Sélection du moment:
Dans les années 2000, Glenn Albrecht ressent un choc émotionnel face au spectacle désolant qu’offre la Hunter Valley, une région au nord de Sydney soumise à l’exploitation minière, à la dynamite et aux pelleteuses. Le philosophe australien forge en 2003 le terme de « solastalgie », à partir du mot anglais solace (réconfort) et du suffixe grec algia (douleur). La solastalgie est décrite comme le « sentiment de désolation causé par la dévastation de son habitat et de son territoire. » Mais aussi comme « le mal du pays que vous éprouvez alors que vous êtes toujours chez vous. »
Solastalgia: the Origins As environmental philosopher at The University of Newcastle I had a reputation within my region as an activist and advocate for environmental conservation and I had published a number of academic and media articles on the environmental history and sustainability of the Hunter Region.2 Residents within the region would often ring me at work and talk to me about their concerns about particular environmental issues and I would advise and help as best I could. However, I began to notice the increasing number of people who were concerned about the sheer scale of the environmental impacts in the Upper Hunter Region of NSW. In their attempts to halt the expansion of open cut coal mining and to control the impact of power station pollution, individuals would ring me at work pleading for help with their cause. Their distress about the threats to their identity and well-being, even over the phone, was palpable.