Coordinator

Description

The climate is at the heart of current worries and fears, political negotiations, and civic activism. It connects global developments to local activities and fundamentally questions the traditional divide between humans and nature. The urgency of the issue calls for a ‘history of the present’, in which historians contribute to current challenges by developing a historical perspective.

How can we understand the climate crisis from a historical perspective? The research group charts which developments culminate to cause the current crisis. Changes in our environment, manufacturing techniques, lifestyles and patterns of consumption, political decision-making, as well as fundamental views on the relation between humans and nature, actorsc and objects, the short and the long-term. This creates a rich historical understanding of relevant developments, proposed alternatives, obstaclesc and opportunities in facing the climate emergency.

The research group focuses on three dimensions: the intellectual history of the environment and the climate, social contestation around environmental issues, and environmental governance. It serves as a platform to connect ongoing research by several ASH-members and relevant research carried out in other departments. It hosts regular meetings to discuss work in progress and plans for new projects and facilitates lectures by scholars from other institutions. MA-students are welcome to participate in the activities of the research group.

During the 2024-2025 academic year, the group will focus on the following themes:

• Food transitions
• Relations to ‘nature’
• ‘Green Germany’: the evolution of environmental governance (with the Duitsland Instituut Amsterdam)
• Historical perspectives on gas exploitation in the Netherlands
• Businesses & activists

Achievements and envisaged results

The research group hosts a monthly informal lunch meeting to discuss research, relevant publications, and research proposals. It connects ASH-members with an interest in this field to researchers from other faculties working on similar issues. The cooperation with other departments is crucial in developing multidisciplinary research alliances which will be able to respond to funding opportunities (i.e. Nationale Wetenschapsagenda, NERA, NWO, ERC). The group also contributes to connecting and developing education on the environment and sustainability at the Faculty of Humanities.

Societal Impact

Members of the research group host a BA-level course on ‘The climate emergency: the history of a crisis’ and ‘Confronting the Anthropocene: Environmentalism in the 20^th century’ electives open to students from all faculties as well as several other BA and MA courses. Active participation of MA-students in the activities of the group is encouraged. It also cooperates with the UvA Green Office and participates in multidisciplinary meetings of the Institute for Advanced Study.

Members

Jesse van Amelsvoort
Mathijs Boom
Jetske Brouwer
Fabio de Castro
Frans Camphuijsen
Mano Delea
Jeff Diamanti
Annet Dekker
Ruud van Dijk
Florence Evans
Maartje van Gelder
John Grin 
Lisa Haushofer
Mark Heerink
Elon Heijmans
Barbara Hogenboom
Tjalling Janssen
Dženita Karić
Lisa Kattenberg
Konstantin Klein
Marin Kuijt
Djoeke van Netten
Joep Onstenk
Niek Pas
Esther Peeren
Anna-Luna Post
Harry Redick
Hanneke Ronnes
Diego Caguenas Rozo
Selena Savić
Daniëlle Slootjes
Thomas Smits
Colin Sterling
James Symonds
Andrew Telford
Paul Teule
Krijn Thijs
Jouke Turpijn
Maroesjka Verhagen
Tim Verlaan
Gerard Wiegers
Jeroen van Zanten