Keywords: Habitability - Anthropocene - Literature and Science Studies
Affiliation: University of Vienna, German Department / Environmental and Climate Research Hub / Vienna Anthropocene Network
People all over the world have been thinking about conditions of planetary habitability for centuries, but the Anthropocene radically unsettles these traditional bodies of knowledge: in the wake of anthropogenic global warming, the ongoing sixth mass extinction, and other disconcerting developments, we can no longer take for granted the conditions that make most parts of the earth habitable for humans and non-humans alike. In what ways does the Anthropocene impinge on our understanding of planetary habitability? As a cultural historian and literary scholar, my current book project explores how manifold strands in the environmental humanities, the history of science and literary writing reflect these changes, canvassing the rich cultural history and theory of planetary habitability.
https://www.germ.univie.ac.at/sebastian-p-klinger/
Image Copyright by Marc Wieschalla.