In 2019 Australia grappled with floods, bushfires, drought and a decline in the water quality in the Murray-Darling Basin. Divisive debates on water usage and fossil fuels raged during the lead up to the Federal election. Climate change has seen tens of thousands of citizens protesting on the streets. Environmental issues abound in our own backyard and around the globe, and many debates over their significance and resolution refer to the past: as a baseline, a cautionary tale, an exemplar, and more. It seems that seldom has there been a greater need for environmental history to engage in the public discourse. The AHA 2020 theme “Urgent Histories” could not be more apt. The Australian and New Zealand Environmental History Network invite proposals for presentations that address the conference theme and will also consider other research on environmental history from any geographical area, time period or subject, including reflections on environmental historical practice and methods. We welcome submissions from independent scholars and practitioners, and proposals for contributions to a workshop session on teaching environmental history. Individual papers and panels of three are welcome, as are proposals for roundtables and non-conventional, interactive sessions.
Abstracts due 29 February 2020