Ecological Narrative as a Cultural-historical Phenomenon

Abstract

In modern ecologically oriented interdisciplinary research, there is an increased interest in narrative methodology, which allows us to take a new look at seem­ingly well-established ideas about the relationship between nature and man. Nar­ratives about how a person destroys the world around him, and how dangerous his active intervention in biogeocenoses (where the person himself is immersed as a biological being) is, allows modern scientists to direct their efforts to de­velop not only technological innovations, but also to take into account risk inten­sity. In addition, the narrative focuses scientists’ attention on already existing en­vironmental problems. As a result of such a narrative study of the problems that arise in the process of technological transformations of the surrounding world, the ecological consciousness of the scientific community returns to the historical origins of the modern global anthropological crisis, and which means to cultural and historical reflection on its’ own activities. The narrative as an element of the scientist's self-awareness contributes to the orientation of research towards the search for strategies for overcoming ecological deadlocks. For a clearer indi­cation of the cultural and historical role of the ecological narrative, the author of the article refers to case-studies. In this context not only the narratives of specific scientists (ecologists, biologists, biochemists, etc.), which include a reflexive
autobiographical component, but also of collective subjects performing an act of narration (for example, the interactive project “365 days. Our environmental diary”) are of particular importance.