A Liberation for the Earth - by A M Ranawana (Paperback)

About the Book

In A Liberation for the Earth Anupama Ranawana explores the nexus between climate, race and the liberative potential of the cross. Reflecting on the entanglement between colonialization and the destruction of the planet, she considers how this is played out and resisted within a range of faith based and secular ecological justice movements.

Book Synopsis

In the encyclical Laodato Si, Pope Francis describes the earth as 'the new poor', opening it up as a place in need of liberation. The fate of the poor, the marginalised, and those on the wrong side of the western colonial project is inextricably tied up with the fate of the planet. In A Liberation for the Earth Anupama Ranawana explores the nexus between climate, race and the liberative potential of the cross. Reflecting on the entanglement between colonialization and the destruction of the planet, she considers how this entanglement is played out and resisted within faith based and secular ecological justice movements in Canada, Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom.

Review Quotes

"In A Liberation for the Earth: Race, Climate and Cross, Anupama Ranawana identifies the way unfair power structures lead to ecological sin. Her "rage" toward environmental injustice will spark a passion for others to engage in justice making. By making the connection between "systems of enslavement, expropriation, colonization and indigenous genocide," she makes a cogent case for racial injustice as that which fuels a disproportionate impact for the current climate crisis."

--CL Nash

"In reading A Liberation for the Earth, A.M. Ranawana gives us more than a theoretical methodology, she demonstrates how we can apply the encyclical Laudato Si′ alongside a liberation and decolonial theology in which all are in conversation with justice narratives. It is an enlightening and moving read that is a welcome addition to the study of racialized discourses within biblical hermeneutics."

--Dionne Gravesande

"This is the book that I have longed to read. Ranawana's poetic and prophetic articulation of the theological need for rage as a response to climate injustice, awoke a cry that I had held deep within myself. Deftly weaving together the threads of liberation and eco-theologies with narratives of empire and colonialism from the past to the present, Ranawana draws the reader into a journey that is thought-provoking, challenging and illuminating. A must read for ministers, theologians, climate campaigners and anyone grappling with how to respond in a time of ecological disruption."--Grace Thomas