With the spread of capitalism, nature is being taken under the domination and exploited rapidly. Destruction of vegetation, destruction of living things, global warming, water scarcity, and pollution are just a few of them. The theory of ecocriticism, which emerged towards the end of the 20th century, aims to prevent the great destruction of nature through the science of literature. Deep ecology, one of the theories on which eco-criticism feeds, expresses that it is possible to protect nature from a spiritual point of view by presenting opinions that are opposite to the material approaches made for nature conservation. For this purpose, deep ecology benefits from the approaches of religions to nature; It has also adopted the nature-related practices of mystical teachings such as Buddhism, Taoism, and Shamanism.
Sufi etiquette advises not to plunge into the life of the world and material pleasures, and to approach nature through a window of love and respect. Deep ecology and mysticism hold similar views and argue that spiritual methods, not material actions, will be the solution to people's greed for consumption. One of the greatest representatives of Sufism is Yunus Emre. In his poems, which he kneads with Sufism, spiritual values such as the love of man and nature, unity, being a good person, morality, virtue, and righteousness, which are also included in the field of study of deep ecology, come. Based on the common dynamics of deep ecology and Sufism, Yunus Emre's poems were tried to be read in the context of deep ecology in the article. This study is a new reading experiment in the field of eco-criticism and aims to contribute to approaches related to the ecological potentials of Sufism. In the research, it was seen that Yunus Emre's poems are readable from the point of view of deep ecology and offer a spiritual approach to the exploitation of nature. It is thought that the article is also important in terms of examining two separate philosophies with an interdisciplinary approach.
Ecocriticism, deep ecology, sufism, Turkish literature, Yunus Emre