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A theoretical exploration of how human potential can be liberated by reevaluating our relationship with the environment and work. 

We stand at a point of crisis for human society and life on Earth, with sustainability a constant theme in global discourse. Governments, industries, and individuals attempt to take constructive action, but their steps are everywhere countered by the habits and relationships built over three hundred years of capitalism, while right-wing populism and climate denial openly hold them back. Rebellion and Reconnection for Sustainable Futures proposes an urgent change of direction.

Grounded in the critical and theoretical tradition of political ecology, the book calls for a practical politics that rebels against the dominance of nature, resists fascist populism, and reconnects with human tradition. Robert Biel argues that two forms of “remembering” are needed: first, that we embrace humanity’s past connection with socio-ecological change through deep time, and second, that we assimilate still valuable socialist traditions such as dignity and creativity of work. From this basis, he proposes a novel synthesis between complex systems research, Indigenous approaches to human-environment relations, the “good Anthropocene,” and Marxist perspectives on nature. This unlocks a broad interrogation of the COVID experience by drawing on notions of biopolitics and queer theory, while also reframing theories of imperialism to critique the central role of racism. Written in an engaging style, the book builds a compelling case for a new practical and actionable politics based on reclaiming what we have lost.