Sarah Chapman- Chapter 22 “Managers and Fetishers” from The Ecology of Eden

 Reading chapter 22, “Managers and Fetishers,” from The Ecology of Eden by Evan Eisenberg, focuses on two dominant ways that people understand and interact with nature. Eisenberg labels these perspectives as “managers” and “fetishers,” and uses them to critique common environmental attitudes. The “manager” perspective views nature as something that can be controlled, organized, and improved through human intervention for human use. This approach is often associated with science, policy, and environmental management practices that rely on data, measurement, and planning. From this standpoint, ecosystems are treated as systems that can be optimized for efficiency or sustainability. While this method is widely used in addressing environmental problems, Eisenberg argues that it reduces nature to something mechanical and predictable, overlooking its complexity and the limits of human control.


In contrast, the “fetisher” perspective treats nature as something sacred, pure, or untouched. This view often idealizes wilderness and emphasizes preservation for its spiritual, aesthetic, or symbolic value. Rather than trying to control nature, fetishists seek to protect it from human influence. However, Eisenberg critiques this perspective as well, explaining that it can create an unrealistic image of nature. By romanticizing the environment, this view ignores the ways humans have always been part of ecological systems and turns nature into an abstract ideal rather than a lived reality. 


Eisenberg’s main argument is that although these two perspectives seem very different, they share a similar underlying assumption that both separate humans from nature. Managers position humans as controllers of the environment, while fetishes position humans as outsiders who must remain distant from it; both labels are extreme. In both cases, nature is treated as something “other,” rather than something humans are inherently a part of. The chapter ultimately highlights the limitations of these binary ways of thinking and suggests the need for a more integrated understanding of human-nature relationships. This idea connects to broader environmental discussions, including critiques of the nature-culture divide and arguments made by scholars like William Cronon, who also challenges the concept of untouched wilderness.

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