Derrick Jensen (activist)

Derrick Jensen
Derrick Jensen (2010)
Born	(1960-12-19) December 19, 1960 (age 64) Nebraska, United States
Language	English
Education	Colorado School of Mines (BSc) Eastern Washington University (MFA)
Subject	Environmentalism Deep ecology Feminism
Website
derrickjensen.org

Derrick Jensen is an American environmental activist, author and ecophilosopher ^[1] in the anarcho-primitivist tradition. ^{[2] [3]} He is best known for his writings on environmental degradation, deep ecology, the structure of modern societies, and the relationship between culture, power, and ecological destruction. ^{[4] [5]} Jensen has published numerous books and essays since the late 1990s, and his work has been influential within strands of radical environmentalism, particularly movements that argue that contemporary industrial society is fundamentally incompatible with ecological sustainability. ^{[6] [7] [8]}

Jensen is the co-founder of Deep Green Resistance and has been a prominent advocate of views that challenge reformist approaches to environmental protection. He is best-known for A Language Older Than Words (2000), which blends memoir, cultural criticism, and environmental philosophy, exploring links between trauma, abuse and ecological destruction, and his two-volume work Endgame, the first volume of which (The Problem of Civilization) lays out his argument that industrial civilisation is inherently unsustainable and destructive, and the second of which (Resistance), discusses strategies for opposing and dismantling such systems.

Early and personal life

Derrick Jensen was born in on 19 December 1960 ^[9] in Nebraska, United States and was raised in Colorado. ^[10] He attended the Colorado School of Mines with a scholarship and graduated with a bachelor's degree in mineral engineering and physics. Even before graduating, he intended to become a writer. Jensen worked briefly in engineering and as a small commercial beekeeper. He became ill from Crohn's disease and had a slow recovery. His experience with the disease contributed to his approach towards Western culture. In 1991, Jensen received a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing from Eastern Washington University. ^[11]

He lives in Crescent City, California, and has cats. ^[11]

Writing and activism

We don't think about the violence that makes the comforts and elegancies of our way of life happen. The world is being destroyed before our eyes, and it's really not that hard to tell the truth about it. It doesn't take that much courage.

Derrick Jensen ^[11]

Lierre Keith (left) and Jensen (right) with Deep Green Resistance at Occupy Oakland in 2011

Jensen's writing and philosophy centers on the destructive tendencies of Western culture and how it proliferates between people and generations. His The Culture of Make Believe, a nonlinear composite of memoir and philosophy, outlines how Western culture was built upon brutality. Jensen has said this approach comes from wanting to be honest and "forthright without whining". When writing about massacres, slavery, and industrial forestry, he balances statistics and personal stories to "mix analysis with blood". ^[11]

He wrote for two environmental organizations in 1995. A commission from an environmental organization led to his co-authored Railroads and Clearcuts, and Sierra Club Books published his interviews with activists, Listening to the Land. Jensen began A Language Older Than Words in 1996, published by Context Books in 2000. He described the book as beginning a trilogy, starting with how to be "sane in a crazy culture", followed by what one sees by becoming sane (The Culture of Make Believe), followed by what to do about what one sees. ^[11]

Jensen is a critic of the mainstream environmental movement's focus on preserving civilization and technology over preserving the natural world. ^[12] He promotes civil disobedience, radical activism, and dismantling infrastructure on a massive level in order to halt what he has called "the murder of the planet". ^[12]

Lierre Keith and Jensen co-founded Deep Green Resistance in 2011. ^[12] His belief, and the organization's position, that women-only spaces should exclude trans women has drawn criticism. ^{[12] [13]}

Reception

Utne Reader named Jensen among "50 Visionaries Who Are Changing the World" in 2008, ^[14] and Democracy Now! says that he "has been called the poet-philosopher of the ecology movement". ^[15]

Selected works

• with Draffan, George; Osborn, John (1995). Railroads and clearcuts: Legacy of Congress's 1864 Northern Pacific Railroad land grant. Spokane, Wash. Sandpoint, Idaho: Inland Empire Public Lands Council / Keokee Company Publishing. ISBN   1-879628-08-2. OCLC   32546308. ^[16]
• — (2000). A Language Older Than Words . New York: Context Books. ISBN   1-893956-03-2. OCLC   44078542. Republished by Chelsea Green in 2004 with ISBN   978-1-931498-55-5. ^[17]
• — (2002). The culture of make believe. New York: Context Books. ISBN   1-893956-28-8. OCLC   48761707. Republished by Chelsea Green in 2004 with ISBN   978-1-931498-57-9. ^[18]
• with Draffan, George (2003). Strangely like war: The global assault on forests . White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green. ISBN   978-1-931498-45-6. OCLC   52464656. ^[19]
• with Draffan, George (2004). Welcome to the machine: Science, surveillance, and the culture of control. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green. ISBN   1-931498-52-0. OCLC   54966302. ^[20]
• — (2005). Walking on water: reading, writing, and revolution. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green. ISBN   978-1-931498-78-4. OCLC   58051191. ^[21]
• with Tweedy-Holmes, Karen (2007). Thought to exist in the wild: Awakening from the nightmare of zoos . Santa Cruz, CA: No Voice Unheard. ISBN   978-0-9728387-1-9. OCLC   137341817. ^[22]
• with McMillan, Stephanie (2007). As the world burns: 50 simple things you can do to stay in denial . New York: Seven Stories Press. ISBN   978-1-58322-777-0. OCLC   154705030. ^[23]
• with McBay, Aric (2009). What we leave behind . New York: Seven Stories Press. ISBN   978-1-58322-867-8. OCLC   261176357. ^[24]
• with McBay, Aric; Keith, Lierre (2011). Deep green resistance: Strategy to save the planet. New York: Seven Stories Press. ISBN   978-1-58322-929-3. OCLC   601132927.
• — (2011). Truths among us: Conversations on building a new culture. Oakland, CA: PM Press. ISBN   978-1-60486-299-7. OCLC   756915435. ^[25]
• — (2017). Monsters: Short stories. Oakland, CA: PM Press. ISBN   978-1-62963-436-4. OCLC   987687487. ^[26]
• —; Keith, Lierre; Wilbert, Max (2021). Bright Green Lies: How the Environmental Movement Lost Its Way and What We Can Do About It. Monkfish. ISBN   978-1-94862-639-2. ^[27]

References

1. Godlewicz-Adamiec, Joanna; Piszczatowski, Paweł; Włodarczyk, Justyna; Kociumbas, Piotr (April 11, 2022). Multiple Knowledges. Learning from/with Other Beings: Multiples Wissen. Lernen von/mit anderen Entitäten. V&R unipress. ISBN   978-3-7370-1382-6.
2. Sean Esbjörn-Hargens; Michael E. Zimmerman (2009). Integral ecology: Uniting multiple perspectives on the natural world. p.  492. Anarcho-primitivists ... See ... Derrick Jensen's recent two-volume End-Game
3. Torres, Bob (2007). Making a Killing: The Political Economy of Animal Rights. AK Press. p.  68. ISBN   9781904859673. Despite the problems and flaws with anarcho-primitivist thinking like Jensen's ...
4. "Derrick Jensen". Penguin Random House Higher Education. December 1, 2025. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
5. "Author and Activist Derrick Jensen: "The Dominant Culture is Killing the Planet…It's Very Important for Us to Start to Build a Culture of Resistance"". Democracy Now! . November 15, 2010. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
6. Mitchell, Dave Oswald (August 1, 2008). ""It's tremendous fun to fight back": An interview with Derrick Jensen". Briarpatch Magazine . Retrieved December 13, 2025.
7. Jensen, Jensen (December 11, 2019). "Beyond Civilization". Orion Magazine . Archived from the original on May 29, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
8. King, Neil; Borrud, Gabriel (September 6, 2020). "'We need to be ready to risk our lives'". Deutsche Welle . Retrieved December 13, 2025.
9. Bosler, Cayte (December 1, 2011). "An Interview with: Derrick Jensen...by Cayte Bosler". Canyon Country Zephyr. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
10. Cejnar, Jessica (March 4, 2016). "Prolific author calls Crescent City home". Del Norte Triplicate .
12. Holzman, Jael (February 6, 2022). "How a fight over transgender rights derailed environmentalists in Nevada". Politico . Retrieved December 13, 2025.
13. Camilla Mortensen (March 8, 2018). "Controversial Speaker Sparks Outcry". Eugene Weekly. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
14. "50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World". October 13, 2008. Archived from the original on August 7, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
15. Jensen, Derrick (November 26, 2010). "Author and Activist Derrick Jensen: "The Dominant Culture is Killing the Planet ... It's Very Important for Us to Start to Build a Culture of Resistance"". Democracy Now! (Interview). Interviewed by Amy Goodman.
16. "Railroads and Clearcuts: Legacy of Congress's 1864 Northern Pacific Railroad Land Grant by Derrick Jensen". Publishers Weekly . July 3, 1995. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
17. • Kinsella, Bridget (August 28, 2000). "An Activist Memoir Challenges The World to Listen and Heal". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
    • Lindholdt, Paul (2001). "Review of A Language Older Than Words". Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment. 8 (2): 276–277. doi:10.1093/isle/8.2.276. ISSN   1076-0962. JSTOR   44085934.
    • Reid, Calvin (September 15, 2003). "Context Books in Chapter 11 Bankruptcy". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
    • "A Language Older Than Words by Derrick Jensen". Publishers Weekly . January 3, 2000. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
    • https://web.archive.org/web/20160518054016/http://bombmagazine.org/article/5421/vcfa.edu/writing-publishing
18. "The Culture of Make Believe by Derrick Jensen". Publishers Weekly . April 1, 2002. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
19. • Fulbright, Jesse (2004). "Review of Strangely like War". Journal of Range Management. 57 (4): 423–424. doi:10.2307/4003871. ISSN   0022-409X. JSTOR   4003871.
    • Kent, Martin (2005). "Review of Strangely like War: The global assault on forests". Geography. 90 (2): 188. ISSN   0016-7487. JSTOR   40574072.
    • "Strangely like War: The Global Assault on Forests by Derrick Jensen, George Draffan". Publishers Weekly . September 22, 2003. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
    • https://web.archive.org/web/20070320123626/http://www.hindu.com:80/br/2005/12/13/stories/2005121300761600.htm
20. Sassower, Raphael (2005). "Review of Welcome to the Machine: Science, Surveillance, and the Culture of Control". Utopian Studies. 16 (2): 311–316. doi:10.2307/20718749. ISSN   1045-991X. JSTOR   20718749.
21. "WALKING ON WATER: Reading, Writing, and Revolution by Derrick Jensen". Publishers Weekly . February 9, 2004. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
22. • Rosen, Judith (June 2, 2008). "Animal House". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
    • https://web.archive.org/web/20120511113130/http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/review/522
23. Shook, David (2008). "Review of As the World Burns: Fifty Simple Things You Can Do to Stay in Denial". World Literature Today . 82 (4): 64–65. ISSN   0196-3570. JSTOR   20621307.
24. "What We Leave Behind by Derrick Jensen, Aric McBay". Publishers Weekly . March 30, 2009. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
25. "Truths Among Us: Conversations on Building a New Culture by Derrick Jensen". Publishers Weekly . October 10, 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
26. "Monsters by Derrick Jensen". Publishers Weekly . July 17, 2017. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
27. "Bright Green Lies: How the Environmental Movement Lost Its Way and What We Can Do About It by Derrick Jensen, Lierre Keith, Max Wilbert". Publishers Weekly . February 1, 2021. Retrieved April 18, 2025.

External links

• Official website