Abstract
The term ‘Anthropocene’ was proposed by the geological and natural
sciences community to describe the current geological epoch and show the infuence of human activity on the planetary ecosystem and its dynamics. This idea was
taken up by Humanities scholars from a wide range of disciplines. It functions
within the Humanities as a complex and multi-facetted notion that refers to the
simultaneous occurrence of different environmental, technological and social transformations. This focus is particularly marked in the New Humanities, that call for
renewed attention for the role of cultural, narrative and social issues in shaping collective responsibility for the future of the Earth. The exact meaning and empirical
evidence supporting the Anthropocene however, are also met with criticism. We
argue that the concept needs to be supplemented by more specifc notions and practices, in order to avoid a growing sense of disciplinary segregation in the emergent
areas of Humanities scholarship.
sciences community to describe the current geological epoch and show the infuence of human activity on the planetary ecosystem and its dynamics. This idea was
taken up by Humanities scholars from a wide range of disciplines. It functions
within the Humanities as a complex and multi-facetted notion that refers to the
simultaneous occurrence of different environmental, technological and social transformations. This focus is particularly marked in the New Humanities, that call for
renewed attention for the role of cultural, narrative and social issues in shaping collective responsibility for the future of the Earth. The exact meaning and empirical
evidence supporting the Anthropocene however, are also met with criticism. We
argue that the concept needs to be supplemented by more specifc notions and practices, in order to avoid a growing sense of disciplinary segregation in the emergent
areas of Humanities scholarship.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Handbook of the Antrhopocene. Humans between Heritage and Future |
| Publisher | Springer Nature |
| Pages | 427-431 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 978-3-031-25910-4 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-3-031-25909-8 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2023 |