The Future of Environmental History: Needs and Opportunities | Environment & Society Portal

About this issue

Is environmental history our “best hope for the future”? The field is young, dynamic, and poised to contribute knowledge and understanding to a variety of problems facing the entire planet. Its work is in demand, but to what extent can its offerings provide hope, or better yet, practical solutions? Which fields have we neglected? Are there directions we should encourage and support? The sixteen contributions in this volume of RCC Perspectives offer diverse insights and concerns about the future of the field from those working in environmental history and related disciplines.

How to cite: Coulter, Kimberly, and Christof Mauch (eds.), “The Future of Environmental History: Needs and Opportunities,” RCC Perspectives 2011, no 3. doi.org/10.5282/rcc/5623.

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Content

Introduction by Kimberly Coulter and Christof Mauch

Needs

The Repair of the Earth and the Redemption of the Historical Profession by Patricia Limerick
Future Research Needs in Environmental History: Regions, Eras, and Themes by John R. McNeill
Filling the Blue Hole in Environmental History by John Gillis
Environmental History and Other Histories by David Blackbourn
Broader Horizons? by Harriet Ritvo
Globalizing Environmental History—Again by Frank Uekoetter
Nations, Nature, and Environmental History by Mahesh Rangarajan
Mainstreaming Environmental History by Martin V. Melosi

Opportunities

Rising to the Challenge: Linking Humanities Research and Environmental Policy by Peter Coates
Offering Solutions by Frank Zelko
History for Global Anxiety by Libby Robin
The Cash Value of Environmental History by Stephen J. Pyne
On the Edge of Environmental History by Richard Walker
From Modernity with Freedom to Sustainability with Decency: Politicizing Passivity by Julia Adeney Thomas
Recapturing Justice and Passion in Environmental History: A Future Path by Jane Carruthers
The Magic of Environmental History and Hopes for the Future by Christof Mauch

About RCC Perspectives

RCC Perspectives is an open-access publication that exists to record and reflect the activities of the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society. The journal was rebranded in 2016 as RCC Perspectives: Transformations in Environment and Society. It provides a forum for examining the interrelationship between environmental and social changes and is designed to inspire new perspectives on humanity and the wider world. RCC Perspectives aims to bridge the gap between scholarly and non-scholarly audiences and encourage international dialogue.

Guidelines for contributors (English)

The Perspectives Team

Published from 2010 to 2020, the series editors of RCC Perspectives were RCC Directors Christof Mauch and Helmuth Trischler. The former editing team consisted of Harriet Windley and Kristy Henderson. Katie Ritson served as co-series editor and managing editor for many years alongside former editors Brenda Black, Stephanie Hood, Hannah Roberson, and Samantha Rothbart.