Emerging Field at the Institute of History: Humans and the Environment in Historical Perspective

The pressing challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss underscore the importance of historical analyses of the interrelationships between humans and nature, which lie at the heart of environmental history. In recent years, this field has received increasing attention across all periods of historiography and has become one of the most dynamic areas of research. Environmental history is particularly significant in regions of the Global South. Its cross-epochal and cross-regional perspective links micro- and macro-level analyses and emphasizes the need for global-historical approaches.

Environmental history examines the reciprocal influence of societal developments and the natural environment. It challenges the separation of human actors and the physical world, recognizing both humans and nature as historically effective entities. Research therefore investigates not only the impacts of human actions on the living and non-living environment, but also the ways in which non-human actors influence historical change.