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Abstract

Through the study of related scholarship and new media, this thesis will analyze how the “martyr” re-emerges when conditions in relation to the current climate crisis resemble apocalyptic circumstances, initiating a cyclic set of events to construct the “eco-martyr” or “environmental martyr” that parallels that of the original concept of the martyr. This includes a transcendence from human to saint or cultural icon. The evidence examined here will support the theory that the increase in activist murders and suicides strengthens the influence of the eco-martyr in public consciousness, and distorts the characterization of the environmental activist, altering the future of the environmental conservation movement. I will posit that the validation of the martyr can be dangerous if considered as an appropriate expression of activist’s beliefs. Martyrdom and panic over the “end times” are characterized and rely on the public gaze as well as societal fear. With modern martyrdom, there is a stronger and wide-ranging presence of the witness. I will expand upon the emerging discourse of environmental martyrdom by focusing on the witness, but specifically this role in social media. Social media is facilitating eco-martyrdom and is a new step in the re-emergence of a martyr for present day. Alongside this paper I have created a supplemental website that is a repository for sources related to the discourse of eco-martyrdom. While there is not a plethora of sources on this topic, a presence is slowly building and it will be important to this generation of environmental activism to capture this emergence; specifically at this moment in time. Link: http://eco-martyrs.squarespace.com/

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