Than Words'', Jensen states "Every morning when I awake I ask myself whether I should write or blow up a dam. I tell myself I should keep writing, though I'm not sure that's right".<ref>[http://www.hopedance.org/archive/issue30/articles/jensen.htm Actions Speak Louder Than Words]</ref> Jensen proposes that a different, harmonious way of life is possible, and that it can be seen in many past societies including many Native American or other indigenous cultures. He claims that many indigenous peoples perceive a primary difference between Western and indigenous perspectives: even the most open-minded Westerners generally view listening to the natural world as a metaphor, as opposed to the way the world works. Furthermore, these indigenous peoples understand the world as consisting of other beings with whom we can enter into relationship; this stands opposed to the more Western belief that the world consists of objects or resources to be exploited or used. ==Writings== ''A Language Older Than Words'' uses the lens of [[domestic violence]] to look at the larger violence of [[western culture]]. ''The Culture of Make Believe'' begins by exploring [[racism]] and [[misogyny]] and moves to examine how this culture’s economic system leads inevitably to hatred and atrocity. ''Strangely Like War'' is about [[deforestation]]. ''Walking on Water'' is about [[education]] (It begins: "As is true for most people I know, I’ve always loved learning. As is also true for most people I know, I always hated school. Why is that?").<ref>''Walking on Water'', p.1</ref> ''Welcome to the Machine'' is about [[surveillance]], and more broadly about science and this culture’s obsession with control. ''Endgame'' is about what he describes as the inherent [[wikt:unsustainability|unsustainability]] of civilization. In this book he asks: "Do you believe that this culture will undergo a voluntary transformation to a sane and sustainable way of living?" Nearly everyone he talks to says no. His next question is: "How would this understanding&nbsp;— that this culture will not voluntarily stop destroying the natural world, eliminating indigenous cultures, exploiting the poor, and killing those who resist&nbsp;— shift our strategy and tactics? The answer? Nobody knows, because we never talk about it: we’re too busy pretending the culture will undergo a magical transformation." ''Endgame'', he says, is "about that shift in strategy, and in tactics."<ref>''Endgame'' V.1, p.1</ref> Jensen's writing uses the [[first-person]] and interweaves personal experiences with cited facts to construct arguments. His books are written like narratives, lacking a linear, hierarchical structure. They are not divided into distinct sections devoted to an individual argument. Instead, his writing is conversational, leaving one line of thought incomplete to move on to another, returning to the first again at some later point. Jensen uses this [[creative non-fiction]] style to combine his artistic voice with logical argument. Jensen wrote and [[Stephanie McMillan]] illustrated the [[graphic novel]] ''As the World Burns'' (2007). ==Awards and acclaim== * 2008: Grand Prize winner, Eric Hoffer Book Award for ''Thought to Exist in the Wild'', Derrick Jensen, Photographs by Karen Tweedy-Holms. <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hofferaward.com/ |title=HOFFERAWARD.COM |publisher=www.hofferaward.com |accessdate=2008-04-27 |last= |first= }}</ref> * 2006: Named "Person of the Year" by [[Press Action]] for the publication of ''Endgame''.<ref>[http://www.pressaction.com/news/weblog/full_article/awards12292006/ Press Action ::: Press Action Awards 2006<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> * 2003: ''The Culture of Make Believe'' was one of two finalists for the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize.<ref>[http://www.derrickjensen.org/published.html Derrick Jensen<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> * 2000: Hackensack, NJ, Record declared ''A Language Older Than Words'' its best book of the year. * 2000: ''Language'' was nominated for [[Quality Paperback Book Club]]'s New Vision Award. * 1998: Second Prize in the category of small budget non-profit advertisements, as determined by the Inland Northwest Ad Federation, for the first ad in the "National Forests: Your land, your choice" series. * 1995: Critics' Choice for one of America's ten best nature books of 1995, for ''Listening to the Land: Conversations About Nature, Culture, and Eros''.<ref>[http://www.derrickjensen.org/about.html Derrick Jensen<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ==References== {{reflist}} ==Published works== ===Spoken word on CD=== * Derrick Jensen ''Standup Tragedy'' (live CD) * ---- ''The Other Side of Darkness'' (live CD), 2004 * ---- ''Now This War Has Two Sides'' (live CD), [[PM Press]], 2008 ===Books=== * Derrick Jensen, 1995, ''Listening to the Land: Conversations about Nature, Culture, and Eros'', Sierra Club Books, ISBN 0-87156-417-3 Republished 2004 by Chelsea Green Publishing Company, ISBN 978-1931498562 * ----, George Draffan and John Osborn, 1995, ''Railroads and Clearcuts: Legacy of Congress's 1864 Northern Pacific Railroad Land Grant'', Keokee Company Publishing, ISBN 1-879628-08-2 * ---- 2000, ''A Language Older Than Words'', Context Books, ISBN 1-893956-03-2 Republished 2004 by Chelsea Green Publishing Company, ISBN 978-1931498555 * ---- ''The Culture of Make Believe'', New York: Context Books, 2002, ISBN 1-893956-28-8 Republished 2004 by Chelsea Green Publishing Company, ISBN 978-1931498579 * ---- and George Draffan, 2003, ''Strangely Like War: The Global Assault on Forests'', Chelsea Green, ISBN 978-1931498456 * ---- and George Draffan, 2004, ''Welcome to the Machine: Science, Surveillance, and the Culture of Control'', Chelsea Green Publishing Company, ISBN 1-931498-52-0 * ---- 2005, ''Walking on Water: Reading, Writing, and Revolution'', Chelsea Green, ISBN 978-1931498784 * ---- 2006, ''[[Endgame (Derrick Jensen books)|Endgame]], Volume 1: The Problem of Civilization'', Seven Stories Press, ISBN 1-58322-730-X * ---- 2006, ''[[Endgame (Derrick Jensen books)|Endgame]], Volume 2: Resistance'', Seven Stories Press, ISBN 1-58322-724-5 * ---- and [[Karen Tweedy Holmes]], 2007, ''Thought to Exist in the Wild: Awakening from the Nightmare of Zoos'', No Voice Unheard, ISBN 978-0972838719 * ---- and [[Stephanie McMillan (cartoonist)|Stephanie McMillan]], 2007, ''As the World Burns: 50 Things You Can Do to Stay in Denial'', Seven Stories Press, ISBN 1-58322-777-6 * ----, 2008, ''How Shall I Live My Life?: On Liberating the Earth from Civilization'', PM Press, ISBN 978-1604860030 ==Further reading== Related authors include [[John Zerzan]] (''Against Civilization: A Reader'' and ''Elements of Refusal''), [[George Draffan]], [[Ward Churchill]], [[Chellis Glendinning]], [[Inga Muscio]], [[Terry Tempest Williams]], [[Jack Forbes]] (''Columbus and Other Cannibals''), [[David Edwards (journalist)|Dave Edwards]], [[Daniel Quinn]] (''[[Ishmael (novel)|Ishmael]]'', ''[[Beyond Civilization]]'', ''[[The Man Who Grew Young]]''), [[Neil Evernden]] (''The Natural Alien''), [[David Watson]] (''Against the Megamachine''), [[Stanley Diamond (anthropologist)|Stanley Diamond]] (''In Search of the Primitive: A Critique of Civilization'') and [[Lewis Mumford]] (''Technics and Human Development'' and ''The Pentagon of Power''). ==External links== {{wikiquote}} * [http://www.derrickjensen.org Official personal website] * [http://www.endgamethebook.org The website for Jensen's latest book ''Endgame'', which includes numerous online excerpts] * [http://anarchism.jesusradicals.com/primitivism/endgamereview.pdf Jesus Radicals' New Review of Endgame, Vol. 1] * [http://www.indybay.org/archives/archive_by_id.php?id=4470&category_id=60 A Talk given by Derrick Jensen at The Santa Cruz Vets Hall on 03-29-06] * [http://ascentmagazine.com/articles.aspx?articleID=282&page=read&subpage=current&issueID=38/ Conversation with Derrick Jensen, published in ascent magazine, summer 2008] * [http://www.nocompromise.org/issues/26jensen.html An interview with Derrick Jensen in NoCompromise.org] * [http://www.hopedance.org/archive/issue30/articles/jensen.htm Contribution to HopeDance Magazine] {{Anarchism2}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Jensen, Derrick}} [[Category:1960 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:American anarchists]] [[Category:American environmentalists]] [[Category:American feminist writers]] [[Category:American non-fiction environmental writers]] [[Category:green anarchism]] [[Category:Anarcho-primitivists]] [[da:Derrick Jensen]] [[es:Derrick Jensen]] [[fr:Derrick Jensen]] [[no:Derrick Jensen]] [[sv:Derrick Jensen]]