Editors' Note

The peregrine falcon is Chicago’s official bird. This bird is found all over the world, typically in Mountain Ranges and river valleys, but they have managed to make a home in Chicago as well. The perfect image of nature within a time of intense urbanization, this bird has been found on the balconies of South Loop High Rises and nesting on skyscrapers. 

We believe the peregrine to be emblematic of what this journal is trying to accomplish. By living with and in near harmony with the sprawling city, we wish to demonstrate how the two are able to coexist, without humanity or nature taking precedence over the other. By learning more about the intersections between the environment and the human world, we are better equipped to live in harmony with and maintain respect for the environment around us.

The Peregrine is a research journal dedicated to critical work exploring the natural world, the built world, and their interactions. The research in particular pertains to disciplines in the environmental humanities, which includes history, policy, anthropology, poetry, and many other fields which may not initially appear relevant to the environment. 

In our inaugural issue, we’re bursting with pride to present the work of four emerging scholars:

In his Detritus, Wahid Al Mamun discusses the ‘thingification’ of language in his own poetry, and how “the movement of labor” can “render language insensible.” 

Through a close reading of the film no Paiz das Amazonas, Liam Charles Cohen breaks down the history of the Amazon’s being understood and interacted with as an exploitable resource.

Ruby Rorty parses the nuances of climate denial in the United States and proposes a shift in communication strategy away from climate science for the sake of urgent action. 

And, finally, Leo Diamond draws on the philosophical history of our relationship to the land, thinking with Aldo Leopold’s 1949 idea of a ‘land ethic,’ and fitting it into a more modern notion of responsibility. 

Thank you to the University of Chicago English Department for funding this project, to Jennifer Scappettone and Nell Megan Pach for their ardent support along the way, and to our contributors for their trust. We hope that these works will inspire you to reflect on the nuances of environmental consciousness, and our role in nature both as actors and spectators. Happy reading, and fly safely.