How Long Has This Been Going On

In this lecture, we consider the function of temporal "what if?" frameworks to explain why so many questions related to human impact on the environment remain stuck within a Christian-derived fantasy of the "fatal bifurcation." As an alternative to the logical fallacy of some original (technical) sin, we propose that a multi-dimensional, multi-scalar approach to the various times of crisis that enables forms of humility replace those of humiliation within the discourse of the Anthropocene; to do so, we draw on the international exhibition-led inquiry Reassembling the Natural , which we co-curated from 2013-23, and consider lessons gained from our interventions in natural history museums

Anthropocene · Archaeology · Economics · Environmental ethics · Natural (archaeology) · Natural history · Political economy · Political science · Politics · American Environmental and Regional History · Ecology · History · Law · Philosophy