Falling in Love With Nature: The Values of Latinx Catholic Environmentalism

Amanda Baugh will speak about her recent research on Latinx Catholic Environmentalism. Baugh is professor of religious studies and director of M.A. Program in Sustainability at California State University, Northridge. The lecture will be at 4 p.m. today, Monday, Oct. 20, at Gearhart Hall, room 104.

Through a focus on Spanish-speaking Catholics, Baugh will shed light on environmental actors who have been hidden in plain sight. Drawing from ethnographic research conducted across Los Angeles, Baugh demonstrates that minority communities are not merely victims of environmental problems. Instead, many Spanish-speaking Catholics embrace what Baugh calls “la tierra environmentalism,” an embodied ethic of living lightly on the earth that is rooted in a sense of love and respect for God, fellow humans and the rest of God’s creation. A focus on la tierra environmentalism challenges scholars and activists to rethink who can count as an environmental leader and what can count as environmentalism.

This event is co-sponsored by the programs in Religious Studies and Latin American & Latino Studies, and the Tyson Center for Faith-Friendly Workplaces in the Sam M. Walton College of Business.