"You are this universe and this universe is you”: an ecocritical study of environmental memory, place and orature in the poetry of Joy Harjo

Abstract

This thesis implements an ecocritical approach to analyse how the poetry of Joy Harjo, prominent Mvskoke poet and the first Native American Poet Laureate of the United States, reconceptualises the dichotomy between civilization and wilderness. It argues that her work aims to facilitate the restoration of a symbiotic relationship between humanity and the ecosphere. Central to this proposition is an examination of the various ways in which environmental memory, place and orature feature in her writing. This research showcases how Harjo’s message of recognising ecological interconnected interdependence has the potential to inspire a shift from anthropocentric thinking to an ecocentric worldview.

Through a thematic investigation across five chapters, the discussion utilises key ecocritical concepts to support the central argument. Lawrence Buell’s theory of environmental memory, specifically biogeographical, national, personal, and collective memory, is applied to investigate Harjo’s work, as are the shifting baseline syndrome, anthropomorphism, grammar of animacy and legal personhood.

Selected poems and collections are examined in light of eco-memory, demonstrating that the expansion of memory to include non-human narratives has the potential to address the shifting baseline syndrome. As eco-narratives feature extensively in the poet’s oeuvre, this research charts the progression of Harjo’s ecocentric viewpoint, affirming that she embraced this perspective at an early age. Her ecopoetics include aspects of eco-apartheid, shown to surface through displacement and placelessness, and this study asserts that there is a paradoxical element of localisation and globalisation present in her poetry. Analysis of four Rabbit poems displays the poet’s blending of Indigenous oral traditions with ecological concerns.

Finally, critical consideration of Harjo’s complex relationship with the English language and its inherent associations with colonisation reveals a subversion of governmental structures through a reinvention of governance guidelines.

Using ecocritical theory, this thesis enhances understanding of Harjo’s poetry by examining previously overlooked and recent poems. Through the application of ecocritical concepts that have not been previously applied to Harjo’s poetry, this study asserts that her work transcends boundaries and has the capacity to transform perspectives towards the environment.

Thesis embargoed until 30 June 2027

Date of Award	Jun 2025
Original language	English
Sponsors	Department for the Economy
Supervisor	Andrew Keanie (Supervisor) & Kathryn White (Supervisor)