Talks: Environmental History I

The Environmental History symposium aimed to reassess and rethink human reality and history from diverse perspectives, framing them within a context defined by complexity and continuous transformation. It brought together voices from multiple disciplines—including ecologists, climate experts, and researchers—alongside artists, architects, designers, and philosophers to begin outlining this complex and compelling field of inquiry.

August 25–27, 2022
Environmental History I

Climate, environment and human activity: shall we rethink History?

The symposium examined the concept of the environment as a constantly evolving set of unstable data. It explored how the environment changes through multiple circumstances, often involving the human species. Environmental History was presented as a rich framework for understanding the transformation of societies within the environments they created or with which they evolved.

The symposium also addressed how societies develop their understanding of the environment through processes of interdependency, why it is essential to analyze the past and present of environmental thought at this moment in time, and how the notion of non-human agents—whether animals, forests, soil, air, or bacteria—might be repositioned as key protagonists in historical processes.

Talks and performances from the first edition

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

Environmental History I: Climate, environment and human activity: shall we rethink History?

~ 62min

Environment

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

Environmental History I: Climate, environment and human activity: shall we rethink History?

~ 29min

Environment , Biodiversity

Land-Grabs on Agricultural Lands Lucile Leclair

Environmental History I: Climate, environment and human activity: shall we rethink History?

~ 17min

Environment

Are Plants Invasive? Véronique Mure

Environmental History I: Climate, environment and human activity: shall we rethink History?

~ 24min

Environment , Biodiversity

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

Environmental History I: Climate, environment and human activity: shall we rethink History?

~ 38min

Environment , Camargue

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

Environmental History I: Climate, environment and human activity: shall we rethink History?

~ 43min

Environment , Arles

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

Environmental History I: Climate, environment and human activity: shall we rethink History?

~ 41min

Environment , Social issues

Making a History of Environmental Struggles Steve Hagimont

Environmental History I: Climate, environment and human activity: shall we rethink History?

~ 35min

Environment

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

Environmental History I: Climate, environment and human activity: shall we rethink History?

~ 58min

Environment

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

Environmental History I: Climate, environment and human activity: shall we rethink History?

~ 37min

Environment

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

Environmental History I: Climate, environment and human activity: shall we rethink History?

~ 32min

Environment

Urban Micro-Climates Bas Smets

Environmental History I: Climate, environment and human activity: shall we rethink History?

~ 36min

Environment

Gardens for Changing the City Bas Smets, Jan Synowiecki, Lise Sedrez, Martin Guinard

Environmental History I: Climate, environment and human activity: shall we rethink History?

~ 47min

Environment

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

Environmental History I: Climate, environment and human activity: shall we rethink History?

~ 15min

Environment

Centre for Contemporary Nature: pyro-forensis Samaneh Moafi

Environmental History I: Climate, environment and human activity: shall we rethink History?

~ 39min

Environment

Preparing for an Urban Exodus? Sébastien Marot

Environmental History I: Climate, environment and human activity: shall we rethink History?

~ 30min

Environment , Architecture , Social issues

Hell on Earth Timothy Morton

Environmental History I: Climate, environment and human activity: shall we rethink History?

~ 34min

Environment

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

Environmental History I: Climate, environment and human activity: shall we rethink History?

~ 20min

Environment , Social issues

Stop Saving the Planet! Jenny Price

Environmental History I: Climate, environment and human activity: shall we rethink History?

~ 41min

Environment

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

Environmental History I: Climate, environment and human activity: shall we rethink History?

~ 47min

Environment

About the speakers from the first edition

Over several days, ecologists, climate experts, artists, architects, designers, and philosophers came together to begin outlining a rich and interconnected field of inquiry.