Alastair McIntosh is a Scottish writer, academic and activist. He was brought up in

Leurbost Leurbost () is a village on the east coast of the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. It is approximately south of Stornoway on the road to Harris. It is the main settlement in the area of the island known as North Lochs. Leurbost ...

on the

Isle of Lewis The Isle of Lewis ( gd, Eilean Leòdhais) or simply Lewis ( gd, Leòdhas, ) is the northern part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island of the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides archipelago in Scotland. The two parts are frequently referred to a ...

and is married to Vérène Nicolas. He is involved with Scottish

land reform Land reform is a form of agrarian reform involving the changing of laws, regulations, or customs regarding land ownership. Land reform may consist of a government-initiated or government-backed property redistribution, generally of agricultura ...

especially on

Eigg Eigg (; gd, Eige; sco, Eigg) is one of the Small Isles in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. It lies to the south of the Isle of Skye and to the north of the Ardnamurchan peninsula. Eigg is long from north to south, and east to west. With an ar ...

and campaigned successfully against the

Harris Harris may refer to: Places Canada * Harris, Ontario * Northland Pyrite Mine (also known as Harris Mine) * Harris, Saskatchewan * Rural Municipality of Harris No. 316, Saskatchewan Scotland * Harris, Outer Hebrides (sometimes called the Isle of ...

superquarry in Lingerbay. He is a fellow of the Centre for Human Ecology, an Honorary Fellow of the Schumacher Society, and helped to set up the

Govan Govan ( ; Cumbric?: ''Gwovan'?''; Scots: ''Gouan''; Scottish Gaelic: ''Baile a' Ghobhainn'') is a district, parish, and former burgh now part of south-west City of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the south b ...

based GalGael Trust of which he is Treasurer and a non-executive director. In 2006 he was appointed to the honorary position of Visiting Professor of Human Ecology at the

University of Strathclyde The University of Strathclyde ( gd, Oilthigh Shrath Chluaidh) is a public research university located in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1796 as the Andersonian Institute, it is Glasgow's second-oldest university, having received its royal chart ...

(Department of Geography & Sociology) – the first such post in

Human ecology Human ecology is an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary study of the relationship between humans and their natural, social, and built environments. The philosophy and study of human ecology has a diffuse history with advancements in ecolog ...

in a Scottish university. Alastair also features on

Nizlopi Nizlopi were an English folk and alternative duo formed in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, by Luke Concannon on vocals, guitar, and bodhrán, and John Parker on double bass, human beatbox, and backing vocals. History Formation The duo grew u ...

's mini album 'Extraordinary' on the track titled 'Homage To Young Men'.

Education

He holds a BSc in geography, submajoring in moral philosophy and psychology from the University of Aberdeen (1977), a financial MBA from the University of Edinburgh (1981), and in 2008 the Academy of Irish Cultural Heritages (of which he is a Visiting Fellow) at the

University of Ulster sco, Ulstèr Universitie , image = Ulster University coat of arms.png , caption = , motto_lang = , mottoeng = , latin_name = Universitas Ulidiae , established = 1865 – Magee College 1953 - Magee Un ...

approved the award of PhD by Published Work based on ''Soil and Soul'' and twelve supporting publications presented with a short linking thesis, 'Some Contributions of Liberation Theology to Community Empowerment in Scottish Land Reform 1991-2003'. Parts of this were published in 2008 as Schumacher Briefing No. 15: 'Rekindling Community: Connecting People, Environment and Spirituality'.

Publications

His best-known work is his 2001 book ''Soil and Soul: People Versus Corporate Power''. In 2006 he published his collected poetry, ''Love and Revolution''. His 2008 book on the psychology and spirituality underlying

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...

"Hell and High Water: Climate Change, Hope and the Human Condition" was described by Michael Russell MSP, Minister for the Environment in the Scottish Government as "a profoundly important book, just as ''Soil and Soul'' was a profoundly important book."Hell and High Water
Book launch, 25 June 2008

Bibliography

*''Healing Nationhood: Essays on Spirituality, Place and Community'', Curlew Productions, May 2000, *''Soil and Soul: People versus Corporate Power'',

Aurum Press The Quarto Group is a global illustrated book publishing group founded in 1976. It is domiciled in the United States and listed on the London Stock Exchange. Quarto creates and sells illustrated books for adults and children, across 50 countr ...

, October 2001, *''Love and Revolution: Collected Poetry'', Luath Press, September 2006, *''Hell and High Water: Climate Change, Hope and the Human Condition'',

Birlinn The birlinn ( gd, bìrlinn) or West Highland galley was a wooden vessel propelled by sail and oar, used extensively in the Hebrides and West Highlands of Scotland from the Middle Ages on. Variants of the name in English and Lowland Scots in ...

, June 2008, * ''Rekindling Community: Connecting People, Environment and Spirituality'', Green Books, September 2008, , Alastair McIntosh and colleagues in association with WWF International and the Centre for Human Ecology * ''Spiritual Activism: Leadership as Service'', by Alastair McIntosh and Matt Carmichael, Green Books (UK), September 2014, . Published in North America by UIT Cambridge Ltd., October 2015, * ''Poacher's Pilgrimage: an Island Journey'', Birlinn Books (UK), . * ''Riders on the Storm: the Climate Crisis and the Survival of Being'', Birlinn Books (UK), August 2020,

References

External links

AlastairMcIntosh.com
– includes most writings and links to Soil & Soul and Love & Revolution
Centre for Human Ecology
– including MSc degree course
Vérène Nicolas's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:McIntosh, Alastair 1955 births Living people People from the Isle of Lewis Alumni of the University of Aberdeen Green thinkers Non-fiction environmental writers Scottish political writers Scottish Quakers Scottish activists Scottish non-fiction writers Scottish scholars and academics Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Alumni of Ulster University

Education

Publications

Bibliography

See also

References

External links