Rachel Carson Center (Web)

Venue: Department of History, Cultures and Civilization, University of Bologna, Italy
Time: 30.-31.05.2017
Proposals by: December 31 2016

• Conveners: Giacomo Parrinello (Sciences Po) and Paolo Capuzzo (University of Bologna)

Consumption is a crucial dimension of present-day environmental debates. From meat to automobiles, from tourism to electronic gadgets, multiple dimensions of individual and group consumption are questioned from the perspective of their impact on the environment and their share of responsibility in the global ecological crisis. How this relationship has been built, both discursively and in its material underpinnings, throughout history? While consumption studies have shed light on the subjective and often political dimension of consumer culture, environmental history has emphasized the material outcomes. We think that only by combining these two historical perspectives it is possible to fully understand the contradictory place of consumption in present-day environmental debates and politics.

This workshop aims at fostering such a dialogue, by focusing on the interconnection between domestic consumption and its environmental premises and impacts. Read more … (Web)