Environmental Narratives: Narrating Crisis—Imaging Disaster—Envisaging Future
Methodological Workshop in Cooperation with the University of Heidelberg
08.07.2023 – 09.07.2023
Conveners: Christof Mauch (LMU; RCC; “Worldmaking”) and Barbara Mittler (Heidelberg University; “Worldmaking”)
Location: Rachel Carson Center, fourth floor, conference room, Leopoldstr. 11a, 80802 Munich
The workshop will explore the role of narratives of environmental crises and catastrophes in the past and the present. It sets out on the assumption that narratives shape the perception as well as the experience of crises. For example, they can condition whether an event is perceived as a crisis in the first place (e.g., by rallying a certain group behind a shared narrative). They can also shape the aftermath of responses to critical events. Narratives can magnify a sense of rupture that accompanies a (supposed) crisis and thereby contributes to the epoch-making nature of catastrophes.
Our workshop uses a broad definition of “narrative,” which includes texts and cultural products such as music, film, and literature, but also climate data and statistics. During the workshop, we will practice reading-in-conjunction to include each other in our particular disciplinary approaches, and we will use different types of sources to think outside our disciplinary, regional, and methodological boxes.
The workshop brings together members of the “Worldmaking” project, China experts, fellows, and graduate students from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich (LMU) and Heidelberg University, as well as scholars from many other parts of the world. Its aim is to foster a dialogue across disciplines and continents.For the entire schedule, please see the workshop program.
Because of limited space at the Rachel Carson Center, this workshop is not open to the public. For further inquiries, please contact the event coordinators at events@rcc.lmu.de.
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- Environmental Narratives Workshop Program (143 KByte)