As the Ethics of the Anthropocene Fellow at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, she will work on a book project titled A Planet Crucified: An Ecofeminist-Decolonial Theology of the Cross for the Anthropocene. Hosted by the Amsterdam Sustainability Institute, the project unfolds along three interwoven paths—ecological, ecofeminist, and decolonial—offering a distinct yet complementary approach to the theological dimensions of the planetary crisis. This endeavor aims to examine how religious symbols, especially the Christian cross, have shaped moral imagination regarding suffering and justice, asking how they might be reinterpreted to support life-giving responses to the Anthropocene. The project approaches the cross as a site of critique and transformation to expose structural violence embedded in extractivist economies and colonial histories. Benefiting from the interdisciplinary environment of the ASI, the project engages with ethicists, political theorists, and sustainability scholars to sharpen its ethical and cultural analysis
About the fellow:
Dr. Hilda P. Koster is Associate Professor of Ecological Theology and holds the Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto Chair at the Regis St. Michael’s Faculty of Theology (University of Toronto), where she also directs the Elliott Allen Institute for Theology and Ecology. Originally from the Netherlands, she earned a BA and MDiv from the University of Groningen, a ThM from Princeton Theological Seminary, and a PhD from the University of Chicago Divinity School. Before joining St. Michael’s College, she served as Associate Professor of Theology and Director of Environmental Studies at Concordia College (Moorhead, MN).
Her research and teaching focus on ecological theology, ecofeminism, environmental ethics, and the theological dimensions of climate justice and resource extraction. She is the co-editor and co-author of several collaborative volumes that bring global and interdisciplinary voices into conversation on theology and ecology, including Planetary Solidarity: Global Women’s Voices on Christian Doctrine and Climate Justice (Fortress Press), The T&T Clark Handbook of Christian Theology and Climate Change (Bloomsbury), and In Solidarity with the Earth: Multidisciplinary Theological Engagements on Gender, Mining, and Toxic Contamination (Bloomsbury). Her forthcoming work, The Saving Grace of the Story? (AOSIS, 2025), continues this trajectory. She also curates the book series T&T Clark Explorations in Theology, Gender, and Ecology, which promotes scholarship at the intersection of theology, gender studies, and the environmental humanities.
About the fellowship:
During her time as a fellow at the Amsterdam Sustainability Institute, Dr. Koster will engage in interdisciplinary exchange with ethicists, political theorists, sustainability scholars, and environmental humanities researchers. This engagement aims to sharpen the ethical and cultural analysis of her work within a community committed to sustainability and planetary flourishing.