Challenging Anthropocentrism in Tony Hillerman’s Detective Novel <i>Listening Woman</i>

Abstract This article explores Tony Hillerman’s detective novel Listening Woman (1978) through the critical lens of postcolonial ecocriticism. It aims to challenge both anthropocentrism and scholarly dismissals of popular genre fiction. Drawing on some key concepts such as ecocentrism, symbiosis, and deep ecology, this article demonstrates that Listening Woman subverts the dominant anthropocentric view of nature as a resource to be exploited. Instead, Hillerman’s novel presents an ecocentric environmental ethic that underscores the sentient aspect of the natural environment of the American Southwest, its dynamism, and its intimate connection with human life. Therefore, it can be said that Hillerman’s Listening Woman disrupts the mythic image of the American West as a frontier of conquest and resource extraction, and illuminates the Navajo worldview based on interdependence and the importance of venerating the natural environment. By foregrounding these themes within the framework of detective writing, Hillerman not only widens the genre’s thematic scope but also urges readers to rethink their relationship with the environment. Thus, this article testifies to the fact that popular genre fiction is far from being a means of entertainment only, since it can serve as a powerful cultural medium to raise ecological awareness.