Solastalgia: Healing the Places We Dwell
A paradigm for considering eco-consumerism.
In 2019, Glenn Albrecht, retired professor of sustainability at Murdoch University, released a new book, Earth Emotions: New Words for a New World, but his coined term solastalgia, which has appeared in a few mainstream environmental discussions, was first published in his article of 2005, entitled “Solastalgia: A New Concept in Human Health and Identity,” in Philosophy, Activism, and Nature.
ReSourced finds the concept of solastalgia to provide a starting point in an attempt to situate diverse conversations pertaining to crystals, gemstones, and mining—conversations spanning a variety of influences including alternative healing practices, environmental repercussions, social justice issues, economics and consumerism, and metaphysical studies as they converge and diverge (often at odds and conflict with one another). The goal of these posts is to facilitate communication and provide information & resources concerning these issues.
What is solastalgia?
Albrecht positions solastalgia among dimensions of the philosophical, the psychosomatic, and the empirical (46), describing it as “homesickness while still at ‘home’” (45). Significantly, he asserts the “diagnosis” of this condition is “based on the recognition of that type of distress within an individual or a community connected to the loss of an endemic sense of place… erosion of a sense of belonging to a particular place…the loss or lack of solace and the sense of isolation connected to the present state of one’s home or territory…pain experienced when there is recognition that the place where one resides and loves is under assault” (45-46). It is our response to detrimental events within our home territory and the sense of belonging that it provides.
Causes of solastalgia include individual and communal feelings of a loss of power & control due to events such as:
- mining
- drought
- fire
- flooding
- hurricanes & tsunamis
- terrorism & war
- land clearing
- gentrification
ReSourced thinks of solastalgia as including reactions such as shock to sudden disasters—and also including the longer-term effects of the aftermath after the initial shock has passed. Solastalgia may additionally describe subtler responses to environmental changes that don’t take shape with a sudden crisis but happen gradually (varying degrees of drought, for instance).
What is not solastalgia?
While Albrecht’s definition is fluid and open to interpretation, he differentiates solastalgia from the following:
- Sentimentality about the past (unless directly linked to deterioration in present environmental conditions)
- A desire to relocate (unless directly linked to deterioration in present environmental conditions)
- Depression due to discontent from personal issues such as relationship difficulties or job stress, although it is a feeling of being deprived of the sense of “solace” provided by the immediately surrounding atmosphere and landscape of the natural world that could otherwise assist to alleviate the above-mentioned troubles.
While solastalgia is not a medically recognized condition, it’s similar to both eco-anxiety and eco-trauma, which are recognized by the American Psychological Association.
Works Cited
Albrecht, Glenn. “Solastalgia: A New Concept in Human Health and Identity.” Philosophy, Activism, Nature (PAN) 1.3 (2005): 41-55.