Ecological Utopianism in Narodnik Thought: Nikolay Chernyshevsky and the Redemption of Land

The work of Narodnik revolutionary Nikolay Chernyshevsky (1828–1889) is representative of the ecological utopian tradition within the history of ecological economic thought, serving as inspiration to current debates on sustainability and the contemporary role of the peasant economy. His ecological utopianism is depicted as the combination of knowledge stemming from the natural sciences and egalitarian ideals. Technical progress, social reform, and human development would be the requirements to achieve such an ecological utopia. To that end, land should be redeemed in favor of rural communes, so that humans can more harmoniously relate to themselves and to nature.