This course is an introduction to the history of the interactions between human society and its natural environment in the early modern period, taking nature as a fundamental category of historical analysis. It aims to assess the idea that the early modern period might be the beginning of the Anthropocene, the human-dominated period of Earth’s history. It will focus on the practices and effects of colonisation, especially in the context of British imperialism, and the concomitant emergence of modern science in the context of the “Scientific Revolution”. The environmental consequences of exchanges, destruction, displacements and genocides of indigenous peoples will be studied, as well as the evolving conception of nature by English natural philosophers, especially the common belief that nature was to be dominated and exploited, which has led to various interpretations and approaches, such as ecofeminism.
- Enseignant: Sandrine Parageau