Fonds AR044 - Alan Drengson fonds

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Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

Alan Drengson fonds

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Fonds

Reference code

CA UVICARCH AR044

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Edition statement of responsibility

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Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

Dates of creation area

Date(s)

  • 1945; 1968-2016 (Creation)
    Creator
    Drengson, Alan R.

Physical description area

Physical description

1.2 m of textual records. 2 cm of graphic material.

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Archival description area

Name of creator

(1934-2022)

Biographical history

Alan Rodney Drengson was born in Wahpeton, North Dakota on November 9, 1934. As a descendent of farmers, and having grown up during the dust bowl years in the prairies, he became aware of environmental issues early on in his life. After moving to the West Coast in the 1940s and living among the mountains and forests, his appreciation for the natural world grew into a passion for environmental advocacy. In college, he became involved with various groups such as the Sierra Club, Wilderness Society, and Friends of the Earth.

Drengson received a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Washington in 1958, and returned there to complete his M.A. in 1960. He received his doctorate from the University of Oregon in 1971. He joined the Philosophy Department at the University of Victoria in 1968. While at UVic, he championed environmentalism, and became one of the founders of the Environmental Studies program. Drengson was also the founder of the Ecoforestry Institute. He started two journals, The Trumpeter: Journal of Ecosophy in 1983, and later The Ecoforestry Journal. After his retirement in 1995, he remained active as an Emeritus Professor of Philosophy and an Adjunct Professor in Environmental Studies at UVic.

Drengson had broad interests, but focused principally on environmental philosophy throughout his career. He was inspired by the Norwegian Philosopher, Arne Naess, and became an avid supporter of his philosophy of Deep Ecology. Additional areas of interest included Eastern philosophy, comparative religion, and interdisciplinary technology studies. He also had a deep appreciation for the arts. He played guitar, wrote poetry and fiction, and was a stained-glass artisan. He also regularly practiced the martial art, Aikido.

Alan Drengson died on March 6, 2022.

Custodial history

Accession 2022-029 was donated 24 May 2022.

Scope and content

The fonds consists of two accessions of material primarily related to Alan Drengson’s academic career. These include drafts of papers, books, and poems, as well as university course materials, grant applications, professional correspondence, and documents for The Ecostery Foundation and The Trumpeter Journal. The fonds also includes some personal records.

Notes area

Physical condition

Immediate source of acquisition

Arrangement

Materials for accession 2022-029 were originally ordered alphabetically in sparsely populated files. The archivist amalgamated most files and arranged them into series. The original alphabetical arrangement within each series was maintained.

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Availability of other formats

Restrictions on access

Access to the Citizenship Records file (4.8) is restricted in order to protect personal information. Access may be granted through a research agreement.

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Finding aids

Inventory is available.

Associated materials

See also Alan Drengson's publications held in the UVic Library main collection, such as:

Drengson, A. R. (1978). Sacred journey I : Land of visions and dreams. Light Star Press.
Drengson, A. R. (1989). Beyond environmental crisis : From technocrat to planetary person. P. Lang.
Drengson, A. R., & Friesen, J. (1993). Doc forest and blue mountain ecostery : A narrative on creating ecological harmony in daily life. Ecostery House.
Drengson, A. R., & Inoue, Y. (1995). The deep ecology movement : An introductory anthology. North Atlantic Books.
Drengson, A. R., & Taylor, D. M. (1997). Ecoforestry : The art and science of sustainable forest use. New Society Publishers.
Naess, A., Glasser, H., & Drengson, A. R. (2005). The Selected Works of Arne Naess Volumes 1-10 (1st ed. 2005.). Springer Netherlands.
Drengson, A. R., & Taylor, D. M. (2009). Wild foresting practising nature’s wisdom. New Society Publishers.
Drengson, A. R. (2010). Wild way home : Spiritual life in the 3rd millennium. Lightstar Press.

As well as publications held in the UVic Special Collections:

Drengson, A. R. (1994). An ecophilosopher’s dictionary : Basic concepts for ecocentric exploration. Lightstar Press.
Drengson, A. R. (1995). The practice of technology : Exploring technology, ecophilosophy, and spiritual disciplines for vital links. State University of New York Press.
Drengson, A. R. (2015). Stained glass art: 1975 to 1989 (Compiled December 2014, revised June 2015.). LightStar Glass & Books.

Related materials

Accruals

1995-044, 2022-029.
No further accruals are expected.

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Description record identifier

alan-drengson-fonds

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Dates of creation, revision and deletion

2013-02-05
2022-11-15 rev. JS

Language of description

  • English

Script of description

Sources

Digital content (Master) rights area

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Accession area