What do archaeologists have to say about long-term human relationships with the environment? How might archaeology inform our understanding of current concerns with agency and climate change? In this seminar we will explore the key concepts and concerns of a transdisciplinary field of environmental aesthetics. Taking in recent debates about the ontology and temporality of building archaeological knowledge, we will critically interrogate concepts such as land and landscape, nature and culture, dwelling and lifeworld, as a means of developing an archaeology beyond a science-humanities dualism that engages actively with the challenge of changing relationships with the environment.
3-5 units · Letter or Credit/No Credit
What do archaeologists have to say about long-term human relationships with the environment? How might archaeology inform our understanding of current concerns with agency and climate change? In this seminar we will explore the key concepts and concerns of a transdisciplinary field of environmental aesthetics. Taking in recent debates about the ontology and temporality of building archaeological knowledge, we will critically interrogate concepts such as land and landscape, nature and culture, dwelling and lifeworld, as a means of developing an archaeology beyond a science-humanities dualism that engages actively with the challenge of changing relationships with the environment.
Offered in Autumn 2026 at Stanford University.