Modern British History and the Environmental Turn
Environmental approaches are flourishing in modern British history. In contrast to their more peripheral standing within the field a few years ago, there are now papers and panels at the leading conferences, new articles and books, and exciting research networks. It is an opportune moment to take stock of what might be called an emerging ‘environmental turn’ in British history.
This two-day workshop will explore several questions. How can environmental history complement or offer alternatives to existing historiographical narratives and periodisations in British history? What new actors, events, or phenomena might come to the fore? How should it foster engagements with places beyond its national borders or with other disciplines? Is environmental history different from longstanding traditions of ‘landscape’ or ‘urban’ histories of Britain? What contributions can historians make to environmental advocacy and policymaking? And how might a focus on the environment reshape teaching in British history?