Biophilia and Ecophobia in Santiago Nazarian's Biofobia

Abstract: In 1984, biologist Edward O. Wilson promoted the biophilia hypothesis with the publication of his work Biophilia , in which he claims that humans have the urge to affiliate with other species. More than two decades later, literary critic Simon Estok popularized in ecocriticism and environmental humanities the concept of ecophobia, or the aversion towards the environment that fuels certain political discourses in the Anthropocene. For Estok, the problem with the biophilia hypothesis lies in its inadequacy to explain current environmental catastrophes and the institutionalization of ecocide. This article studies Santiago Nazarian's novel, Biofobia , and its literary approach to biophilia and ecophobia. It argues that its main character, André, straddles between the two as he conceptualizes his existential crisis, bringing forth a vision of the human individual as deeply entangled with the desire for and hatred towards the environment.