La Serenissima: Environmental Explorations of (and in) Venice
Seminar and Field Research
03.03.2024 – 08.03.2024
Location: Venice, Ca'Foscari University
Conveners: Christof Mauch (RCC Munich) with Holden Turner (Ca'Foscari)
Open for MA students.
Venice has struggled with water ever since it was founded just over 1600 years ago. This seminar will look at Venice from an environmental history perspective. We will discuss past, present, and future challenges of livelihoods and ecologies in a city that has been called “romantic” and “beautiful” but also faces challenges through pollution, ship traffic, over-tourism, and climate change.
During our stay in Venice from 3 March to 8 March, students explored the different islands in the Venetian Lagoon and contemplated about the overarching seminar questions, which included :
- How and why has the element that defines Venice—water—been both desirable and undesirable throughout history?
- How is the global (climate change, exploitation of resources etc.) reflected in the local?
- How has Venice fed its people over time?
- What role has nature vs. culture played in history?
- Is Venice sustainable?
- What might the future of this hydropolis be considering its past?
Downloads
- ScheduleVenice2024 (66 KByte)