Environmental History symposium

How do societies develop their understanding of the environment through processes of interdependency? Why is it important to analyze the past and present of our environmental thinking at this moment in time? How can we reposition the notion of non-human agents— whether these be animals, forests, soil, air, or bacteria—as key protagonists in historical processes?

The Environmental History symposium aims to reassess and rethink human reality and history from diverse perspectives as a framework defined by complexity and continuous transformation. It brings together voices from multiple disciplines including ecologists, climate experts, and researchers, alongside artists, architects, designers, and philosophers to begin outlining this complex and fascinating field of inquiry.

Amita Baviskar: “What I want to talk about is the way in which the experience of heat has changed”

Grégory Quenet : « L’histoire environnementale (…) repeuple l'histoire avec des non-humains qui sont pleinement acteurs et qui ne sont pas simplement un décor »

Jenny Price: “I don't think you can tackle climate change with just science and math and technology, we're going to need the humanities.”

Lise Sedrez: “I ended up working with floods and urban floods and the way people react to urban floods.”

Steve Hagimont: “The environment became a category of political conflict and action.”

What Can Environmental History Do? The Environmental Historian and His Fellow
with Grégory Quenet

Faunal Nationalism in an Emerging Economy; Tigers, Science and Society 1969-2019
with Mahesh Rangarajan

Restoring Ancient Futures
with Mark D. Spence

Land-Grabs on Agricultural Lands
with Lucile Leclair

Are Plants Invasive?
with Véronique Mure

The Camargue Between Two Water-Ways: The Rhône and the Sea
with Estelle Rouquette

Living with the Mistral: The Past and Future of Regional Climate Adaptation in France
with Catherine T. Dunlop

Living with Heat: Bodies and People in Urban India's Changing Climate
with Amita Baviskar

Making a History of Environmental Struggles
with Steve Hagimont

Why has nothing changed? Perspectives on Environmental Struggles
With Amita Baviskar, Catherine T. Dunlop, Lucile Leclair, Steve Hagimont and Martin Guinard

Tales of an Urban Forest: Multispecies Alliances in Morro de Babilônia, Rio de Janeiro, 1995-2020
with Lise Sedrez

Writing the Environmental History of 18th Century Paris Through its Gardens
with Jan Synowiecki

Urban Micro-Climates
with Bas Smets

Discussion: Gardens for Changing the City
with Lise Sedrez, Bas Smets, Jan Synowiecki and Martin Guinard

Retrofutur: From the History of Energy Innovations to Retro-Tech
with Loic Rogard

Centre for Contemporary Nature: pyro-forensis
with Samaneh Moafi

Preparing for an Urban Exodus?
with Sébastien Marot

Hell on Earth
with Timothy Morton

Of Bark and Lead, In Search of Stories to Embark on the Critical Zone
with Claire Dutrait

Stop Saving the Planet!
with Jenny Price

Discussion: Why Has Everything Changed? The Future of Environmental History
with Jenny Price, Timothy Morton, Samaneh Moafi, Maria Finders and Grégory Quenet